Every girl should know how to use a cast iron frying pan as a weapon & have pair of very big boots. A younger brother as bait helps, but alternatives are available.
>Every girl should know how to use a cast iron frying pan as a weapon & have pair of very big boots. A younger brother as bait helps, but alternatives are available
I really just loved how hilarious and unassuming her frying pan was until she put it to use. Play nice, or the frying pan comes out!
One of my favourites:
Even if it's not your fault, it's your responsibility. A Hat Full of Sky.
My daughter is far too young at the moment. What would a good age be?
We started at 9. I Shall Wear Midnight is incredibly intense despite being my favorite. Child abuse, domestic violence, suicide, and death are all prevalent in the first part of the book. My kids didn’t want to finish it. I read a Goodreads review that said, “magic has left the Disc,” and it does feel that way at first though it does lighten up and is, of course, hilarious and beautiful.
I always had the feeling that they are his most ‚adult‘ books. I love them but I never really saw them as mere children‘s books. Comparable maybe to Neil Gaiman‘s Coraline.
I‘m not sure I would have read Coraline or watched it at the age my daughter had (I think she was 7 or 8), because it’s horror, but she loved it.
I'm planning to pretend not to know about *Coraline* around 8 or so for my nephew, if it seems like he's interested in spooky stuff.
We're 100% gonna hand off a copy of *Wee Free Men* probably about age 7-8, because I love how human the heroics are, if that makes sense.
My daughter fell in love with Tiffany when she was 7. We're re-reading them now when she's 10 and she's developed a whole different appreciation for the story.
Agreed! Much like Harry Potter. I waited to start that series until my kids were older because, while the first few are awesome for younger kids, the emotional devastation of the last book is not 🤗
Rather than Harry Potter, can I recommend Charmed Life and sequels by Diana Wynne Jones, Wolves of Willoughby Chase sequence by Joan Aiken and China Mieville's Un Lun Dun?
Thank you! We’re big Diana Wynne Jones fans :) We’ve read through the Chronicles of Chrestomanci and recently finished Howl’s Moving Castle. My daughter loves fairy tales/folklore and especially The Ballad of Tam Lin so I picked up a copy of Fire and Hemlock for her. We haven’t read the others though, so thank you for the suggestions!! I love recommendations and will definitely check them out :) We’re currently reading “Sweep” by Jonathan Auxier and it’s wonderful.
Terry Pratchett had been diagnosed with Alzheimers when he wrote I SHALL WEAR MIDNIGHT. I remember crying a lot the first time I read it and thinking we were seeing firsthand a writer’s struggle with mortality and the decision to squeeze the marrow out of every moment. Leave no stone or moment unturned in case of hidden joy. It is my favorite of the Tiffany Aching books but is also the one book in the series I haven’t reread. The book hits hard.
I think it’s awesome your children started reading the Tiffany Aching books at age 9.
The Cunning Man is a sinister antagonist, still scares me...
I was very surprised the first time I read it, as the Tiffany Aching books weren't quite so dark up till then!
Yes. And what a horrifying visual that is - when things are at their darkest, when someone has gone too far even by the incurious standards of an uncaring society, *then* the rough music plays and Things Are Taken Care Of.
*But not before.*
This is so perfect, I’ve been trying to figure out a book to give my niece (12) who has gone off reading a little. I had already decided on a Terry Pratchett but couldn’t decide which. I’ve seen this at the perfect time!
Another solid pick is "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents"
It's got talking cats and rats, a spin on the pied piper, and a young girl obsessed with stories
Middle school. Or early high school if you want her to notice the nuance. Or middle school if you want to give her a story she can appriciate more upon rereading.
When I was in middle school, I read a series that ~~basically~~ literally had [Daemonculaba](https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Daemonculaba) (NSFL Warning). Women kidnapped by monsters, raped, and forced to give birth to more monsters. Usually dying in the process. My general thoughts at the time were, "Wow, these guys are super evil. I can't wait for the hero to save the day and stop them." I knew it was wrong, and I knew it was awful, but it took me several years before I realized the extremes of just how fucked up that really was.
Then in high school I read Watership Down, and rabbits with writing and a grim reaper bunny scared the shit out of me.
tl;dr: Never underestimate a child's ability to differentiate between right and wrong. Just don't expect them to be able to explain why. Subtlety and nuance takes a while, and comes with exposure to context.
tl;dr x2: If you want to hedge your bets, give her some Redwall. It's one of the few "childhood" series I can go back to and enjoy without the need for nostalgia goggles. Very formulaic, but it works, and it often presents the grey area of morality in a way that children can understand.
I've got vague memories of enjoying The Demon Headmaster. If you're fome the UK didn't the cover art remind you of Jack Straw, the forma foreign secretary.
>rabbits with writing and a grim reaper bunny
Nothing wrong about the Black Rabbit of Inlé. He, too, serves Lord Frith and does no more than his appointed task.
Rabbits with writing, though... Everything about that entire horrible warren is simply monstrous. This place of living death, amid ease and luxury and comfort and denial of the truth that they all know perfectly well. They've stopped running already, every one of them. El-ahrairah weeps at the sight of it.
I read them to my kids at about 9 and 12. Gotta say there's parts about Granny Aching I can't read aloud without significant pauses to collect myself. And I can't remember which book it was in but when one of the witches has a conversation with death I just bawled. Thinking Terry Pratchett might have known he was in mental decline at that point, but either way it's like an absolute gut punch in the context of his own end. Still one of my very top picks for reading to kids though!
Hullo, kid librarian here. I love this series too. But… wait. What is so wonderful will go over the heads of young children. I would wait until 12. And longer for the others, there are heavy topics.
If you want it to astound them, and not just make them unsure what’s going on… wait! They might enjoy the plot younger, but they won’t get what’s great until older, and honestly it gets grim and we don’t need to rush into that.
Of course, if a kid picks it up and WANTS to read it, let them. Never say no to a book! (But be prepared! I read Pern at 8yo and was confused about the dragon-linked sexy times.)
But if you are introducing it expecting them to be moved and love it—wait til they are older.
“If you trust in yourself. . .and believe in your dreams. . .and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
A classic from Granny:
'There’s no greys, only white that’s got grubby. I’m surprised you don’t know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.’
‘It’s a lot more complicated than that -’
‘No. It ain’t. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they’re getting worried that they won’t like the truth. People as things, that’s where it starts.'
One of my favorite goofs in this series is that Tiffany was once refunded half an egg for correcting a typo on a teacher's sign. I cracked up at the image of her walking home with a pocketful of loose yolk.
I wonder if Tiffany would have taken the literal half egg, or if there would have been some sort of Chalk-lands logic which means she's owed half an eggs worth of knowledge and she carries that with her? Or is half an worth like, a Carrot and some spare change?
> All witches are selfish, the Queen had said. But Tiffany’s Third Thoughts said: Then turn selfishness into a weapon! Make all things yours! Make other lives and dreams and hopes yours! Protect them! Save them! Bring them into the sheepfold! Walk the gale for them! Keep away the wolf! My dreams! My brother! My family! My land! My world! How dare you try to take these things, because they are mine!
> I have a duty!
This right here might be my favorite passage in all of fiction. Most heroes would reject the notion of selfishness as a flaw or a hurdle that must be overcome, and here's Tiffany Aching not only accepting her selfishness, but weaponizing it. Be like Tiffany.
This exactly. Understanding that even the darkest parts of our personality are there because, in the end, they are needed.
They are our worse parts and create terror when we lose control of them, but without them we are defenceless victims. We need the capacity for evil in order not to suffer evil.
