This is Pratchett’s latest juvenile and his latest Discworld book;
it’s also the sequel to The Wee Free Men, which I reviewed
last
month.

I read it aloud to Jane, and we both loved it.

The Wee Free Men introduced us to a young girl named Tiffany
Aching. She lives on a sheep farm in the Chalk country, and is in charge
of the dairy. She’s also a budding witch, which in the Discworld is a
sort of combination of country doctor, clinical psychologist, and
defender of the neighborhood from evil forces. She first assumes her
role as defender of the neighborhood when she clobbers a nasty monster
from Faerie with a cast iron skillet, having first staked out her little
brother as bait. (Witches are not generally particularly sentimental, but
they get the job done.) Later she has to rescue her little brother from
the Queen of Faerie, which she does with the help of the Nac Mac Feegle,
the Wee Free Men of the title.

The Nac Mac Feegle are fairies of a sort; at least, they lived in Faerie
until the Queen cast them out for being drunk and disorderly. They are
about six inches tall, are tattooed a vivid blue color, have red hair
with a variety of objects plaited into it, and wear kilts. Some call
them “pictsies” (a name I wish I’d thought of, darn it! though I doubt
I’d have made a quarter as good a use of it if I had). The only
thing that makes them happier than drinking is fighting–which, as they
are immensely strong and nearly indestructible, they are exceedingly good
at. And they are very fond of Tiffany, who they call their “Big wee hag.”

At the conclusion of [btitle “The Wee Free Men”] Tiffany meets Granny
Weatherwax, one of our favorite Pratchett characters, who is clearly very
impressed–not that it’s obvious to Tiffany. As there are no other
witches in the vicinity, Granny tells her that she’ll need to leave home
for a while to train, if she’s to develop her skills.

[btitle “A Hat Full Of Sky”] begins a couple of years later, just as
Tiffany is leaving home. She’s going to spend a year apprenticed to
a witch named Miss Level, learning what being a witch is all about.
Unfortunately, there’s a strange creature called a “hiver” that’s
determined to make things deadly difficult for her….

There’s so much about the book that I like. The Feegles are a delightful
creation; I particularly enjoyed watching a drunk Feegle get into a brawl
with one of Miss Level’s ceramic garden gnomes (the Feegle won). We get
to see another side of Granny Weatherwax, which is neat. But my favorite
part is probably the Witch Trials. You know, the Witch Trials? They
hold them every year. All of the witches get together and have a
competition to see who can do the neatest stuff. You know, like sheepdog
trials.

Anyway, if you’ve not encountered the Discworld, you’ve been missing out.
And if you’re a fan but have not seen these particular books, check out the Young
Adult section; they are well worth it. Order them if you have to.