Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

What a book! Anna James is an auto-buy favourite author so I was eager to dive into her brand new world and it did not disappoint!! A truly unique magical fantasy world surrounding books and with a secret society. It's an all-time favourite and I've recommended it to many as a book 10x better than HP!!

As an educator working with Key Stage 2 children, I am always on the lookout for books that spark imagination, invite curiosity and offer just the right balance of adventure and heart. Chronicles of Whetherwhy: The Age of Enchantment ticks all of those boxes and more.

Anna James has created a wonderfully rich world full of magic, mystery and enchantment that I know will capture the attention of young readers. The storytelling is warm and layered, with strong characters and a plot that moves at just the right pace to keep children engaged without overwhelming them. There is a real sense of wonder threaded throughout the book and I loved the clever world-building which leaves plenty of room for questions, predictions and classroom discussion.

The book would make a lovely read-aloud in class or an excellent recommendation for confident independent readers looking for something magical and immersive. I can see it inspiring creative writing, art and map-making activities too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Every now and then, you encounter a book that is simply in a different league from others in the same genre. This is definitely one of them!

In telling the story of twins Juniper and Rafferty, Anna James transports us into an amazingly creative world of magic and mayhem, mystery and adventure. Her atmospheric world building is so effective that the reader is entirely absorbed while reading.

Sibling bonds will be tested in this story, the nature of magic and the desire for it explored (including the eternal battle between those who have such resources and those who yearn for them), and the danger and mystery that often go with magic are brought vividly alive.

The story line is gripping, the small details key to creating a memorable fantasy world, and I for one can't wait to return! Can you tell I loved it?! This is an easy 5.5 stars.

I’m absolutely enchanted by this new middle-grade series. A super magical journey full of heart, mystery, and adventure. Juniper and Rafferty are a wonderful sibling duo (as a twin myself, I am always delighted to see twins in books), and there are so many other great characters we are introduced to in this first instalment. I hope fans of Pages & Co will love the rich world of Whetherwhy as much as I did. And the illustrations by David Wyatt are just gorgeous. I can’t wait to read more!

THE AGE OF ENCHANTMENT is the first book in a new fantasy by Anna James.

I liked that this book feels both very different from her debut series (Pages and Co) while also very clearly being an Anna James book. It's set in another world with a more traditional magic system and a magic school. But it's also full of the magic of friendship and what happens when there are big divides between people - divides that are entirely based on whether you happen to be born one way or another.

It definitely feels like the first book in an epic adventure, introducing us to the world and characters - and those who are disgruntled with the way things are. I really liked the fact that, while enchanter Juniper is the main character, we also got to see the perspective of the less magical Rafferty. It was a nice way to show the problems that need addressing and why someone might oppose the status quo.

The book is framed as being a chronicle read by a grandfather to his grandchildren. I liked that this device wasn't simply limited to the prologue and epilogue (which, to me, often seems pretty pointless). Instead, there are interludes throughout the book as the grandkids react to it. This made the device seem more integrated to the overall story and it felt a little meta at times, with a commentary on what was happening.

Overall, it was a very fun read and I will be picking up the next one!

I really loved this book and will be looking out for the next book in the series. A great magical world where everyone's magic is based around one of the seasons, except for a special few enchanters who have magic from all four seasons. When Rafferty's twin sister learns she is an enchanter, and gets to go to Thistledown Academy, Rafferty decides to get a job in the nearby town so as not to be too far away from her. But Rafferty stumbles upon a dark secret society and the twins and their friends end up working together in this wonderful book about magic, friendship and bravery.

Anna James did not have to prove herself any further in my eyes, but CHRONICLES OF WHETHERWHY: THE AGE OF ENCHANGTMENT has certainly solidified her as one of the most exciting, joyous, and talented voices in kids' lit for me. Should you be looking for an alternative magic school novel with as much heart as it has adventure and whimsy, look no further.

What a stunning start to a new series and absolutely the kind of book I'd have wanted to read myself as a child. I love the idea of seasonal magic to draw upon for every day tasks and am curious to see if summer would be my seasonal gift. I got so engrossed in the characters and the story that I read long into the night as I needed to know how this would end. This book has a little bit of everything: magic, dragons, enchantments, secrets and a fascinating night market so there is certainly going to be something to appeal to everyone.
I will be keeping my eyes peeled for book 2.