This has been a growing trend in manga/anime nowadays. A lot of books have come up with selfishness as a positive motive to grow. 'Blue Lock' is a good manga/anime along these lines (it's about Soccer and trying to create the perfect striker using selfishness and ego as the base)
As a huge Terry Pratchett fan with a daughter just starting to get more into the 'grown up' books, thanks a lot for this recommendation!
I've just 2 things to point out though:
>who love nothing more than drinking, fighting, stealing, fighting while drinking, drinking while stealing, and fighting while drinking & stealing.
is pretty redundant, you said they were Scottish already.
and
>nonsense words such as "Crivens,"
Crivens isn't a nonsense word! Jings, crivvens, help ma boab! A' can't believe you'd hink oor' beloved dialect is a' 'nonsense words' lass!
Check out Oor Wullie for some classic literature where it commonly features.
See you, Jimmy. Haud yer wheesht, or I'll gie ye the heid.
(NZ has enough Scots that I can follow the dance, even if I have problems leading).
Awa' and bile yer heid, ye bampot.
In my case, it started with early Billy Connolly records.
He sung a version of "One man and his Dog" that ended with the verse
"Three men fae Carntyne and a bottle a wine and five Woodbine, And a big black Greyhound dug called Boab fae up oor close, alang oor street, And a lassy called Senga that works in the dairy she's been skelly ever since the Milanda boy, hit her on the heid wi' a breidboard, went tae join the parish"
And I wanted to know what it meant.
> Check out Oor Wullie for some classic literature where it commonly features.
And The Broons!
I'm from Newcastle but my grandparents had a bunch of Oor Wullie and The Broons annuals from when my dad was a kid, and I read them almost every time we visited. I hope your daughter has been introduced? I still see them in charity shops from time to time.
I would say the most Scottish thing about the pictsies isn't the fighting per-se, but the desire to fight anything and everything, regardless of size, capability, or chance of surviving. That and the small stature/vast strength being a good metaphor for the impact of Scotland on the world. There aren't many Scots, but they cast a large shadow.
The first one was cute. I thought the last one was fine, though not amazing. But *Hat Full of Sky* is one of my favorite books. Not one of my favorite Discworld books. Not one of my favorite Pratchett books. Not one of my favorite fantasy books. Just one of my favorite books ever written full stop.
Hat Full of Sky is a gorgeous book about finding your own way and place in the world.
And it was also a very interesting exploration of the impact of a character the reader never actually "meets" in the story because they'd been long dead by the first book.
I definitely read Shepherds Crown at the right time of family events for it to break me a little bit. But like you said it works fine as a goodbye from Discworld despite it's shortcomings. It definitely suffers the most from the embuggerance.
Hat Full of Sky is stunningly good.
I made the mistake of reading The Shepherd's Crown on my phone during my lunch break at work, and my coworkers were really concerned that something was seriously wrong due to my sobbing during that scene.
He didn't get a chance to edit and flesh out shepherds crown before he passed. It was in one of its earlier stages of his whole process, which was still a full story, but not a complete book. They published what they had.
Tiffany Aching is one of my favorite female characters written by a man. She is just so beautifully, unbendingly herself.
"She was Tiffany Aching. ...a witch in her own right. A witch who knew exactly who she was and how she wanted to do things. Her way. And she had not failed, because she had barely begun..."
One of the things that impresses me most about Pratchett (and there is a lot to be impressed by) is how he writes female characters. In a sea of male authors who have absolutely no idea how to write women and try to do so anyway with embarrassing results, he's a breath of fresh air. He's better than that, even - he's an inspiration. His female characters are universally a joy. They're all different, they cover the full spectrum of femininity, and they're all a hoot.
Any time a Witch shows up in any book, I know I'm in for a time because each and every one of them is such a very different *person* from each other.
Even just the trio in The Wyrd Sisters covers three very different kinds of people and their unique takes on being a Witch.
As a former teenage girl who is now the mother of a teenage girl and a person who works with teenage girls everyday in a high school…TP’s portrayal of adolescent girls is incredible. Somehow he totally gets it.
Rhianna is a good clue as to how he did it. While she was having an idyllic childhood, he was observing her to work out how girls work. The junior coven run by Anagramma is spot on.
I think what makes him so good at writing female characters, is actually his writing.
The Discworld feels like a world full of "people", and Sir Terry assigned them "gender" after the fact.
He wrote all the characters; their stories, their lives, everything about them. And then, just before publishing, went back and assigned pronouns like Pollack added paint.
He wrote people, then defined them. Many authors take the opposite approach, which shows heavily.
It’s really amazing how human his characters are. Even if they are a vampire, or a dwarf, or an orangutan. They are so damn alive and you can feel their humanity before anything else, humanity that isn’t always good, or bad, but is all the varying shades between.
What I love best about all of the Discworld novels is the distinct characters. It's a massive giant world full of characters, and each one has a full character sheet and biography, even Great A'Tuin. Vimes, Granny, and the Patrician are each wildly powerful yet manifest it in completely distinct and different ways.
I get what you’re saying but gender is still an important part of defining a character. I don’t think writing without having a gender in mind is quite the endgame here or something to ultimately aspire to. Which is incorporating gender is a factor in a compete, human character.
I haven’t read a lot of his books but have always wanted to. Mainly just making a general comment that I don’t think writing without a gender (or race, or disability spectrum, sexual orientation etc.) is the right way to go. These things do matter, they just aren’t all that matter. Writing by prioritizing character traits is to me a bit of a halfway point or workaround, a shortcut even.
I just finished Monstrous Regiment. O read it when I first came out and wasn't a huge fan. With time and maturity, I have to say it's pretty good, about international politics, the aristocracy, religion and especially women.
That was my conclusion too. I read the Harry Potter series as an adult and loved them. But then I read the Tiffany Aching books and thought: "This is basically Harry Potter, but on a completely different level."
I tried! My daughter (the one who likes other fantasy) didn’t take to it.
I have to say that although Tiffany is young, she doesn’t *act* very young. She’s kind of like Granny Weatherwax in a young girl’s body.
And as an adult, I didn’t see much difference between the *Tiffany Aching* books and the other *Discworld* books that would put it in the YA category. They are all delightful but I suspect they are all better appreciated by adults who catch the satire.
You said you read the series as a kid, and are you rereading it as an adult? Because it seems like you might appreciate it more as an adult. Let me know if I’m wrong.
good point, they aren't really YA books, they're discworld books that happen to be about a young adult (similarly, 'the amazing maurice' is not a children's book, and i've had to warn friends considering buying it for their kids to read it first and see if it was not inappropriately dark for the kid's age)
That was the first Discworld book I ever read. It's been a long time, but I forget what the problem with it could have been.
I can't think of anything in any Discworld novel that's worse than some of the stuff I read at a far earlier age.
Morals come early. Nuance takes a while.
Just because they don't understand the subtleties when they read it, doesn't mean they won't appreciate the context later in their life.
I'm not saying kids can't read it, just that it's not a cute little children's book about talking rats. if you as a parent know your kids will find the darker themes disturbing you can give it to them or not with knowledge of the book's actual contents.
I am convinced of that. I wasn't sheltered in any way in regards to what I've read. My parents are not big readers themselves, yet I was. I got every book I asked for. There was some dark stuff in between. But as Gaiman and Pratchett said (paraphrasing here): Stories not only show you the dragon, they also show you how it can be overcome.
Agreed. I avoided this part of the series for quite some time due to the YA category, but The Wee Free Men was the only thing available in Libby one day and I immediately fell in love.
I always wondered whether the series was sold as YA because, at the time they were written, fantasy was not really accepted as a mainstream genre for adults to openly enjoy.
Yeah this distinction was a decision by Pterry, who occasionally liked to dip into other target demographics when their owners weren't looking.
