A Hat Full of Sky - Terry Pratchett

   2004; 406 pages.  New Author? : No.  Book 32 (out of 41) in the “Discworld” series.  Book 2 (out of 5) in the “Tiffany Aching” sub-series.  Genre : Fantasy; Humor.  Overall Rating: 8*/10.

 

    It’s time for Tiffany Aching to start her training to be a witch!  The first step is a big one—she’s going to leave home and move into her witch-tutor’s house.  This means saying goodbye to her parents for a while, even though she’s only eleven years old.

 

    Her tutor will be Miss Level.  Both of her.  We’ll explain that later.  Tiffany will also get to do a bit of socializing with other girls her age who are also training to be witches.

 

    Magic spells and flying brooms certainly sound exciting!  But keep your ears and eyes open, Tiffany.  Because there are other creatures out there who can sense when spells are being cast, and locate their sources.

 

    And not all of them have your best interests in mind.

 

What’s To Like...

    A Hat Full of Sky is the second book in a 5-volume YA coming-of-age fantasy series set in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld universe.  Book One, The Wee Free Men, introduced us to nine-year-old Tiffany, now it’s two years later.

 

    Being so young, Tiffany struggles with self-confidence and socializing with other girls, and it's fun to watch her progress in those areas over time.  She also learns that the essence of being a witch is more about caring about and rendering service to those in need in her neighborhood, not performing dazzling tricks.

 

    As with any Terry Pratchett novel, the character-building here is superb.  We are introduced to several local witches, each with their own quirks: one can’t make turns while flying on her broom; and Miss Level somehow has two simultaneous manifestations.  Oswald is a neat-freak ondageist (say what?!), and even the group of Pictsies called the Nac Mac Feegle, all have their own unique personalities.

 

    The tension in the storyline builds and leads up to a life-or-death confrontation between Tiffany and an unstoppable essence called “the hiver”, where the outcome-determining question is: how do you defeat something that is, by definition, invincible?  Things close with a festival called “The Witch Trials” where all the witches—whether they be initiates and old veteran hags alike—get to show off the tricks of their trade.  The story ends on Hogswatchday, a celebration on Discworld known as “the changing of the year”, or what you and I would call the Winter Solstice.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  4.8/5 based on 4,992 ratings and 598 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.32/5 based on 76,926 ratings and 2,742 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “PLN?” she said.

    “Aye,” said Rob proudly.  “We came prepared!  Look, it’s written doon.  Pee El Ner.  Plan.”

   “Er . . . how can I put this . . .” Miss Level mused.  “Ah, yes.  You came rushing all this way to save Tiffany from a creature that can’t be seen, touched, smelled, or killed.  What did you intend to do when you found it?”

    Rob Anybody scratched his head, to a general shower of objects.

    “I think mebbe you’ve put yer finger on the one weak spot, mistress,” he admitted.  (pg. 222)

 

    “I thought you might have a . . . a use for this.”

    The old woman slowly unwrapped the white paper.  The Zephyr Billow cloak unrolled itself under her fingers and filled the air like smoke.

    “It’s lovely, but I couldn’t wear it,” said Tiffany as the cloak shaped itself over the gentle currents of the clearing.  “You need gravitas to carry off a cloak like that.”

    “What’s gravitarse?” said Granny Weatherwax sharply.

    “Oh . . . dignity.  Seniority.  Wisdom.  Those sorts of things,” said Tiffany.  (pg. 396)

 

Kindle Details…

    A Hat Full of Sky sells for $13.99 at Amazon right now.  The other 40 books in the series range in price from $4.99 to $14.99, with no apparent pattern in the pricing strategy

 

It was dreadful when your own thoughts tried to gang up on you.  (pg. 308)

    A Hat Full of Sky contains zero profanity, zero gore, and zero adult situations.  The target audience is YA girls, so I expected this level of cleanliness, but if you’re not part of that target audience (and I’m not), you may find the story’s tone a bit “tame”.

 

    You might also find the pacing in the first half of the book, where Tiffany gets her first lessons in witchery, a bit slow.  But the second half of the story is vintage Pratchett storytelling, and is worth the wait.  I should also admit that I’m not reading these Tiffany Aching books in order, and I definitely got the feeling that was a mistake on my part.

 

    Although the story is set in Discworld, the only characters from the main series that play a role here are Granny Weatherwax and Death.  If your favorite character is someone like Carrot, Sam Vimes, or Rincewind, you might be a bit disappointed, although the Nac Mac Feegle do supply a fair amount of Discworld wit and hilarity to the tale.

 

    Overall, A Hat Full of Sky fully met my expectation for a Terry Pratchett YA novel, with some excellent insight for young readers about things like self-image and service to one’s fellow man.  Adults will likely find it thought-provoking as well.

 

    8 Stars.  One last thing.  When you’re given three wishes by a grateful genie or magic frog or fairy godmother, what should your third wish always be, according to Granny Weatherwax?  Answer is in the comments.