A Hat Full of Sky

In A Hat Full of Sky, Pratchett brings readers, and Tiffany Aching, much more into the Discworld than in the The Wee Free Men. This is just one of many differences between the two novels. A Hat Full of Sky is a Young Adult title, the third overall YA novel in the discworld setting.

The Wee Free Men found Tiffany just discovering that she was a witch. She had no mentor and only the help of the Nac Mac Feegle to get through some rough times. That was very much a novel about discovery. A Hat Full of Sky finds Tiffany a little older and going away to be trained by an adult witch. She interacts much more with the greater Discworld, including quite a lot with Granny Weatherwax, an old mainstay. A Hat Full of Sky is much more a coming of age story.

Whereas in the first novel Tiffany was not culpable for her actions because she was just holding on for dear life, in A Hat Full of Sky she makes mistakes that are costly. She is more responsible this time around because she is no longer ignorant of the magical world.

One of the high points of The Wee Free Men was how it used Tiffany to give readers a better understanding of the mystery of Granny Weatherwax, because Tiffany is so much like Granny. A Hat Full of Sky capitalizes on this by actually bringing in Granny Weatherwax for much of the action. Thus providing a side by side comparison between the two characters.

All in all Pratchett made good use of both old and new characters in this novel. Although a YA title, and like The Wee Free Men, this is well worth reading as an adult fan of Pratchett and the Discworld.
This novel successfully raises the bar from the first. The storyline is strong and enjoyable, and overall the character of Tiffany is built up nicely. I look forward to the next Aching story, The Wintersmith. I give A Hat Full of Sky a 4/5.