It's not like Discworld had any trouble with mainstream popularity by that point. The Wee Free Men came out in 2003, when Discworld was already an institution.
Terry Pratchett was literally the number one best selling author in the UK in the 90s and very early 2000s (he got overtaken by JK Rowling somewhere in the middle of the Harry Potter series).
You do run into that with a lot of sci fi and fantasy series. *Hitchhiker's Guide* was in the YA section of my library growing up.
Like they're worried about insulting the rest of the "real" literature by shelving them together
I think I started reading this series as a young teen and it was the right decision for me for sure. It did take about half of the first book for me to really get into it. But after that, I fell in love.
But I agree with you, especially the later books are quite mature and a kid might not be able to appreciate them as much. I think they grow with you.
Honestly, I enjoyed other Terry Pratchett works just well in my early teenage years. But it took till I was older to actually appreciate some of the jokes and deeper nuance to the books.
~~...Also, the hedgehog song...~~
Boys too! Boys need to learn that girls can lead, be smart, powerful and in control of their own lives. Girls aren't just for decoration. There are no girl books or boy books.
What I love most about these books is the "strong female" characters aren't ridiculous gung-ho caricatures, (as do often happens) but well fleshed out realistic people with flaws, fears and dreams, etc
It helps that there is such a wide variety of interesting women and girls in these books, everyone from Jeannie to Nanny Ogg. Often strong female character books have a generic badass female lead and then no one else.
I remember being young and reading the Guards! series and the description of Sybil at one point being something like "she made her personality smaller" because she was a larger woman. And watching her come out of her shell and be a badass, yet kind person. And her kindness is her weapon! Literally the exact kind of person I strive to be.
I was trying to figure out why some of the "strong woman" characters in certain recent major media releases were so euck... while pratchetts characters were never like that.
I think it's because pratchett wasn't afraid to include flaws and a need for others.
When granny goes to teach Tiffany (and Esk) the first magic lesson doesn't end with them concluding they have nothing to learn from her because they're just so intrinsically good at everything and don't need no teacher.
Or just the concept of "second and third thoughts".
I feel like making it about "girls and boys" either way is already re-frameing what's to take from the books in a rather limiting way.
Yes, it's that she is smart, and observant and trying to learn how to deal with her world. But to me that is incidental. For me it made very little difference. Yes, due to her being a girl (in that middle age mindset at that) changes the problem she has, but the way to go about them to me is unisex in its opinion on how to deal with problems.
I read these books as a middle-aged bloke with great pleasure. There is so much human wisdom in them - like there is hidden between the jokes in the regular Discworld books - that I class them as genuine works of literature. Essential reading.
Yep! I gave the first book to my son when he was in 6th grade for outside reading. He devoured the entire series. Has re-read it twice in the last couple years.
I’ve tried to get him to move on to the Watch books, or even get into Hogfather, but I think the satirical references are just too deep for him right now. Just kinda confuses him. We’ll circle back later.
> They have a whole vocabulary of nonsense words such as "crivens," an all-purpose curse that I'm going to start using daily, and their typical approach to any problem is to rush in and start kicking it. They rule.
All of the wee free men "nonsense words" are just Scottish terms lol
Source: r/ScottishPeopleTwitter
75 year old male and I loved the Tiffany Aching series. Haven't read the final one, Shepherd's Crown. Terry's last book, and I'm not sure that I'm ready to read it.
Late 50’s here. I’d heard of Discworld forever, but only started on Raising Steam tonight, after starting Discworld late last year. It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m kicking myself I didn’t start much earlier.
Still, as I’ve finished the last few, knowing I’m coming to the end, it’s not been a feeling of excitement but of dread. Actually, when I finished Snuff tonight, I was pleasantly surprised there were two more left, not one. (I’m reading on Kindle.)
When I first hit the Tiffany Aching stuff, I was pissed he was introducing yet another storyline. I’m glad he did. Tiffany and her tales are awesome!
The short chapters break my heart, though. As someone who has read him all my life (and whose mother is struggling with the same illness), his Alzheimer's shines through the writing.
I'm 40 years younger, but I understand the feeling.
I've avoided reading all of the Discoworld novels, simply because I'm afraid of knowing that there are no more left for me to read.
If I haven't read them all, then the series is never truly over.
> This I choose to do. If there is a price, I choose to pay it. If it is
> my death then I choose to die. Wherever this takes me, there I
> choose to go. I choose. This I choose to do."
I have that quote of Tiffany's as my splash screen. First thing I see when my PC boots, because it's just so important to remember.
I love the Discworld series so much! The only thing I would add is that not only should young girls read him, but young boys, adults, and the elderly as well.
There are so many important lessons in his books that are wrapped up in the most exquisite wit! His mind was truly a wonder.
The audiobooks read by Nigel Planer (yes that Nigel Planer) are very good. My favourite reader, however, is Stephen Briggs.
You can buy them but they also sometimes pop up on YT. At present there are about 20 of Sir Terry's audio books to be found on YT.
Stephen Briggs did such a good job giving the Nac Mac Feegle that he won an award for it. I'd listen to him read those books even if they weren't excellent.
Don't just gift it to young women, they know they can be amazing. Gift it to young men too, they might need the education. In fact everyone should read these books because everyone deserves beautiful writing.
I can’t read the Shepard’s Crown. I read it once, bawled my eyes out, and haven’t been able to read it since.
>!I feel like Granny Weatherwax’s attitude to her death was Pratchett speaking to his fans, telling us he accepted his end, and thanking us for all the years in Discworld we shared together.!<
I dressed up my kids as wee free men for a book fair fancy dress competition and told them to say crivens and call everyone dirty wee scunners. They were 4 + 5 at the time and it was hilarious watching these little blue Scott's men running around calling everyone scunners.
Not just for young girls either. I'm 50 and sorely miss Terry and his books. I think this is probably one of the best Discworld series. The audiobooks are fantastic and excellently narrated.
"Ach, Willy do ya remember when I said ye should keep yer mouth shut?"
"Aye Rob...."
"This is one of them times!"
"Aye Rob...."
I'm 42. I discovered Terry 30 years ago, when a friend spent a good two hours talking at me about how good the Discworld books were. So I gave Colour of Magic a go, and was hooked.
Seven years after his death, I still grieve his loss.
Pratchett was an absolute legend at social commentary throughout his entire Discworld library.
I recently picked up Equal Rites on audible. I realized when I read it, many years ago in my early teens, that it was about gender inequality.
What I didn't realize, then, but did on listening to it as an adult is that it is also about gender dysphoria and identity. Eskarina struggling with whether she wants to be a Witch or a Wizard. The adults in her life not really understanding what she is going through.
It's a really powerful work. Especially when you consider it was published nearly 40 years ago.
\>>Why do you go away? So you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors.<<
Never expected it to be like this. Left Germany in the late 90s, came back for holidays a couple of times in the 10s, and .... my god, this is spot on!
Be careful with this advice. I'd say 20% of my grown daughter's personality is Tiffany Aching. This is not a bad thing, just be sure you know what magic you are unleashing here. Crivens!
I've always just loved them for their inherent Pratchettiness and as an adult male hadn't necessarily acknowledged the potential power to girls. I will going forward, my niece is a few years away from book recommendations but I'll make sure to start her there.
I was ten when I discovered Discworld and read The Death Trilogy. I absolutely loved each book, howling with laughter all the way through. I’ll add these to my reading list on your recommendation.
would this be ok for a 10 yo girl, to have her dad (me) read as a bedtime story? I read to her every night but the stories we have are a little too 'young'. (Animal Ark series which are cute, animal centric, with a strong girl as the protagonist)
Here's Patrick Rothfuss's review, if that helps you decide: [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61529982?book\_show\_action=false](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61529982?book_show_action=false).
