Chronicles of Whetherwhy: The Age of Enchantment

By Anna James

Illustrated by David Wyatt

Reviewed by Bethany Loveridge

Chronicles of Whetherwhy is the newest middle grade offering from UK author Anna James. Readers may recognise James as the author of Pages and Co., the delightful series about a girl who travels within the pages of stories. Be assured, James sneaks her love of all things literary into this story too!

The book dedication reads, ‘For my sister Hester – I built a magic school for you.’ This is undoubtedly enough to attract readers searching for a new Hogwarts, and the Thistledown Academy of Enchantment does not disappoint.

In Whetherwhy everyone has magic. Protagonist Juniper isn’t surprised when she’s told she’s an enchanter. And she should be excited about the adventure that awaits. There’s only one problem. Rafferty, her twin brother, other half, and best friend in the world, is not an enchanter. For the first time in their lives, they’ll be apart.

While Juniper joins Thistledown Academy, Rafferty takes a bookbinding apprenticeship nearby. Each sibling is immersed in a world of magic, danger and friendship—but their adventures couldn’t be more different. When Juniper and Rafferty finally reunite, will they be on the same side?

A hefty 370 pages, this fantastical story has James’ trademark worldbuilding that the reader can almost smell and taste, a magic-system that’s logical (as logical as magic can be), and a giant dose of intrigue. Wyatt’s dozen or so full-page artworks are glorious. My only criticism is that character names (which are botanical, like Cedar, Rowan, Hazel and Zinnia) are difficult to distinguish. I kept confusing Olivor with Oleander and Laurel with Larkspur. Of course, this becomes less of a challenge as the story progresses.

Chronicles of Whetherwhy: The Age of Enchantment is an impressive start to a new series. It’s perfect for fans of magical schools like those introduced in Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor, A.F. Steadman’s Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, and P. A. Staff’s Casander Darkbloom and the Threads of Power.

For readers aged 9 – 12.

HarperCollinsChildrensBooks 2024

Anna James

David Wyatt