This morning Rhianna Pratchett announced exciting details of the forthcoming Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch, sharing a cover reveal on Twitter:
The book, to be published by Puffin, celebrates the 20th anniversary of the first in the Tiffany Aching series The Wee Free Men. This ultimate guide marks the first time Rhianna Pratchett has contributed to her father’s body of literary work for children.
Set in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld universe, Tiffany Aching’s Guide To Being A Witch is a must-have for any Pratchett fan with new illustrations from Terry’s ‘artist of choice’ Paul Kidby.
An illustrated and practical guide to being a witch in Discworld, covering everything you’ve ever wanted to know from telling the bees to magical cheese, from dealing with elves to making deals with demons, from tending flocks to fending off forces from other worlds. This beautiful and practical guide has been compiled by Tiffany Aching herself, including snippets of remembered wisdom from Granny Aching alongside notes from Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Miss Tick, and Rob Anybody who offer their own unique perspectives on all things witchcraft. Whether you’re a herbologist or a headologist, this book will inspire and empower new witches and seasoned practitioners alike.
Rhianna Pratchett says: “When most fathers shuffle away to the great shed in the beyond, their kids inherit things like their LP collection, a carefully curated selection of humorous postcards or a dicky bladder. I inherited a world. Knowing what I could (and should) do with that world has been a constant internal debate. Growing up with a shepherdess grandmother, bottle-feeding lambs and being dressed in woolly jumpers so thick they could stand up by themselves made the Tiffany Aching series a natural starting place. I’ve always been particularly drawn to the witches books where some of Dad’s best loved and most colourful characters reside alongside shades of my own family members. Channelling the wit and wisdom of Discworld’s witches with Gabrielle has been a wonderful, life-affirming and occasionally tear-filled adventure. And definitely much better than the Pratchett bladder.”
Gabrielle Kent says: “I feel a part of me has lived on the Disc ever since a school-friend lent me my first Terry Pratchett book back in 1988. And when I discovered Granny Weatherwax and Esk in Equal Rites I knew that, in the witches, I had found my people. Back then I could never have dreamed that the girl who influenced Esk would become a huge part of my life and we would eventually go on to write a Discworld book together, discovering, in the process, that we both had shepherdess grandmothers. The Disc and its inhabitants mean so much to so very many people and, in this guide, Rhianna and I hope to have captured the essence and voices of the characters we have all grown to love as we explore what it means to be a witch in their world.”
Paul Kidby says: “I love all of Discworld but especially its natural world, the magic of the Ramtops, the energy of the chalk and its assorted local characters. The chance to illustrate this book filled with country witch lore and Nac Mac Feegles was an opportunity to good to be missed.”
Jane Griffiths, Puffin Publisher says: “Puffin is incredibly proud to be the home of Terry Pratchett’s incredible children’s books and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have such an exciting new piece of Discworld publishing for the 20th anniversary year of Tiffany Aching. Tiffany Aching’s Guide To Being A Witch, is going to be a must-have for Terry Pratchett fans everywhere as Rhianna and Gabrielle take readers to the heart of Discworld and uncover the secrets of what it really takes to be a witch in this incredible world, all brought to life by new full-colour illustrations from the amazingly talented Paul Kidby.”
Puffin will publish TIFFANY ACHING’S GUIDE TO BEING A WITCH in October 2023 in hardback.