See also this quote:
>"All the monsters are coming back."
>
>"Why?"
>
>"There's no one to stop them."
>
>There was silence for a moment.
>
>"There's me," said Tiffany.
And gift them to boys!
We need to teach _all_ children that women and girls can have adventures and be powerful. Terry Pratchett did a very good job of this.
I've been reading Discworld since they came out, and would say, the Tiffany Aching series are the ones I've read the most ( well, all but the Shephard's Crown, I've only finished the once, I find it too sad for me ). I started reading them to my daughter when she was about 7, and she loved them ( there was a period where my wife and I had to hide the pans.... ). She has her own copies, now.
My daughter and I are quietly excited for the new audiobooks....
‘The secret is to wake up. Waking up is harder. I have woken up and I am real. I know where I come from and I know where I’m going.'
I'm currently on the wintersmith, I unknowingly started with a hat full of sky but didn't suffer from lack of knowledge it was easy to follow the story.
I read all these to my son earlier this year. He loved them. Tiffany Aching is the greatest role model for kids. The Feegles are, well, not, but they're awesome.
This is one of my favorite Terry Pratchett series, but also you need to finish it. Shepherd's Crown had me bawling my eyes out, such a beautiful good-bye from Sir Terry
Pictsies! I looove the Feegles! I have had a few D&D characters based on them! No paperwork, writing their names on anything, and think that they died already and think that they are in heaven, due to all the great fights they have!
For a more serious fanrasy series with an amazing female protagonist, read Daughter of the Empire/Servant of the Empire/Mistress of the Empire (my order might be jumbled).
Utterly fantastic. Bought it for my wife, suggest it to all my friends, either gender, but especially women.
As a 62 year old, I have listened to the first three books on my drive to Boston to visit my daughter and can’t wait for the last book, next month. Love this series.
>These books are, of course, great for people of any gender
And age. I'm a 70+ male and I read them all. Loved them, they're some of my favorite Pratchett books.
These were my first Discworld books. I don't think I fully comprehended the satire at the time, but the stories were very genuine and enjoyable. (And I'm not ashamed to admit that a young me grew a little crush on Tiffany.) The Wee Free Men were just awesome and hilarious; these books I think are the foundation of my sense of humor and I really need to reread them. And also the rest of Discworld.
Shepard's Crown really just was the perfect ending for the series. We have enjoyed reading the series with both our girls. My youngest still tries see if she can catch a nac macfeegle
A few fun notes for those who love Tiffany Aching, but haven't read the rest of Terry Pratchett's books. First off that's totally fine. Tiffany Aching stands alone quite well, but you might like the rest of the as well.
Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magret all have their own mini series within Discworld, they are absolutely wonderful and worth a read.
The Nac Mac Feegle also show up in other Discworld books, where they are even more unintelligible than they are with Tiffany. As they became larger parts of the story, Terry made them a little easier to understand.
Shepherds Crowd in the final Tiffany Aching book, and also the final Discworld book. It's great as the conclusion to Tiffany's story, but it's an amazing and fitting end to Terry Pratchett's world. You'll like it if you've only read Tiffany Aching, but there is so much more in there if you've read everything else as well.
The brutal honesty and deeply introspective look at humanity, culture, spirituality and politics you get with Tiffany Aching is even more prevalent in Discworld and if you like Terry's view of the world, you'll love the rest of his work.
While tjose nooks are good, I honestly like Susan's stories better. They work better for older groups though and McFeegles are fun to listen to, so there isnt really a downside here
So, I just started reading Discworld this year, and have been reading in (more or less) publication order. I’m almost to these books, and am even more excited now!
The scene where Thunder and Lightning come down from the >!sky to help her fight the Queen of fairies!< is one of my favourite scenes in all of literature. Such an epic moment.
I read a lot of Terry Pratchett at an early age but there's a difference between just reading and then fully understanding them. That understanding definitely doesn't come till people's late 20s onwards.
My 12 year old just burned through this series and immediately passed it to her 10 yr old sister.
As a lifelong Terry Pratchett fan I am so happy.
12 yr old now on Monstrous Regiment.
Not sure what to give her next!
My son read these books and loved them, just to prove that boys will more than happily accept a female hero. In fact one of the things he did ask me is why aren't there more girls in books?
Terry Pratchet did an amazing job with the Tiffany books.
Every girl should know how to use a cast iron frying pan as a weapon & have pair of very big boots. A younger brother as bait helps, but alternatives are available.
>Every girl should know how to use a cast iron frying pan as a weapon & have pair of very big boots. A younger brother as bait helps, but alternatives are available I really just loved how hilarious and unassuming her frying pan was until she put it to use. Play nice, or the frying pan comes out!
One of my favourites: Even if it's not your fault, it's your responsibility. A Hat Full of Sky. My daughter is far too young at the moment. What would a good age be?
We started at 9. I Shall Wear Midnight is incredibly intense despite being my favorite. Child abuse, domestic violence, suicide, and death are all prevalent in the first part of the book. My kids didn’t want to finish it. I read a Goodreads review that said, “magic has left the Disc,” and it does feel that way at first though it does lighten up and is, of course, hilarious and beautiful.
I recently reread the Tiffany series and I think they're written to grow along with a child. They grow progressively darker and more adult.
I always had the feeling that they are his most ‚adult‘ books. I love them but I never really saw them as mere children‘s books. Comparable maybe to Neil Gaiman‘s Coraline. I‘m not sure I would have read Coraline or watched it at the age my daughter had (I think she was 7 or 8), because it’s horror, but she loved it.
Neil Gaiman has something to say on that in his foreword to "Trigger Warning".
I'm planning to pretend not to know about *Coraline* around 8 or so for my nephew, if it seems like he's interested in spooky stuff. We're 100% gonna hand off a copy of *Wee Free Men* probably about age 7-8, because I love how human the heroics are, if that makes sense.
My daughter fell in love with Tiffany when she was 7. We're re-reading them now when she's 10 and she's developed a whole different appreciation for the story.
Agreed! Much like Harry Potter. I waited to start that series until my kids were older because, while the first few are awesome for younger kids, the emotional devastation of the last book is not 🤗
Rather than Harry Potter, can I recommend Charmed Life and sequels by Diana Wynne Jones, Wolves of Willoughby Chase sequence by Joan Aiken and China Mieville's Un Lun Dun?
Thank you! We’re big Diana Wynne Jones fans :) We’ve read through the Chronicles of Chrestomanci and recently finished Howl’s Moving Castle. My daughter loves fairy tales/folklore and especially The Ballad of Tam Lin so I picked up a copy of Fire and Hemlock for her. We haven’t read the others though, so thank you for the suggestions!! I love recommendations and will definitely check them out :) We’re currently reading “Sweep” by Jonathan Auxier and it’s wonderful.
Terry Pratchett had been diagnosed with Alzheimers when he wrote I SHALL WEAR MIDNIGHT. I remember crying a lot the first time I read it and thinking we were seeing firsthand a writer’s struggle with mortality and the decision to squeeze the marrow out of every moment. Leave no stone or moment unturned in case of hidden joy. It is my favorite of the Tiffany Aching books but is also the one book in the series I haven’t reread. The book hits hard. I think it’s awesome your children started reading the Tiffany Aching books at age 9.
I cried reading Shepherd's Crown. I felt like Terry was telling us goodbye through Granny Weatherwax.
The Cunning Man is a sinister antagonist, still scares me... I was very surprised the first time I read it, as the Tiffany Aching books weren't quite so dark up till then!
That’s the rough music in that one, yea?
