Hello, Mr. Stroud - if you ever answer these, thank you in advance, and I am a huge fan of your work. I've loved Bartimaeus since I was 11. :wub: My favorite plushie was called Bartimaeus until my family started making fun of me.
I now present to you the following questions:

Firstly; a) How old is Kitty in the second book? Is she 15 or 16? I think you mentioned that Eva, who was 15, was still in school, and Kitty had left it by this point, which is how I got confused.
b) Now that I think about it, how old is Stanley? What, you don't have every miniscule detail about minor characters mapped out? ;)
EDIT: Urgh, I meant Fred, not Stanley. How old is Fred?

Segundus; When Bart is in the Mournful Orb, how is it that he is able to see the magical barriers over the windows when he can't see Faquarl and Jabor on the seven planes?

Three; Can djinn and other spirits drown? Presumably the water would not be too pleasant for them, as evidenced by Honorious, but would it kill them after awhile?

Fourth; Do you ever read the other threads on this forum to see what we talk about? :P

5; What is your favorite color?

Finally; Is it common knowledge that Kitty went to the Other Place? Has she explained it to the magicians (Mr. Button, Rebecca Piper, etc.)? Do the commoners know? Wouldn't Kitty be sort of famous?

In conclusion, you are awesome and I think you blow most other young adult fantasy writers out of the water.
(Eat it, Stephenie Meyer.)

Hi Saiph,

Thanks for your questions. I've got one for you as well. What's a plushie?

1a. How old was Kitty? I think about 15. She's about a year older than Nat, I think, which makes her about 18 in PG, and about 15 in GE, which took place 3 years earlier. As for leaving school, I imagine that things aren't as strict or uniform in the magicians' London: commoners often leave early and start work when there's an opportunity.
1b: I reckon Fred is about 17 in GE.
2. I think the barriers on the windows are made of similar stuff to the Mournful Orb itself (which is visible on the first plane), so they can be glimpsed even with the higher planes obscured.
3. They wouldn't drown in our sense, but the water wouldn't do them any good, and would eventually wear away their essence if they were trapped deep underwater for a prolonged period.
4. Occasionally! I've been quite interested in the response to Ring of Solomon, for example.
5. Green.
6. I'm not sure about this. I don't think Kitty will have broadcast it to the four winds. Having said that her experience has changed her and it won't just be spirits that sense her new radiance. I think she'll find it hard to keep it entirely quiet. Which may not be a good thing, as in the chaos that comes with revolution, anyone associated with magic will (in the eyes of many commoners) be highly suspect.

Many thanks for your kind words!

J