Return to Groosham Grange

by Anthony Horowitz

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.