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Groosham Grange

 Groosham Grange
type
TVTItem
 Groosham Grange
label
Groosham Grange
 Groosham Grange
page
GrooshamGrange
 Groosham Grange
comment
Groosham Grange (1988) and its sequel The Unholy Grailnote Originally published as Return to Groosham Grange (1999) are a very fun YA comedy/horror series, written by Anthony Horowitz. It follows the adventures of David Elliot as he attends the titular school of magic to become a wizard. There are striking similarities with the much later Harry Potter series: the characters are similar, a magic train from a regular station takes the students to the school, there are talking portraits, a magic mirror as a central plot point, a suspicious teacher stealing a magic cup... and so on, and so forth. Although J.K. Rowling has repeatedly been asked whether or not she's read the books, she refuses to comment so far. A third book in the series was planned, but ironically the advent of Harry Potter put Horowitz off the idea of writing it.The central character, David Elliot, is a 12-year-old seventh son of a seventh son, cruelly mistreated by his parents. His father chooses a series of repressive boarding schools for him, where David does not perform well.After being expelled from his "last-chance" school, they receive at home the unexpected call from an unknown school, Groosham Grange, of which nobody has heard of before. This school, located on Skrull Island, an island off Norfolk, earnestly invites David to enter it. His father jumps at the chance to pack him off, especially since it appears that the place is suitably severe. He must take a train from Liverpool Street to King's Lynn.On the train he meets two other new students, Jill Green and Jeffrey Joseph. Along with Jill (seventh daughter of a seventh daughter) and Jeffrey, David anticipates more mistreatment, and makes a pact with them that they will escape at any cost. After they arrive, they start to learn strange things, are baffled by inexplicable disappearances, very peculiar teachers (including a werewolf and a ghost), assorted frights — and an absence of punishments.They are determined to solve the mystery of the school, but then Jeffrey begins acting suspiciously, seeming to side with the other students rather than with David and Jill...Slowly, David discovers that he has been recruited to a school for wizards and witches, because he is a wizard himself, and that the staff hopes to help him unleash his full potential as the other students do. David must decide if he will remain at Groosham Grange or not. His dilemma lies in his wish to avoid evil, but the Deputy Headmaster tempts him with the promises that he can learn "how to make gold out of lead, how to destroy your enemies just by snapping your fingers... [and] to see into the future and use it for yourself". Of course, the outside world can't ever find out...
 Groosham Grange
fetched
2023-09-24T13:55:06Z
 Groosham Grange
parsed
2023-09-24T13:55:06Z
 Groosham Grange
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Groosham Grange / int_537dd8fe
type
Affably Evil
 Groosham Grange / int_537dd8fe
comment
Affably Evil: The Deputy Head, Mr. Kilgraw, and in fact most of the staff at Groosham Grange are nothing but polite.
 Groosham Grange / int_537dd8fe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Groosham Grange / int_537dd8fe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
Groosham Grange / int_537dd8fe
 Groosham Grange / int_5bdcc85a
type
Disney Villain Death
 Groosham Grange / int_5bdcc85a
comment
Disney Villain Death: Subverted with a school inspector as he is not a villain, but that doesn't stop him from falling to his death.
 Groosham Grange / int_5bdcc85a
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Groosham Grange / int_5bdcc85a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
Groosham Grange / int_5bdcc85a
 Groosham Grange / int_69cc2a27
type
Hilariously Abusive Childhood
 Groosham Grange / int_69cc2a27
comment
Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Happened to David's father, to the point he can't even walk. He somehow fails to see anything wrong with it.
 Groosham Grange / int_69cc2a27
featureApplicability
1.0
 Groosham Grange / int_69cc2a27
featureConfidence
1.0
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
Groosham Grange / int_69cc2a27
 Groosham Grange / int_79cf6c4e
type
Join or Die
 Groosham Grange / int_79cf6c4e
comment
Join or Die: every student at the Grange, sooner or later, is given this choice.
 Groosham Grange / int_79cf6c4e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Groosham Grange / int_79cf6c4e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
Groosham Grange / int_79cf6c4e
 Groosham Grange / int_8f842f45
type
Multiple Head Case
 Groosham Grange / int_8f842f45
comment
Multiple Head Case: The headmasters' office has a sign saying "The Heads", and two voices can be heard from within. David initially makes the sensible assumption that the school has two headmasters, but eventually learns that there's only one headmaster, with two heads.
 Groosham Grange / int_8f842f45
featureApplicability
1.0
 Groosham Grange / int_8f842f45
featureConfidence
1.0
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
Groosham Grange / int_8f842f45
 Groosham Grange / int_af11866
type
Wizarding School
 Groosham Grange / int_af11866
comment
Wizarding School: Groosham Grange
 Groosham Grange / int_af11866
featureApplicability
1.0
 Groosham Grange / int_af11866
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1.0
 Groosham Grange
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Groosham Grange / int_af11866
 Groosham Grange / int_d028e0da
type
An Arm and a Leg
 Groosham Grange / int_d028e0da
comment
An Arm and a Leg: Captain Bloodbath ultimately loses both hands following a propellor accident in the first book.
 Groosham Grange / int_d028e0da
featureApplicability
1.0
 Groosham Grange / int_d028e0da
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1.0
 Groosham Grange
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Groosham Grange / int_d028e0da
 Groosham Grange / int_name
type
ItemName
 Groosham Grange / int_name
comment
 Groosham Grange / int_name
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1.0
 Groosham Grange / int_name
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1.0
 Groosham Grange
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Groosham Grange / int_name
 Groosham Grange / int_name
itemName
Groosham Grange

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
Children's Literature / int_708f676f
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
Disney Villain Death / int_708f676f
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
English Literature / int_708f676f
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
Join or Die / int_708f676f
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
Magical Seventh Son / int_708f676f
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
School Stories / int_708f676f
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
Wizarding School / int_708f676f
 Groosham Grange
hasFeature
Young Adult Literature / int_708f676f