The other night Chestnut and I were talking about a Terry Pratchett book—I don't even remember which one, there are so many constantly circulating around the house, maybe Lords and Ladies?—when Diana appeared from the other room and said, "Wait, the one you're talking about is great, but this one is also really great, and you should read it." She shoved it into Chestnut's hands, and Chestnut started reading.
This is one—one small one—of the many ways in which the great Terry Pratchett has reached out from England (and now from Beyond the Grave) and made huge amazing differences in my world, and (no doubt) the lives of more people than I can count. His books ferry busily back and forth between the girls' rooms, he is quoted (with great gusto) at dinner, he is searched for in the morning, so his books can go to school with them, providing some spot of light to remind them that the world is larger than it might appear.
The most wonderful xkcd said it well. Thanks for everything.
marcialerner.com 
AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER.
R.I.P.
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Where would you recommend I (or my girls) start from among his works?
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I think—and I might be very wrong, so others chime in—that Wee Free Men, which is part of the Discworld series, but it’s own sort of subseries, the Tiffany Aching series, is a great place to start. Enjoy!
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Also, I think it might depend on everyone’s taste? And age? Good Omens, which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman, is very silly and fun.
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I firmly believe that the Tiffany Aching series should be given to every girl around the age of 10 or 11. And Pratchett is brilliant for that weird transitional period when “kids books” feel wrong and most adult books (or YA for that matter) contain too much that is dark, dangerous, or disturbing.
It is also worth noting that the worst place to start are the first books in the entire series – Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic which are fun to go back to once you know the Discworld but are really much more straight parody of fantasy than the excellent parodic/satirical/humanistic POV that Pratchett developed a little bit further into the series
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Thank you so much. I read the blurb on our library website and placed holds on the (sub) series. It looks perfect for my 10 year old!
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