A Hat Full of Sky is the second installment in the Tiffany Aching series. I reviewed the first book, The Wee Free Men, earlier. This book is even better than that one was. Like the first book, it has a lot of smart humor, and the wisdom and storyline have been turned up a notch. The first book only covered a day or so, but this one takes place over a longer period of time. Tiffany becomes an apprentice, and spends more time around people than she did in the first book, and the expanded cast works well with the story. Like the first book, this one is a young adult novel, but only in a good way. While appropriate for young readers, it is still smarter than most adult books. I liked the lessons Tiffany learns about how to be good at her profession, as they are genuinely insightful and integral to the story. You aren't hit over the head with a Message, but there is genuine wisdom is what the book teaches. The book is edifying but not preachy, and shows a great understanding of human nature. While being hilarious of course.
The thing to take away from this review is that this book is even better than the first one, so you should read it right after reading the first one. While you can understand this one alright without reading the first book, you won't know the characters as well and it would significantly detract from the experience. Plus, reading any series in the wrong order is just wrong. And while most Discworld books are fairly forgiving of starting anywhere, I'm not. So don't let me catch you.
Format recommendation: Audiobook. Stephen Briggs, who reads the other Sir Pratchett books as well, has the perfect voice for these books. He does a stellar job with the voices of the Feegles. The book is also available on the Kindle.
Age recommendation: Any age old enough to read novels.
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