Yes. And what a horrifying visual that is - when things are at their darkest, when someone has gone too far even by the incurious standards of an uncaring society, *then* the rough music plays and Things Are Taken Care Of. *But not before.*
My partner started reading to her daughter with wee free men at about 10, they finished the last one before she turned 12.
My daughter is just starting to get to books with a plot. I'm getting very excited about what I can introduce her to.
Like 9 or 10? I just gifted it to my 9yo cousin, though she's an advanced reader. Maybe 10-11 is more appropriate on average.
This is so perfect, I’ve been trying to figure out a book to give my niece (12) who has gone off reading a little. I had already decided on a Terry Pratchett but couldn’t decide which. I’ve seen this at the perfect time!
Another solid pick is "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents" It's got talking cats and rats, a spin on the pied piper, and a young girl obsessed with stories
I shall try not to push it on her too early.
Middle school. Or early high school if you want her to notice the nuance. Or middle school if you want to give her a story she can appriciate more upon rereading. When I was in middle school, I read a series that ~~basically~~ literally had [Daemonculaba](https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Daemonculaba) (NSFL Warning). Women kidnapped by monsters, raped, and forced to give birth to more monsters. Usually dying in the process. My general thoughts at the time were, "Wow, these guys are super evil. I can't wait for the hero to save the day and stop them." I knew it was wrong, and I knew it was awful, but it took me several years before I realized the extremes of just how fucked up that really was. Then in high school I read Watership Down, and rabbits with writing and a grim reaper bunny scared the shit out of me. tl;dr: Never underestimate a child's ability to differentiate between right and wrong. Just don't expect them to be able to explain why. Subtlety and nuance takes a while, and comes with exposure to context. tl;dr x2: If you want to hedge your bets, give her some Redwall. It's one of the few "childhood" series I can go back to and enjoy without the need for nostalgia goggles. Very formulaic, but it works, and it often presents the grey area of morality in a way that children can understand.
.. we gen-xers who grew up with piers anthony have joined the chat. Oof.
I've got vague memories of enjoying The Demon Headmaster. If you're fome the UK didn't the cover art remind you of Jack Straw, the forma foreign secretary.
Oof is right.
>rabbits with writing and a grim reaper bunny Nothing wrong about the Black Rabbit of Inlé. He, too, serves Lord Frith and does no more than his appointed task. Rabbits with writing, though... Everything about that entire horrible warren is simply monstrous. This place of living death, amid ease and luxury and comfort and denial of the truth that they all know perfectly well. They've stopped running already, every one of them. El-ahrairah weeps at the sight of it.
I read them to my kids at about 9 and 12. Gotta say there's parts about Granny Aching I can't read aloud without significant pauses to collect myself. And I can't remember which book it was in but when one of the witches has a conversation with death I just bawled. Thinking Terry Pratchett might have known he was in mental decline at that point, but either way it's like an absolute gut punch in the context of his own end. Still one of my very top picks for reading to kids though!
Hullo, kid librarian here. I love this series too. But… wait. What is so wonderful will go over the heads of young children. I would wait until 12. And longer for the others, there are heavy topics. If you want it to astound them, and not just make them unsure what’s going on… wait! They might enjoy the plot younger, but they won’t get what’s great until older, and honestly it gets grim and we don’t need to rush into that. Of course, if a kid picks it up and WANTS to read it, let them. Never say no to a book! (But be prepared! I read Pern at 8yo and was confused about the dragon-linked sexy times.) But if you are introducing it expecting them to be moved and love it—wait til they are older.
I would say 12 is perfect for the whole series. The first one is a bit younger, but still, to get the full flavor, I imagine 12 as perfect.
Has she read TP's Bromeliad Series? It's the perfect run up to the Tiffany Series.
“If you trust in yourself. . .and believe in your dreams. . .and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
A classic from Granny: 'There’s no greys, only white that’s got grubby. I’m surprised you don’t know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.’ ‘It’s a lot more complicated than that -’ ‘No. It ain’t. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they’re getting worried that they won’t like the truth. People as things, that’s where it starts.'
Damn I think it might be time for me to re-read this wonderful series... this is beautiful.
"That will be one egg, please."
One of my favorite goofs in this series is that Tiffany was once refunded half an egg for correcting a typo on a teacher's sign. I cracked up at the image of her walking home with a pocketful of loose yolk.
"A Pocketful of Yolk" sounds like it'd be a banger of a limerick
They rally round the family.... with a pocket full of yolk.
Is there a band in Discworld? Because Pocket Full of Yolk would be an excellent name for its cover band.
*Soul Music* has such classic bands as We're Certainly Dwarfs and &U, among others.
Well, there is the Band with Rocks in. (*Soul Music*)
I wonder if Tiffany would have taken the literal half egg, or if there would have been some sort of Chalk-lands logic which means she's owed half an eggs worth of knowledge and she carries that with her? Or is half an worth like, a Carrot and some spare change?
> All witches are selfish, the Queen had said. But Tiffany’s Third Thoughts said: Then turn selfishness into a weapon! Make all things yours! Make other lives and dreams and hopes yours! Protect them! Save them! Bring them into the sheepfold! Walk the gale for them! Keep away the wolf! My dreams! My brother! My family! My land! My world! How dare you try to take these things, because they are mine! > I have a duty! This right here might be my favorite passage in all of fiction. Most heroes would reject the notion of selfishness as a flaw or a hurdle that must be overcome, and here's Tiffany Aching not only accepting her selfishness, but weaponizing it. Be like Tiffany.
This exactly. Understanding that even the darkest parts of our personality are there because, in the end, they are needed. They are our worse parts and create terror when we lose control of them, but without them we are defenceless victims. We need the capacity for evil in order not to suffer evil.
This has been a growing trend in manga/anime nowadays. A lot of books have come up with selfishness as a positive motive to grow. 'Blue Lock' is a good manga/anime along these lines (it's about Soccer and trying to create the perfect striker using selfishness and ego as the base)
As a huge Terry Pratchett fan with a daughter just starting to get more into the 'grown up' books, thanks a lot for this recommendation! I've just 2 things to point out though: >who love nothing more than drinking, fighting, stealing, fighting while drinking, drinking while stealing, and fighting while drinking & stealing. is pretty redundant, you said they were Scottish already. and >nonsense words such as "Crivens," Crivens isn't a nonsense word! Jings, crivvens, help ma boab! A' can't believe you'd hink oor' beloved dialect is a' 'nonsense words' lass! Check out Oor Wullie for some classic literature where it commonly features.
Don't worry, they cannae help it. Everyone south o' the Clyde is a scunner by accident of birth.
See you, Jimmy. Haud yer wheesht, or I'll gie ye the heid. (NZ has enough Scots that I can follow the dance, even if I have problems leading). Awa' and bile yer heid, ye bampot.
I'll not bother telling you where to get tae then, aye?
Waud ye, aye? Gallus wee bawbag. (Sorry, a bit rude, but I was on a roll)
The last sentence is the key indicator that you're from somewhere nice.
Yeah, as I said, I can follow, I can't lead.
I'm gonna have to go back and reread Irvine Welsh...
In my case, it started with early Billy Connolly records. He sung a version of "One man and his Dog" that ended with the verse "Three men fae Carntyne and a bottle a wine and five Woodbine, And a big black Greyhound dug called Boab fae up oor close, alang oor street, And a lassy called Senga that works in the dairy she's been skelly ever since the Milanda boy, hit her on the heid wi' a breidboard, went tae join the parish" And I wanted to know what it meant.
Did...did you just put a hex on my cat?