I loved reading this magical new series. It will delight children and adults of all ages. The book is beautifully illustrated. The style of writing whips me away from reality and kept me reading past my bedtime! From book shops to dragons this adventure has it all. I look forward to visiting Wetherwhy again soon. A perfect read for spooky season, for fans of Charlie Bone, Harry Potter and The Worst Witch.

Till and the Book Wanderers is one of my absolute favourite series so I was overly excited to see another book by the same author. I have tried a couple of times to get into it but for some reason it’s not drawing me in. I have taken a break and reading other books, will try this again before I lose access to it and adjust my review if needed.

I really enjoyed this! Secrets, lies, black market deals, mythical creatures and magic. Juniper is a gorgeous main character and I loved her relationship with her brother too! The magpie made me smile lots - I hope he stays! I love a good battle between good and evil too. Anna James is properly brilliant with kids fantasy books.

I really loved this book. A magical tale of two twins, one of whom is discovered to be an enchanter and has to enrol at a magical school. I enjoyed seeing the magical world, systems and characters. There is a good overarching mystery and different threads weaving together. A great start to a new series.

When it comes to middle grade, Anna James can do no wrong for me - she's a true Queen of this genre. This start of a new series is full of magic, imagination and wonder is sublime in every way.

I'm a huge fan of Anna James' Pages & Co books so I was excited to read this first in a new series. Wow, I loved it and raced through, eager to find out what happened to Juniper and Rafferty. Whilst there are lots of books about magical schools, I felt like the world of Whetherwhy was different and unique with its links to the seasons, the power of nature's change and the idea of magical threads, Tangles and Knots felt really lovely and special. I thought the relationship between both Juniper and Rafferty was well written and I felt invested in both characters early on.
There's so much potential with this series and I already can't wait for the sequel. I'll definitely be buying a copy for myself and for my children!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

This is a lovely heartwarming book. I have read this with daughters aged 9 & 11 years old. It kept all of us engaged. I loved the magic of the book. We really can't wait for the next in the series!

The story starts with Rafferty and Juniper on the 13th Birthday when they take their magical test. Juniper knows her magic is stronger most, howvere has kept it hidden from everyone other than her twin.

Every night the girls wanted one more chapter and so we raced through the pages!

There are a lot of these magical/fantasy school books around now and this one didn't really offer enough to make it stand out from the crowd. It's very well written and fans of the Book Wanderers series will definitely pick it up for a look.

Anna James is starting a new middle grade series and it's a pretty good start! I enjoyed this story of enchantment and school and conspiracies.
It was a pretty captivating plot and I liked getting to know the characters. I also really liked the interludes with the grandfather reading to children.
It was a great first book, with a complete story but, mostly, I think it has a huge series potential and I'm really looking forward to reading the next installments.

This was a reasonably good book. It had good worldbuilding, nothing overwhelming, but nothing particularly standout.
I do enjoy James' writing style, as i read all of her previous books (the bookwanderers series), so i knew that i'd enjoy this, and I did for the most part.
the characters didn't really grab my attention too much, and it took til about the halfway mark for anything to really start happening, as a lot of it was the setup for the main character going to the fancy Enchanter School, and settling in there.
I think perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for this kind of book, because it had a lot of elements i'd normally really enjoy. So I might have to give this one another go at some point in the future. As it is, I wasn't totally grabbed by it, and was kind of struggling to want to pick it up to keep reading.

This is an absolute gem of a book - a really special magical story that I think will enchant most children (and adults!)

Juniper and Rafferty live in Whetherwhy where magic is linked to the seasons. Everyone has a magical talent but some have more than others and become enchanters. At their magical test during their thirteenth year, Juniper discovers that she is an enchanter and so goes to Thistledown Academy to learn how to control and use her magic. Coming from a family of bookbinders, Juniper has never been apart from Rafferty before so he follows her to the capital of Stormgrove to be closer to her.

It's a story full of magic and heart but also of mystery - throughout the book I wasn't sure who could be trusted. The story was really carefully crafted so the world was built slowly and the characters introduced gradually. I raced through it, wanting to know what happened next and was fully invested in both Juniper and Rafferty's stories and their new friends.

I loved the Pages and Co series by Anna James but I think this is even better; a really special story with so many lovely magical details and a really gripping plot. This would make a magical class read aloud, a great novel study or a fantastic independent read for any confident middle grade reader. Definitely one of my favourite books of the year so far and I can't wait to read more from the series!