Review: Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching Adventures, Book 3)
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that, as fantasies go, this one is
pretty mild. It contains minimal violence and displays solid
values of hard work and responsibility.
Families can discuss the concept of witchcraft presented here. Why do the characters use so little actual magic? What are their primary qualities? Also, why does Tiffany help Annagramma?
Common Sense Media Review
Sensible witch-in-training Tiffany and the crotchety witches
she learns from are certainly appealing characters in this
third installment of the
Tiffany Aching Adventures.
But the book really comes to life when the Feegles are onstage -- which is too seldom. The red-haired, blue-tattooed, drinking, stealing, and fighting Wee Free Men with the thick brogues are the main source of fun and humor here.
Author Terry Pratchett continues to have plenty to say on a variety of subjects, including marriage, old age, the nature of myths and stories, and growing up, and he does so with a dry, twisty wit that often makes readers stop and think -- after they finish laughing.
The plot is often secondary to Pratchett's pungent observations, and he often subtly goes several layers deeper than you'd expect -- as when he goes from stories, to the way we play out our own stories, to the way we shape our stories to define ourselves.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