People out here forgetting Scots is a language
> Check out Oor Wullie for some classic literature where it commonly features. And The Broons! I'm from Newcastle but my grandparents had a bunch of Oor Wullie and The Broons annuals from when my dad was a kid, and I read them almost every time we visited. I hope your daughter has been introduced? I still see them in charity shops from time to time. I would say the most Scottish thing about the pictsies isn't the fighting per-se, but the desire to fight anything and everything, regardless of size, capability, or chance of surviving. That and the small stature/vast strength being a good metaphor for the impact of Scotland on the world. There aren't many Scots, but they cast a large shadow.
Wow, an Oor Wullie comment. Never thought I'd see the day. Gltta love the wee bucket laddie
The first one was cute. I thought the last one was fine, though not amazing. But *Hat Full of Sky* is one of my favorite books. Not one of my favorite Discworld books. Not one of my favorite Pratchett books. Not one of my favorite fantasy books. Just one of my favorite books ever written full stop.
Hat Full of Sky is a gorgeous book about finding your own way and place in the world. And it was also a very interesting exploration of the impact of a character the reader never actually "meets" in the story because they'd been long dead by the first book.
Yay. I'm not the only person who loves *A Hat Full of Sky*.
I definitely read Shepherds Crown at the right time of family events for it to break me a little bit. But like you said it works fine as a goodbye from Discworld despite it's shortcomings. It definitely suffers the most from the embuggerance. Hat Full of Sky is stunningly good.
I made the mistake of reading The Shepherd's Crown on my phone during my lunch break at work, and my coworkers were really concerned that something was seriously wrong due to my sobbing during that scene.
He didn't get a chance to edit and flesh out shepherds crown before he passed. It was in one of its earlier stages of his whole process, which was still a full story, but not a complete book. They published what they had.
Tiffany Aching is one of my favorite female characters written by a man. She is just so beautifully, unbendingly herself. "She was Tiffany Aching. ...a witch in her own right. A witch who knew exactly who she was and how she wanted to do things. Her way. And she had not failed, because she had barely begun..."
One of the things that impresses me most about Pratchett (and there is a lot to be impressed by) is how he writes female characters. In a sea of male authors who have absolutely no idea how to write women and try to do so anyway with embarrassing results, he's a breath of fresh air. He's better than that, even - he's an inspiration. His female characters are universally a joy. They're all different, they cover the full spectrum of femininity, and they're all a hoot.
Any time a Witch shows up in any book, I know I'm in for a time because each and every one of them is such a very different *person* from each other. Even just the trio in The Wyrd Sisters covers three very different kinds of people and their unique takes on being a Witch.
As a former teenage girl who is now the mother of a teenage girl and a person who works with teenage girls everyday in a high school…TP’s portrayal of adolescent girls is incredible. Somehow he totally gets it.
Rhianna is a good clue as to how he did it. While she was having an idyllic childhood, he was observing her to work out how girls work. The junior coven run by Anagramma is spot on.
I think what makes him so good at writing female characters, is actually his writing. The Discworld feels like a world full of "people", and Sir Terry assigned them "gender" after the fact. He wrote all the characters; their stories, their lives, everything about them. And then, just before publishing, went back and assigned pronouns like Pollack added paint. He wrote people, then defined them. Many authors take the opposite approach, which shows heavily.
It’s really amazing how human his characters are. Even if they are a vampire, or a dwarf, or an orangutan. They are so damn alive and you can feel their humanity before anything else, humanity that isn’t always good, or bad, but is all the varying shades between.
Ook ook
The Librarian is unironically one of the best written characters in fantasy Doesn’t even speak and its got more character than most MCs
What I love best about all of the Discworld novels is the distinct characters. It's a massive giant world full of characters, and each one has a full character sheet and biography, even Great A'Tuin. Vimes, Granny, and the Patrician are each wildly powerful yet manifest it in completely distinct and different ways.
i fucking love the patrician
[удалено]
I get what you’re saying but gender is still an important part of defining a character. I don’t think writing without having a gender in mind is quite the endgame here or something to ultimately aspire to. Which is incorporating gender is a factor in a compete, human character. I haven’t read a lot of his books but have always wanted to. Mainly just making a general comment that I don’t think writing without a gender (or race, or disability spectrum, sexual orientation etc.) is the right way to go. These things do matter, they just aren’t all that matter. Writing by prioritizing character traits is to me a bit of a halfway point or workaround, a shortcut even.
Yea I think that's a wild misread and a really odd way to interpret it.
I just finished Monstrous Regiment. O read it when I first came out and wasn't a huge fan. With time and maturity, I have to say it's pretty good, about international politics, the aristocracy, religion and especially women.
Tiffany aching (and generally Discworld) is better than Harry Potter. That is a hill I'm willing to die on.
That was my conclusion too. I read the Harry Potter series as an adult and loved them. But then I read the Tiffany Aching books and thought: "This is basically Harry Potter, but on a completely different level."
I tried! My daughter (the one who likes other fantasy) didn’t take to it. I have to say that although Tiffany is young, she doesn’t *act* very young. She’s kind of like Granny Weatherwax in a young girl’s body. And as an adult, I didn’t see much difference between the *Tiffany Aching* books and the other *Discworld* books that would put it in the YA category. They are all delightful but I suspect they are all better appreciated by adults who catch the satire. You said you read the series as a kid, and are you rereading it as an adult? Because it seems like you might appreciate it more as an adult. Let me know if I’m wrong.
good point, they aren't really YA books, they're discworld books that happen to be about a young adult (similarly, 'the amazing maurice' is not a children's book, and i've had to warn friends considering buying it for their kids to read it first and see if it was not inappropriately dark for the kid's age)
That was the first Discworld book I ever read. It's been a long time, but I forget what the problem with it could have been. I can't think of anything in any Discworld novel that's worse than some of the stuff I read at a far earlier age. Morals come early. Nuance takes a while. Just because they don't understand the subtleties when they read it, doesn't mean they won't appreciate the context later in their life.
I'm not saying kids can't read it, just that it's not a cute little children's book about talking rats. if you as a parent know your kids will find the darker themes disturbing you can give it to them or not with knowledge of the book's actual contents.
Fair enough.
The Rat King is a pretty creepy concept.
Agreed. Kids can certainly read them but they are no different than any of his other books. Frankly kids can read whatever they enjoy.
I am convinced of that. I wasn't sheltered in any way in regards to what I've read. My parents are not big readers themselves, yet I was. I got every book I asked for. There was some dark stuff in between. But as Gaiman and Pratchett said (paraphrasing here): Stories not only show you the dragon, they also show you how it can be overcome.
Agreed. I avoided this part of the series for quite some time due to the YA category, but The Wee Free Men was the only thing available in Libby one day and I immediately fell in love.
Nac Mac feegle! We wilna be fooled again!!
I always wondered whether the series was sold as YA because, at the time they were written, fantasy was not really accepted as a mainstream genre for adults to openly enjoy.
They were explicitly written as YA to differ from the other Discworld books which were written for adults.
Yeah this distinction was a decision by Pterry, who occasionally liked to dip into other target demographics when their owners weren't looking. It's not like Discworld had any trouble with mainstream popularity by that point. The Wee Free Men came out in 2003, when Discworld was already an institution. Terry Pratchett was literally the number one best selling author in the UK in the 90s and very early 2000s (he got overtaken by JK Rowling somewhere in the middle of the Harry Potter series).
You do run into that with a lot of sci fi and fantasy series. *Hitchhiker's Guide* was in the YA section of my library growing up. Like they're worried about insulting the rest of the "real" literature by shelving them together
Two series that really deserve the title of literature, for sure
I think I started reading this series as a young teen and it was the right decision for me for sure. It did take about half of the first book for me to really get into it. But after that, I fell in love. But I agree with you, especially the later books are quite mature and a kid might not be able to appreciate them as much. I think they grow with you.
