Return to Groosham Grange picks up a year after the events of the first book. David and Jill have settled into school and David is excelling at all his classes. He looks like he's all set to win the Unholy Grail - an award for the new Student Master which means they're the best in the school. The Unholy Grail is a decorative goblet and a powerful artefact that ensures the school's existence. If removed from the school, Groosham Grange will no longer exist. But it seems someone is after the grail and it's up to David to stop them.

I liked the second book a lot more than the first one. The extra 25+ pages or so really helped to smooth out the narrative and allow for a bit more depth and character development. Although I was disappointed that there wasn't more of Jill. There was also an actual mystery in this book and I liked the way the story unfolded the clues and the conclusion. I mean it wasn't particularly hard to guess but it was well written and very enjoyable to read. Plus if the first book missed the mark (for me) for horror, then this second book nailed it. The wax works coming to life was creepy as fk.

Overall a funny, sarcastic read. 4 stars for both me and the target audience. ( )

XXBook talk:
It's good vs. evil with some monsters, vampires, and ghouls as teachers thrown in for good measure in this sequel. David is the best student at Groosham Grange, and now he finds himself in the role of defending the school from outsiders bent on its elimination. He's a shoo-in to win the school's prized unholy grail before he is sabotaged by the new student Vincent King. With his best friend Jill, they set out to uncover the truth about Vincent. And if that isn't enough to keep them busy, they have to save the school from a mysterious dark force. Can violence be funny? Is it ok to laugh when the school's monstrously deformed caretaker is impaled by a javelin? How about when a plastic dragon comes to life and eats several children? You might be thinking of Hogwarts and Harry, but this is no land of Potter; however, if you liked the good vs. evil in that series, you might also like reading about David as he attends school at Groosham Grange. Just be ready to laugh and get grossed out, maybe even at the same time. ( )

La suite des aventures de David. Ce livre est hors du commun car il y a de l'aventure, des drôles de personnages, des situations périlleuses... Je vous laisse le découvrir avec délice. Bonne lecture ( )

Anthony Horowitz is an accomplished and versatile writer who writes perfect books for older children and the young adult age group.

Return to Groosham Grange is typical of his work, if a little bit more off beat than usual. This hilarious adventure is the sequel to Groosham Grange, and follows David - now enjoying his life as a student at the extremely unorthodox school, and battling to win the school's highest (and only) honour, presented to the most outstanding student - the Unholy Grail.

But all is not well, as the school has been infiltrated by someone who wants to destroy it.

Children aged about 8 or 9+ will love this story. At times it is so wacky that it might be a bit too much for teenage readers, but it is still good fun, with a fast and enjoyable plot.

My one reservation - and the reason I will not be lending it out - is that it basically inverts ideas of good and evil. Witches and vampires and werewolves are not exactly evil, but the Christians certainly intend it.

That is not to say I think children should not read this book. In some senses it is a perfect book to challenge our ideas of what is good and what evil means. But I think it is a book that perhaps requires a bit of discussion to round it off, as it is aimed at an age that is used to more didactic learning, and it would be a shame if the actual message that sinks home is that Witches are good and Christians are evil. ( )