The Chrestomanci is a nine lifed enchanter and the most powerful magic user in all the worlds (of which there are 12 series with most series having nine or more worlds in them). Chrestomanci's world is 12A, our nonmagical one is 12B. The Chrestomanci's job is to make sure other magical users aren't taking advantage or causing harm. The Chrestomanci is also in charge of finding and training the next nine lifed enchanter. All of this can lead to a great many adventures.
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci are six stories which can be found separately or in three volumes. Christopher Chant, or the Chrestomanci, and Eric "Cat" Chant are the most prominent characters. Christopher is in every story, while Eric is a narrator in two of the six stories. All the stories have diverse characters. Some people are good, some are evil, most are some combination of smart, selfish, trusting, scared, unaware, and brave. Male and female characters are equally well developed, with Witch Week and the Pinhoe Egg having girl narrators. The stories share a theme of examining the role family and friendships play in growing up and thinking for ones self. The content is appropriate for children aged 7 and up, but reading level is more for 4th and 5th graders. Most of the stories have a more historic setting and might be confusing for children not used to the idea of boarding schools or labor possibly starting at a young age. However, Diana Wynne Jones is a wonderful writer who creates complex worlds and characters. Her books are as enjoyable for adults as they are for children. These are great books for parents to read with their children.
I recommend reading The Lives of Christopher Chant first as I thought it had the best the introduction to the worlds of Chrestomanci. Diana Wynne Jones wrote Charmed Life first and thinks that the best starting place. For children who are not used to books with historical or fantasy settings Witch Week is set in a more familiar world and might be the best starting point.
Read further for specific book descriptions, but be aware of some unspecific spoilers.
Volume 1 contains Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant. These stories are the best introduction to the world of Chrestomanci and the main characters of the series.
The Lives of Christopher Chant is the first book in the series chronological order. It best introduces the world of Chrestomanci, especially the idea of multiple worlds and the travel between them. Christopher Chant is an aristocratic young boy who wants to become a professional cricket player, but his nine lives show he's the next Chrestomanci and his ability to travel to different worlds in his dreams gets the attention of his dangerous uncle. Over the course of the story Christopher goes to boarding school, befriends a Goddess, becomes a key person in a deadly smuggling ring, fights for his friend's soul, learns about the complexities of family, helps save the worlds, and accepts his role as the future Chrestomanci.
Charmed Life was written first and is the story of Eric "Cat" Chant, a young boy who's hopeless at magic and is completely controlled by Gwendolyn, his intelligent and ruthless sister. The Chant children are orphaned at the beginning of the story and go to live with their distant uncle, the grown up Christopher Chant and current Chrestomanci. The children have a hard time settling in and Gwendolyn causes lots of mischief and takes Cat along for the ride. When Chrestomanci takes away Gwendolyn's magic she flees to another world and Cat comes into his own. He realizes his own intelligence and magical powers and learns to stand up for himself and what a family really is.
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume Two contains The Magicians of Caprona and Witch Week. Both stories have the standard Chrestomanci characters take a back seat to the protagonists of these two stories. They also draw upon history with warring Italian city states, Shakesperian levels of rivalry, and a witch hunt and inquisition.
The Magicians of Caprona is told from the point of view of two brothers, Tonino and Paolo Montana, members of a powerful magical family who is constantly fighting with the other magical house of Caprona, Casa Petrocchi. Unless Tonino and Paolo, with the help of Chrestomanci, can stop the families fighting and find the true words to the The Angel of Caprona, a powerful spell, their city is likely to be attacked and conquered by the other city states of world 12A's Italy.
Witch Week takes place in England of World 12C, a technologically advanced world where witchcraft is illegal and punishable by death. Four students at a boarding school for the children of executed witches discover they inherited their parents magical powers. They summon Chrestomanci to their world and with his help outwit the dangerous Inquisitor and merge their world with the non magical 12B.
Volume 3 has the more recently written Conrad's Fate and The Pinhoe Egg. These two stories were published over 15 years after the other books.
Conrad's Fate is set in a small town of Stallery and its neighboring mansion in the English Alps of Series 7. It's protagonist is Conrad Tesdinic, a 15 year old with horrible karma, who is told by his uncle that if he doesn't go to Stallery Mansion as a footman and kill whoever is controlling the magic and possibilities then he will die within the year. At the mansion Conrad meets the disguised Christopher Chant and together they must find and rescue Christopher's friend Millie and stop whoever is pulling the possibilities before Series 7 is destroyed, all while learning how to be proper footmen.
The Pinhoe Egg is set in the villages and countryside that surround Chrestomanci Castle. It tells the story of Marianne Pinhoe, the only girl and destined leader of a magical clan that hides their powers from the "Big Man" Chrestomanci. It's a difficult summer for Marianne; she seems to be the only one who has noticed Grammer's started a magical war with the neighboring Farleigh's. Also there's no way her family will approve of her friendship with Cat Chant, her giving him a magical egg, or teaching him about a special type of magic called dwimmer. But that's nothing compared to how the Pinhoe's and Farleigh's react to Cat discovering the Wall, the families' secret trust, and persuading Marianne to help him pull it down. 
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