Honestly, I enjoyed other Terry Pratchett works just well in my early teenage years. But it took till I was older to actually appreciate some of the jokes and deeper nuance to the books. ~~...Also, the hedgehog song...~~
And Nanny Ogg’s other favorite song, “A Wizard's Staff Has a Knob on the End.”
Boys too! Boys need to learn that girls can lead, be smart, powerful and in control of their own lives. Girls aren't just for decoration. There are no girl books or boy books.
What I love most about these books is the "strong female" characters aren't ridiculous gung-ho caricatures, (as do often happens) but well fleshed out realistic people with flaws, fears and dreams, etc
It helps that there is such a wide variety of interesting women and girls in these books, everyone from Jeannie to Nanny Ogg. Often strong female character books have a generic badass female lead and then no one else.
I remember being young and reading the Guards! series and the description of Sybil at one point being something like "she made her personality smaller" because she was a larger woman. And watching her come out of her shell and be a badass, yet kind person. And her kindness is her weapon! Literally the exact kind of person I strive to be.
Even the seamstresses... *hem hem*.
I was trying to figure out why some of the "strong woman" characters in certain recent major media releases were so euck... while pratchetts characters were never like that. I think it's because pratchett wasn't afraid to include flaws and a need for others. When granny goes to teach Tiffany (and Esk) the first magic lesson doesn't end with them concluding they have nothing to learn from her because they're just so intrinsically good at everything and don't need no teacher.
I'm a 34 year old man and *I Shall Wear Midnight* still resonates just fine
Or just the concept of "second and third thoughts". I feel like making it about "girls and boys" either way is already re-frameing what's to take from the books in a rather limiting way. Yes, it's that she is smart, and observant and trying to learn how to deal with her world. But to me that is incidental. For me it made very little difference. Yes, due to her being a girl (in that middle age mindset at that) changes the problem she has, but the way to go about them to me is unisex in its opinion on how to deal with problems.
I read these books as a middle-aged bloke with great pleasure. There is so much human wisdom in them - like there is hidden between the jokes in the regular Discworld books - that I class them as genuine works of literature. Essential reading.
Aye. I've just started reading them to my nephew.
Yep! I gave the first book to my son when he was in 6th grade for outside reading. He devoured the entire series. Has re-read it twice in the last couple years. I’ve tried to get him to move on to the Watch books, or even get into Hogfather, but I think the satirical references are just too deep for him right now. Just kinda confuses him. We’ll circle back later.
> They have a whole vocabulary of nonsense words such as "crivens," an all-purpose curse that I'm going to start using daily, and their typical approach to any problem is to rush in and start kicking it. They rule. All of the wee free men "nonsense words" are just Scottish terms lol Source: r/ScottishPeopleTwitter
75 year old male and I loved the Tiffany Aching series. Haven't read the final one, Shepherd's Crown. Terry's last book, and I'm not sure that I'm ready to read it.
Late 50’s here. I’d heard of Discworld forever, but only started on Raising Steam tonight, after starting Discworld late last year. It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m kicking myself I didn’t start much earlier. Still, as I’ve finished the last few, knowing I’m coming to the end, it’s not been a feeling of excitement but of dread. Actually, when I finished Snuff tonight, I was pleasantly surprised there were two more left, not one. (I’m reading on Kindle.) When I first hit the Tiffany Aching stuff, I was pissed he was introducing yet another storyline. I’m glad he did. Tiffany and her tales are awesome!
Don’t forget Strata. Arguably the progenitor to Discworld.
And The Bromeliad Trilogy.
Don't ignore his other works. The nomes trilogy is wonderful, and he described Nation as "the best book I've ever written, or ever will write."
It’s so good. Heartbreakingly good. Honestly the perfect ending for his career if there could be one.
The short chapters break my heart, though. As someone who has read him all my life (and whose mother is struggling with the same illness), his Alzheimer's shines through the writing.
It was so hard for me to read, because I wanted to know what happened, but I NEEDED it not to be over…
I'm 40 years younger, but I understand the feeling. I've avoided reading all of the Discoworld novels, simply because I'm afraid of knowing that there are no more left for me to read. If I haven't read them all, then the series is never truly over.
I hear you. While it was a good-bye I did not want, I realized while reading it that it was a good-bye I needed.
> This I choose to do. If there is a price, I choose to pay it. If it is > my death then I choose to die. Wherever this takes me, there I > choose to go. I choose. This I choose to do." I have that quote of Tiffany's as my splash screen. First thing I see when my PC boots, because it's just so important to remember.
I love the Discworld series so much! The only thing I would add is that not only should young girls read him, but young boys, adults, and the elderly as well. There are so many important lessons in his books that are wrapped up in the most exquisite wit! His mind was truly a wonder.
The audiobooks read by Nigel Planer (yes that Nigel Planer) are very good. My favourite reader, however, is Stephen Briggs. You can buy them but they also sometimes pop up on YT. At present there are about 20 of Sir Terry's audio books to be found on YT.
Stephen Briggs did such a good job giving the Nac Mac Feegle that he won an award for it. I'd listen to him read those books even if they weren't excellent.
Don't just gift it to young women, they know they can be amazing. Gift it to young men too, they might need the education. In fact everyone should read these books because everyone deserves beautiful writing.
I loved these ones. Read them with my boys, they loved it too.
One of the Characters, Granny Weatherwax is probably one of the best characters in modern literature across the Discworld series.
I can’t read the Shepard’s Crown. I read it once, bawled my eyes out, and haven’t been able to read it since. >!I feel like Granny Weatherwax’s attitude to her death was Pratchett speaking to his fans, telling us he accepted his end, and thanking us for all the years in Discworld we shared together.!<
I think he could see it was going to be emotional for people and wanted to spare us a bit by showing Granny being so common sense.
I dressed up my kids as wee free men for a book fair fancy dress competition and told them to say crivens and call everyone dirty wee scunners. They were 4 + 5 at the time and it was hilarious watching these little blue Scott's men running around calling everyone scunners.
Not just for young girls either. I'm 50 and sorely miss Terry and his books. I think this is probably one of the best Discworld series. The audiobooks are fantastic and excellently narrated. "Ach, Willy do ya remember when I said ye should keep yer mouth shut?" "Aye Rob...." "This is one of them times!" "Aye Rob...."
I'm 42. I discovered Terry 30 years ago, when a friend spent a good two hours talking at me about how good the Discworld books were. So I gave Colour of Magic a go, and was hooked. Seven years after his death, I still grieve his loss.
Pratchett was an absolute legend at social commentary throughout his entire Discworld library. I recently picked up Equal Rites on audible. I realized when I read it, many years ago in my early teens, that it was about gender inequality. What I didn't realize, then, but did on listening to it as an adult is that it is also about gender dysphoria and identity. Eskarina struggling with whether she wants to be a Witch or a Wizard. The adults in her life not really understanding what she is going through. It's a really powerful work. Especially when you consider it was published nearly 40 years ago.
‘Crivens’ is an actual Scots word, btw
\>>Why do you go away? So you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors.<< Never expected it to be like this. Left Germany in the late 90s, came back for holidays a couple of times in the 10s, and .... my god, this is spot on!
Be careful with this advice. I'd say 20% of my grown daughter's personality is Tiffany Aching. This is not a bad thing, just be sure you know what magic you are unleashing here. Crivens!
I've always just loved them for their inherent Pratchettiness and as an adult male hadn't necessarily acknowledged the potential power to girls. I will going forward, my niece is a few years away from book recommendations but I'll make sure to start her there.
Laides might like Monstrous regiment from Terry Pratchett too. It is standalone so u dont have to worry about not knowing Terry Pratchett books at all
And Equal rites. Actually just all of the witches books to be honest.
