Although this will never be as close to my heart as is the Box of Delights, it's still a pretty charming book. Less magical, by a long shot, despite the presence of a coven of witches, and also less fantastic, but with the same old fashioned charm of the second book. I read it less than half as often as the Box of Delights, which I read virtually ever Christmas, but I'm happy to have read it right now, when I need charm and low stakes adventures.