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The Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones

Summary

The wizards and enchanters at Chrestomanci Castle are responsible for making sure that no one misuses magic in any harmful way. But they don’t know about the Pinhoe family, who live nearby and have been using magic secretly for hundreds of years. When two Pinhoe kids meet a young enchanter from the castle, long-hidden secrets are uncovered, including the one behind a mysterious egg hidden away in a dusty old attic.

Booktalk

The Pinhoe Egg is a book that’s full of magic. Almost every character in the village of Ulverscote has some magical abilities, but not all of their magic is the same. Joe, for example, only has a bit of magic, but he also has a lot of mechanical ability to go with it. So when he puts the two together, he can do cool things like using tables, chairs, and a stuffed eagle to build a flying machine that really flies (but it also crashes a lot). His sister Marianne has more powerful magic than anyone in her family, but no one ever told her. When she learns about her powers and starts using them, she does some good things and some that cause quite a bit of trouble. The children’s grandmother also has very strong magic, plus a bad temper to go with it. When she is angry, she uses her magic to throw clocks and dishes at people who annoy her a little, send unpleasant curses at people who annoy her a lot, and just to be difficult, she turns herself into a bed. The magical action also includes a cat that walks through walls, at least one unicorn, several curses, and an enchanted garden. With all of this magic floating around, some of it slips by without anyone noticing. Like the wonderful bit magic that’s hidden inside an egg in a dusty old attic. And the magic that hides in the woods where no one can see. That magic is not wonderful at all, but it’s old, it’s powerful, and it’s very dangerous.

468 pages, 5th grade and up

Discussion questions

Warning! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!

  1. What qualities to Cat and Marianne have in common that helps them become friends?
  2. Of all of the magical spells in the book, which ones did you find most interesting? Why?
  3. Who is the main villain in The Pinhoe Egg? Are there other villains also?
  4. If magic existed, do you think it should be free for families like the Pinhoes to use however they want, or should there be someone like Chrestomanci to control it?
  5. What are some of the differences between kids and grownups, both among the Pinhoes and at Chrestomanci castle?
  6. In what ways were animals, such as Nutcase, Syracuse, and Klartch, important to the story?
  7. How does Marianne change over the course of the book?
  8. Was it challenging to keep track of all the characters and the different plot threads?
  9. Are the magical families of Cat and Marianne anything like your own non-magical family? In what ways?
  10. Do you think Marianne will want to become Grammer when she gets older? If not, what else might she do?

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