Groosham Grange Read online

  It was a simple spell. But they would remain that way for the next three weeks.

  David rubbed his black ring thoughtfully. He had spoken the words of power with perfect pronunciation. Mrs Windergast would have said that three weeks was overdoing it when a few hours would have been enough, but then she was a perfectionist and all David’s spells tended to be on the strong side. Maybe he was just a little enthusiastic.

  He went upstairs and lay down on his bed. A chocolate milk shake materialized in thin air and began to float towards him. He was looking forward to the next term at Groosham Grange. He and Jill would both be taking their first GCSEs in the summer: Telepathy, Weather Control, Wax Modelling and (the trickiest of the four) Advanced Blood Sacrifice.

  And what then? He sipped the milk shake and smiled. He’d got it exactly right – thick with plenty of chocolate. He still blushed when he remembered his first attempt. In cookery class he’d conjured up a perfect milk shake: banana flavour with two scoops of ice-cream. But he’d forgotten to include a glass. It was only recently that he’d got used to his powers, begun to enjoy them.

  So what would he do with them? Black magic or white magic? Good or evil?

  He would leave that decision until later – at least until he’d passed his exams. And David was certain that he would pass. He was the seventh son of a seventh son. And he had never felt better in his life.

  ANTHONY HOROWITZ is one of the most popular children’s writers working today. Both The Power of Five and Alex Rider are No.1 bestselling series and have been enjoyed by millions of readers worldwide.

  The hugely successful Alex Rider series, which has spurred a trend of junior spy books, has achieved great critical acclaim and Anthony has won numerous major awards including the Booksellers Association/Nielsen Author of the Year Award 2007, the Children’s Book of the Year Award at the 2006 British Book Awards, and the Red House Children’s Book Award. The first adventure, Stormbreaker, was made into a blockbuster movie.

  Anthony’s other titles for Walker Books include the Diamond Brothers mysteries; Groosham Grange and Return to Groosham Grange; The Devil and His Boy and The Switch. Anthony also writes extensively for TV, with programmes including Midsomer Murders, Poirot and the drama series Foyle’s War, which won the Lew Grade Audience Award in 2003. He is married to television producer Jill Green and lives in London with his two sons, Nicholas and Cassian and their dog, Loser.

  You can find out more about Anthony and his books at:

  www.anthonyhorowitz.com

  www.powerof5.co.uk

  www.alexrider.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously. All statements, activities, stunts, descriptions, information and material of any other kind contained herein are included for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied on for accuracy or replicated as they may result in injury.

  First published 1995 by Walker Books Ltd

  87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ

  This edition published 2011

  Text © 1988 Anthony Horowitz

  Cover illustration © 2003 Phil Schramm

  The right of Anthony Horowitz to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.

  British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:

  a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  ISBN 978-1-4063-3674-0 (ePub)

  ISBN 978-1-4063-3675-7 (e-PDF)

  www.walker.co.uk