Book Review — The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association

Review by Christopher G. Nuttall

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association

-Caitlin Rozakis

It is actually quite difficult, these days, to find a magic school book that takes a direction that has not been explored previously. Stories about children going to magic school are quite common, from relatively simple child-friendly novels to more advanced books suitable for teenagers and adults, from stories that could be set in any school to works that could only take place in the school where the laws of physics go out the window, opening up whole new vistas of heroism and horrors for the unwary students. The success of Harry Potter, as I noted earlier, has led to many books that enter into dialogue with Harry Potter, raising issues that are overlooked and/or glossed over in Rowling’s tomes, exploring aspects of the universe Rowling chose to mention in passing or simply ignore. One such aspect is parental involvement, particularly from parents who are not magic themselves and therefore cannot navigate within the magical world with the grace and ease of a native.

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association is unusual in that it is written from the perspective of the mother of a magical child, rather than the child herself, and explores the difficulties of being a parent in a very alien world, where confusion over the rules is made worse by racism and classism and the difficulties of making friends when you often do not speak the same language (or think you do, while lacking the cultural references to understand what is really going on). It is a very light read, and indeed is something of a cosy mystery, but it is not without value.

On the face of it, the basic plot is very simple. When Vivian’s kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted into the hidden community of magical schools and finds herself completely out of her depth. She has to cope with a young daughter who is now both wolf and little girl, all the while finding truly-alien school supplies, making friends with people who are snobbish and standoffish and often not as friendly as they seem, while juggling her search for a job (she’s an accountant) and the stresses and strains it places on her marriage. The problems she encounters are both supernatural (apparently, there is a prophecy that might be about Aria) and very human. In some ways, the more important elements – the mystery of what happened to the previous headmaster, the mystery of whether or not the prophecy is much important – are very much background to the real story, the process of three people fitting into a very alien community.

Vivian is a surprisingly endearing character, although not always in a good way. She is desperate for friends and connections in her new community, and this leaves her open to exploitation as well as damaging her marriage. Her love for Aria and her desperation to find a place her daughter can truly belong shines through, and she makes some poor decisions because of it. I have a great deal of sympathy for her because my two children impose constraints on my life and neither one is a werewolf. As she grows more confident, and start learning magic herself, she also finds a job with the PTA, and her previous experience helps her to uncover the mystery and figure out what is actually going on.

The surrounding world is nowhere near as detailed as Hogwarts and Harry Potter, but this does add to its charm. The other characters are both supernatural and recognisable archetypes, from the snooty upper-class magicians to the far lower-class outsiders, and, in some ways, this makes the story work better than more unusual characters would have done. The laws of magic are not very well defined, if at all, but again, that’s not particularly germane to the story. Those of you who have battled with American PTAs – unlike most magic school stories, this one takes its cues from American schools and surrounding organisations – will wince in sympathy with Vivian’s struggles.

In some ways, I was a little disappointed at first by the mystery’s resolution. There was no grand plan to conquer the world, or even steal the Philosopher’s Stone. The villains of the piece are very human, with a decidedly mundane motive: the mystery, in truth, could have fitted into any novel about moving to a new community, with or without supernatural elements. And as I re-read the book, it dawned on me the mystery worked perfectly: the theme of the book is desperation over your child’s future, and the villains are interesting shadow archetypes for Vivian herself:

“Were we ever friends?” Vivian had pressed.

“I mean, yeah.” [Spoiler] had started pulling the ends of the paper rope off, bit by bit, leaving a pile of twisted confetti on the table. “We were.”

“Then how could you?”

[Spoiler] had looked up. “Can you tell me you wouldn’t have made the same choice?”

“No,” Vivian had said honestly. She’d spent some long nights thinking about it. They were too similar for easy sleep. She understood the desperation, and the willingness to do almost anything to protect her kid. But the difference was, for her, “almost” had never included hurting other people. “No, I really wouldn’t have.”

The reluctance of the community to discuss the matter openly, let alone prosecute the guilty parties for fear of what else might revealed, are also very common.

Overall, in case it isn’t clear, I enjoyed this novel. It isn’t as striking as many other magic school novels, but it does put forward an unusual – almost unique – take on the genre that makes it seem fresh and new. At the same time, however, the fact it is grounded in reality is both a strength and a weakness: the stakes are decidedly mundane, and they are adult in the Calvin and Hobbies sense) and much of the excitement of the genre for me is lacking because of the focus on the parents rather than the magic school student herself. I don’t know how many times I will re-read it. But it is well worth at least one read. I recommend it.

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