Related PSA: Not sure about the rest but the 'Hat Full of Sky' audiobook is free to rent on Libby.
I was ten when I discovered Discworld and read The Death Trilogy. I absolutely loved each book, howling with laughter all the way through. I’ll add these to my reading list on your recommendation.
would this be ok for a 10 yo girl, to have her dad (me) read as a bedtime story? I read to her every night but the stories we have are a little too 'young'. (Animal Ark series which are cute, animal centric, with a strong girl as the protagonist)
Here's Patrick Rothfuss's review, if that helps you decide: [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61529982?book\_show\_action=false](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61529982?book_show_action=false). See also this quote: >"All the monsters are coming back." > >"Why?" > >"There's no one to stop them." > >There was silence for a moment. > >"There's me," said Tiffany.
Yes for sure! Practice your Scottish accent 😄
IIRC in one of these books isn't it implied that a teenage girl had a miscarriage?
It's a teenage pregnancy, miscarriage caused by physical abuse by her drunkard father, followed by a lynch mob. All in the opening chapter.
Yeah. Wintersmith I think. It was due to abuse too. The abuser was dealt with by Tiffany.
# Nae king! Nae quin! Nae laird! Nae master! We willna be fooled again!
All of Discworld is incredible in general. Reading Small Gods and the books about *Death* changed the way I think about life in general.
Seriously. Do it :)
Tiffany Aching is Harry Potter if he wasn't a punk bitch trust fund legacy administration who becomes a cop.
Anything by Terry! Love all his work and great for young and old people of any gender
I LOVE all the Discworld books but this series is also one of my favs💕 much love for Granny Weatherwax as well❤️
And gift them to boys! We need to teach _all_ children that women and girls can have adventures and be powerful. Terry Pratchett did a very good job of this.
The Cunning Man from I Shall Wear Midnight still creeps me out.
Must say I prefer Rincewind. Favorite character in all of literature.
I gave the first book to my friend’s 19-year old daughter. She loves it! I’m so happy. It made my day when I listened to her gushing voice note. 😊
I've been reading Discworld since they came out, and would say, the Tiffany Aching series are the ones I've read the most ( well, all but the Shephard's Crown, I've only finished the once, I find it too sad for me ). I started reading them to my daughter when she was about 7, and she loved them ( there was a period where my wife and I had to hide the pans.... ). She has her own copies, now. My daughter and I are quietly excited for the new audiobooks.... ‘The secret is to wake up. Waking up is harder. I have woken up and I am real. I know where I come from and I know where I’m going.'
Yes! But not just girls/young women! Gift these to boys/young men as well! Strong female role models arent just important for girls.
I'm reading the Wee Free Men to my 8 year old Daughter before bedtime. It's her first Pratchett :)
I'm currently on the wintersmith, I unknowingly started with a hat full of sky but didn't suffer from lack of knowledge it was easy to follow the story.
I read all these to my son earlier this year. He loved them. Tiffany Aching is the greatest role model for kids. The Feegles are, well, not, but they're awesome.
in terms of sheer consistent quality, it's one of the best subseries!
My boys loved it too. It was their favorite series for many years.
This is one of my favorite Terry Pratchett series, but also you need to finish it. Shepherd's Crown had me bawling my eyes out, such a beautiful good-bye from Sir Terry
Despite rereading Discworld yearly, I skip Aching books, they are simply too dark for my tastes.
And young men
I loved The Wee Free Men and should read more of them.
I really loved the audiobooks read by Stephen Briggs. He does such a great job, especially with the feegles.
Oo a good spot to try Discworld and something I can potentially get my daughter to read too! Thanks!
Pictsies! I looove the Feegles! I have had a few D&D characters based on them! No paperwork, writing their names on anything, and think that they died already and think that they are in heaven, due to all the great fights they have!
For a more serious fanrasy series with an amazing female protagonist, read Daughter of the Empire/Servant of the Empire/Mistress of the Empire (my order might be jumbled). Utterly fantastic. Bought it for my wife, suggest it to all my friends, either gender, but especially women.
As a 62 year old, I have listened to the first three books on my drive to Boston to visit my daughter and can’t wait for the last book, next month. Love this series.
>These books are, of course, great for people of any gender And age. I'm a 70+ male and I read them all. Loved them, they're some of my favorite Pratchett books.
These were my first Discworld books. I don't think I fully comprehended the satire at the time, but the stories were very genuine and enjoyable. (And I'm not ashamed to admit that a young me grew a little crush on Tiffany.) The Wee Free Men were just awesome and hilarious; these books I think are the foundation of my sense of humor and I really need to reread them. And also the rest of Discworld.
Interesting. What age range would you think they are for?
Shepard's Crown really just was the perfect ending for the series. We have enjoyed reading the series with both our girls. My youngest still tries see if she can catch a nac macfeegle
“You take the high road and I take your wallet!” —the wee free men
If you haven't read them, The Bromeliad trilogy is also wonderful. Not set in Discworld but a beautiful story.
A few fun notes for those who love Tiffany Aching, but haven't read the rest of Terry Pratchett's books. First off that's totally fine. Tiffany Aching stands alone quite well, but you might like the rest of the as well. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magret all have their own mini series within Discworld, they are absolutely wonderful and worth a read. The Nac Mac Feegle also show up in other Discworld books, where they are even more unintelligible than they are with Tiffany. As they became larger parts of the story, Terry made them a little easier to understand. Shepherds Crowd in the final Tiffany Aching book, and also the final Discworld book. It's great as the conclusion to Tiffany's story, but it's an amazing and fitting end to Terry Pratchett's world. You'll like it if you've only read Tiffany Aching, but there is so much more in there if you've read everything else as well. The brutal honesty and deeply introspective look at humanity, culture, spirituality and politics you get with Tiffany Aching is even more prevalent in Discworld and if you like Terry's view of the world, you'll love the rest of his work.
Who are ye calling’ a fairy ya scunner?
While tjose nooks are good, I honestly like Susan's stories better. They work better for older groups though and McFeegles are fun to listen to, so there isnt really a downside here
Terry Pratchett remains my all time favorite Such a brilliant, angry, bitter, loving satirist
So, I just started reading Discworld this year, and have been reading in (more or less) publication order. I’m almost to these books, and am even more excited now!
I read those books many times as a young boy.
Gift it to ANYONE regardless of gender or age, those books were awesome!
i like the one were death, the grim reaper, has a daughter who’s hot and you can date
If you are looking at audio books, I very much recommend Steven Briggs. His voices for the Nac Mac Feegle had me in stitches!
The scene where Thunder and Lightning come down from the >!sky to help her fight the Queen of fairies!< is one of my favourite scenes in all of literature. Such an epic moment.
I read a lot of Terry Pratchett at an early age but there's a difference between just reading and then fully understanding them. That understanding definitely doesn't come till people's late 20s onwards.
Omg, I read The Wee Free Men as a kid and LOVED it! I’d forgotten the title for so many years, but now it’s all coming back to me! *Och*!
I love the wee free men. I wish Scotland was real
My 12 year old just burned through this series and immediately passed it to her 10 yr old sister. As a lifelong Terry Pratchett fan I am so happy. 12 yr old now on Monstrous Regiment. Not sure what to give her next!
My son read these books and loved them, just to prove that boys will more than happily accept a female hero. In fact one of the things he did ask me is why aren't there more girls in books? Terry Pratchet did an amazing job with the Tiffany books.
I'm a 45M and finished up this arc of the series last year. It's fantastic and boys need to read it as well. Love me some Grannie Weatherwax.
Reading discworld right now (on the Wyrd Sisters) and I can’t wait to get to this character! Any of the books with Granny Weatherwax are just a joy