Chrestomanci Books in Order
Diana Wynne Jones has written 7 Chrestomanci books, published between 1977 and 2006: 6 in the Chrestomanci series and 1 related title. The first book is Charmed Life (1977) and the newest main-line book is The Pinhoe Egg (2006). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 7
- Published
- 1977–2006
- Confirmed
- 7 of 7 titles
- Total pages
- 2,028 across 7 books
- Reading time
- 34–51 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,028 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute.
Chrestomanci is a children's fantasy sequence by Diana Wynne Jones, seven books published between 1977 and 2006. Chrestomanci is the named character, and the subject headings cover magic, witchcraft, witches, magicians and boarding schools. Charmed Life (1977) opens the run, which continues through The Magicians of Caprona (1980), Witch Week (1982), The Lives of Christopher Chant (1988) and Conrad's Fate (2005) to The Pinhoe Egg (2006). Mixed Magics (2000) collects four Chrestomanci tales.
How many Chrestomanci books are there?
Chrestomanci has 7 books, released between 1977 and 2006. 6 of them belong to the Chrestomanci series, and 1 related title sit outside it: other titles.
Chrestomanci Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 7 Chrestomanci books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119771803/4
- 219802884/4
- 319822883/4
- 419882403/4
- 520001933/4
- 620053753/4
- 720064643/4
Do you have to read Chrestomanci books in order?
You should read the Chrestomanci series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 1 related title (other titles) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Chrestomanci book also stands alone.
Where to start with Chrestomanci
Start with Charmed Life (1977), the earliest published book in the Chrestomanci series.
What is the newest Chrestomanci book?
The Pinhoe Egg (2006) is the newest book in the Chrestomanci series.
Is there a new Chrestomanci book coming?
No next Chrestomanci book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Chrestomanci has won
Wikidata records 1 award and 3 nominations for Chrestomanci. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Guardian Children's Fiction Prize1978Wonfor Charmed Life
- Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book2007Shortlistedfor The Pinhoe Egg
- Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature2007Shortlistedfor The Pinhoe Egg
- Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book2006Shortlistedfor Conrad's Fate
Chrestomanci at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest main-line Chrestomanci title on record is The Pinhoe Egg (2006), 20 years ago.
- Release pace
- Chrestomanci books have appeared about one every 5 years on average.
- Length
- 2,028 pages across all 7 books with a recorded length, a median of 288 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Chrestomanci books, 3 of 7, were published in the 2000s.
- Corroboration
- 1 of the 7 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.
What the Chrestomanci books are about
All 7 Chrestomanci books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fantasy is tagged on 7 of 7. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Fantasy 7 of 7 books
- Children's fiction 7 of 7 books
- Magic 6 of 7 books
- Witches 3 of 7 books
- Paranormal fiction 2 of 7 books
More books by Diana Wynne Jones
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Diana Wynne Jones books in order 61 books