This is the author's first book for children, as she had an adult novel published a few years previously. It was published in 1973 but has some of the aspects we have come to expect from DWJ fiction such as a group of disparate characters who have to rub along together and learn tolerance as they work to achieve a joint goal.

Brother and sister Frank and Jess have had their pocket money stopped after breaking a chair and they come up with a money making scheme, Own Back Ltd, which they start to run from a shed in the allotments. The problem that immediately arises is that the local bully Buster, to whom Frank owes a small amount of money (the amounts in this book are very small - 5p, 10p, because of the publication date) insists that they pay him back by carrying out a revenge attack on a boy called Vernon Wilkins. Vernon knocked out the bully's tooth (when the bully and his gang tried to rough him up) and so he wants them to knock one out in return. Neither sibling is the violent type so they go to see Vernon to explain their difficult position. Vernon oblidges by extracting a loose baby tooth from his little brother Silas. Unfortunately, Buster then gives the tooth to a strange old woman called Biddy Irestone who lives in a hut on nearby waste ground and has a reputation among the children - later found out to be deserved - of being a witch. He asks Biddy to use it to inflict a painful face swelling spell on Vernon, but it affects Silas instead as he was the tooth's donor.

Soon Jess and Frank are involved in more and more complications as other children approach them for 'jobs'. They end up not making any money out of it and instead being dragged into the machinations of Biddy Irestone who is probably one of the nastiest villains in DWJ's fiction, judging by the way she seems to derive pleasure from tormenting children. She has put spells on some of the local children just for fun, such as making one girl limp, and taunts them that the spell will only be taken off when they find the 'heirlooms' belonging to this girl and her sister (which she has stolen, along with the family's other valuables, leaving them living in a rundown house with no money to fix it). None of the adults in the area believe the children about Biddy, and the father and aunt of the two sisters even appear to be in thrall to her.

A lot of the appeal of the story is the strange characters, not just the witch. The two sisters are oddly Victorian and live with their peculiar father and aunt. Their mother is missing and they have a grudge against another boy, Martin, because his parents bought the bigger house where they used to live, and turned it into a nursing home. Buster and his gang swear all the time but because this was published in 1973 when even mild swear words were not allowed in children's fiction, these are portrayed by colour subsitutions - orange, purple and crimson mainly. There is a particularly comedic section where the two sisters attempt to search their house for the 'heirlooms' and later when the boys venture onto the roof with even more slapstick results.

One aspect that would probably be changed if the book were republished now, is that Buster uses an abbreviated version of a racist term completely unacceptable now, to refer to Vernon who is black. Although this shows what a nasty character Buster is, I think it would be changed to something else. The aunt character also uses another derogatory racial term a couple of times and it is definitely meant to show her in a bad light, as the second time she says it Vernon's dad is present and looks annoyed. However, it isn't commented on by the characters as it should be, although it shows that DWJ was aware this wasn't acceptable, just didn't highlight how unacceptable. However, this book is probably quite an early one in the history of children's literature to portray ethnic individuals positively, with Vernon having a key and quite heroic role throughout.

To sum up, the book is quite a fun light read but lacks the complexity of DWJ's later fiction. However, the seeds are there for her later more complex treatment of the main theme, for example, "Black Maria" where another nasty witch character does horrible things to children just because she can. ( )

The first of her great kids’ urban fantasy books, with our protagonists getting involved with magic, racial dynamics and the local witch. ( )

A simple story that still manages to loop back on itself in surprising ways. Two siblings start a revenge business, but they hadn't counted on two things: being contracted by their intended victims and competing with a vicious witch.

The interactions between all the neighborhood children is fun, and local bully Buster uses hysterically harmless language ("vampire-stomach," "tomato-puke") as profanity. Unfortunately, the plot doesn't aspire to any great heights, and deux ex machina power the story.

I think this was Jones' first published novel (as Wilkin's Tooth in 1973, according to my copy). That may explain a lot ( )

Not as memorable as some DWJ stories, but enjoyable, funny, and easy to digest. ( )

This is one of Diana Wynne Jones' earlier books. (It was originally published in 1973, under the title 'Wilkins' Tooth')
It's definitely aimed at a younger audience than many of her books - it's a kids' book, probably for people around 10. But I didn't feel that it had the 'condescending' feeling that I complained of in 'Dogsbody' at all. I admit that I enjoyed it!
In it, a group of kids decide to make some pocket money by going into the revenge business. Soon this leads them to tangle with the tough gang from the neighborhood, the two 'weird' sisters that no one likes, and some other kids from the neighborhood. Everyone wants revenge on someone, and the situation is getting complicated - but it goes from complicated to worse when the strange old Biddy who lives in a hut and is suspected of being a witch begins to warn them off... revenge might be "Witch's Business" and kids have no right to cut in.... ( )