Book Review: A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

The Tiffany Aching series is just excellent. Pratchett really outdoes himself with every new addition into the series. He knows how to write a light yet serious and entertaining story. This time around, Tiffany has to grow and how to be her in the world where there are other people with judgmental thoughts and jealousy, competition, and nastiness. It is so easy to lose oneself in such an environment and forget who you are while trying to be better than others or like them. And I think such a theme is not only fitting for children and young adults, but adults as well. Adults often enough need a friendly reminder of what truly matters in the world, plus that you don’t have to be a nasty person who has to let their ego go on a rampage to survive.

In A Hat Full of Sky, Tiffany leaves home and learns to become a witch. While she has raw natural talent, witching isn’t easy, not away from her home soil, chalk. And of course, there are the blue men for the readers’ amusement and horror. One of the best scenes in the book is a big job made of wee men, but if you haven’t read this book, I leave the details for you to find out. I love this book, but I didn’t the first time around. Then the painful and shameful way how Tiffany has to grow made me squirm. But maybe I wasn’t as adult back then as I thought, feeling perhaps too strongly the echos of being embarrassed and humiliated by others and myself. Now, I see those as part of growing up and having empathy both towards oneself and others. People judge us; compare themselves to us; belittle us to save their own face; point our flaws. Happily, one might add. And as a grown-up, you have to learn to navigate with those awkward moments without losing your humanity and doing something which leaves the world worse off. Life would be easier if there was a ready-made program you could install and be a balanced human being. Oh well, until then, we have to grow up and carry all the embarrassing memories with us.

As always, my book reviews go sidetrack. But A Hat Full of Sky is worth your time be your adult or young. It has exciting characters like Miss Level. I just love Tiffany’s new teacher, her personality, her quirks, and her kind-hearted nature. A perfect teacher for Tiffany. Also, Oswald, the friendly neurotic poltergeist, is someone I would want to find under my bed. That would solve my dislike and compulsion to clean. And Annagramma, oh boy, what an annoying personality, but personality you will inevitably run into again and again during your lifetime. Sometimes I wonder, are some people beyond help or not with their blind faith to all shiny and thirst for status? On a good day, I would say no, but the bad ones are another matter entirely. Of course, Rob Anybody is around. Tiffany books wouldn’t exist without him. He brings the best out of Tiffany. And Granny Weatherwax has her appearance. A great solid book, which got me out of my reading slump along with Monstrous Regiment. Losing oneself into Discworld somehow cures alienation and occasionally misanthropy.

Thank you for reading! If you haven’t read this book, shoo, go and read it, and have a bookish day ❤