Was Groosham Grange a precursor to Hogwarts?

I stumbled across Groosham Grange, a 1988 fantasy novel by Anthony Horowitz, due hearing about its similarities to the Harry Potter books. I’m actually shocked it took me so long to discover the book since Horowitz isn’t exactly an obscure author.

There is no way for me to discuss the book without spoiling the entire plot so…

Spoilers 

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Truth to the tell, the fact that there is a sequel is a spoiler all by itself since, up until the end, it would have been quite believable that the book would end with the protagonist’s death, even though it’s aimed at a younger audience and a comedy.

And, while there are some striking similarities between Groosham Grange and Harry Potter, they are telling very different stories. If this was plagiarism, then we’d have to start accusing Lovecraft and Tolkien of plagiarizing Lord Dunsany.

David Elliot, seventh son of a seventh son, goes an academy of mystery after his hilariously abusive parents get a mysterious acceptance letter.

The biggest resemblance between the two series is David’s parents to the Dursleys. Except that Mr. and Mrs. Elliot make the Dursleys look like Brady Bunch. The amount of slapstick violence that happens between them would make the three stooges wince.

The actual plot is David discovering what is actually happening at Groosham Grange. Which, spoiler, is that it’s a witch’s coven as a boarding school. While blatantly obvious, it’s not fully revealed until the end, where David has to choose between joining or dying. 

The tone of the book is over-the-top comedy with a lot of wordplay and flatout horror. The school is a genuinely disturbing place and, as I mentioned, it would have fit the tone of the book for David to die at the end.

I rather enjoyed the book and I’m quite curious about the sequel. The book ends with a ‘start of darkness’ vibe so I do want to find out where Horowitz went from there.

The overall structure of the book is pretty predictable. However, the writing makes it a fun journey. It was a nice Halloween season read.