Book reviews

A Hat Full of Sky
Terry Pratchett Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Terry Pratchett Books
New book search
Terry Pratchett Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of A Hat Full of Sky
"

HarperCollins, Jun 2004, 16.99, 278 pp.
ISBN: 0060586605

Eleven-year-old Tiffany Aching leaves the Chalk and her friends, the six-inch Nac Mac Feegle, to apprentice as a witch. Saying goodbye to Granny Aching was hard and departing from her Wee Free Men pals (at least her buddies when the Nac Mac Feegle are not drunk) is not easy, but service at her advanced age is expected. So though her parents are fooled as to whom she will work for, Tiffany leaves with Miss Tick to begin her training.

Unlike when she was young and immature, Tiffany as she enters adolescence has become aware of her looks. This attentiveness to her outer beauty makes her prone to attack from terrible beings. The hiver, a being that seeks out the potentially powerful by stealing control of the host's mind until the victim dies, sees Tiffany as a perfect lodging locale. The parasite begins the pre-occupation and occupation with only Nac Mac Feegle to try to rescue his young pal.

The story line makes it clear that to find one's full self, one must accept flaws, blemishes, and foibles; not an easy task in a youthful beauty is best society. Tiffany and Nac Mac are terrific characters though they be inane at times and the hiver is as vile a villain as there is. A HAT FULL OF SKY is amusing, but though nutty, the plot never loses sight of the key underlying message while entertaining the author's vast universe of fans.

Harriet Klausner"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

"Two years on from the events in Wee Free Men, Tiffany Aching is ready for her witch training. With uncomfortable new boots on her feet, and her First, Second and Third Thoughts in her head she leaves her home on The Chalk to be apprenticed to a Miss Level in the mountains, a witch who has more than a split personality. Tiffany has some all-too-familiar growing up problems, like run-ins with other young witches-to-be. But she is also about to have have a big problem: the aeons-old entity that's waiting to take over her brain (and has done so to countless other brains before).

Tiffany has the help of the greatest witch in the land, Mistress Weatherwax. More dubiously, though, she's also being protected by the Nac Mac Feegle, the 6" tall, blue-skinned, red-haired, all-drinking, all-fighting all-cattle-rustling wee folk (aka Pictsies)."

Marina Thonus, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of A Hat Full of Sky
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 35%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 25%




Tone of book - very upbeat - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past - fantasy story on current Earth
Coming of age Yes
Youngster becomes - a powerful magician
Lifeform altered? Yes
Kind of alteration: - Under control of magical being
Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14) - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - student
Age: - a kid
Has magical/special powers? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - magical being - An "It".
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - mind control - can fly - Invisibility
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters - Genius (really!)

Setting
Terrain - Mountains - Forests
Earth setting: - current (early 21st century)
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a primitive/fantasy society
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to A Hat Full of Sky
The Magickers by Emily Drake
Reunion - Mediator 3 by Jenny Carroll
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander
So You Want to be a Wizard - Young Wizards 1 by Diane Duane


Click here for more information about this book


Terry Pratchett Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
David Loftus  

SCHOLARS:
Beth Winter  Jóhanna  Liza Higgins  Confusing Manifestation  Eugenia Huang  Steve Arthur  Marina Thonus  T. Eggleston  Espen Hegge  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Science Fiction books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Wilma Counts 1:23:32 PM
Norah Lofts 6:49:46 PM
Suzanne Weyn 10:35:23 PM
George W. Bush 5:33:46 PM
Kin Platt 12:58:29 AM
Anonymous 12:47:34 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun 10:05:52 PM
Jane Rubino 10:04:38 PM
LaVyrle Spencer 10:04:00 PM
G.A. McKevett 10:03:31 PM
David Williams 10:03:01 PM
Steven Pressfield 10:02:30 PM
Jeanette Walls 10:00:19 PM
Darryl Ponicsan 9:59:27 PM
Ann Rinaldi 9:58:30 PM
R.L. Stine 9:57:34 PM
Geoffrey Huntington 9:57:14 PM
Betty Mahmoody 9:56:38 PM
Deric Longden 9:56:11 PM
Mary Downing Hahn 9:55:48 PM

More message boards