There is a series of books that my 12-year-old fell
in love with last year - Jessica Day George’s Dragon Slippers, Dragon Flight and Dragon Spear. Although I have read
them, it was prior to this blog and therefore no review, but I highly recommend
them! My daughter is always inquiring as to whether there is a new volume in
the series. Sadly, I believe it is complete as a trilogy; but when I was
checking, yet again, for something new, I found Tuesdays at the Castle!
It promptly sat on the floor all summer while she
devoured the Enchanted Forest
Chronicles by Patricia Wrede which I have reviewed this year.
So when it was time to choose a new chapter book to read to my girls before
bedtime… there it was. I had wanted to read it all along myself. The cover is
so inviting. The premise is so magical and unique. I thought I’d give it a try.
It is always challenging to find something to please the 12-year-old, the
7.5-year-old and the 41-year-old. But we have a winner!!!
This novel was something we looked forward to,
eagerly, every night. Even the younger girl would forgo picture books with cats
in them to get to read two chapters in one night – and not a cat in the castle!
The night we finally finished it, both girls immediately asked to read it
again! In fact, the elder girl is reading it a second time for her first book
report this school year.
Bran, Lilah, Rolf and Celie are princes and
princesses living in the Castle Glower. Castle Glower is unique in that it is
magical… alive… enchanted? No one really knows how the Castle does it, but it
changes. It grows. It shrinks. It adds. It plays favorites. It chooses heirs to
the throne. The greatest changes happen on Tuesdays.
Celie is the youngest of the siblings and is our
11-year-old heroine. She has an odd hobby. She is keeping an atlas of the
Castle. She also has a special relationship with the Castle. Everyone feels
that Castle Glower likes her best. It bestows special favors upon her. It even
seems to listen to her.
King and Queen Glower are leaving the Castle to
pick up eldest brother Bran who has been away at Wizarding School. Bran never
had any interest in ruling the Kingdom of Sleyne and the Castle acknowledged
his feelings and bestowed the heirship to younger brother Rolf. The King and Queen
leave the younger siblings in the hands of the capable household staff.
At the appointed time, the royal carriage returns,
but without the royal couple and only with a trusted sergeant. The royal
threesome and their entourage had been attacked by bandits and now they are
vanished without a trace. The Royal Council sends a search party who return
with gruesome news. The King, Queen and Bran are dead.
Or are they? The Castle doesn’t make any
significant changes. Rolf’s bedroom doesn’t get moved any closer to the throne
room. The King’s master suite doesn’t diminish. The Castle is not acting as if
it has lost its monarch. Celie can see this almost immediately and her siblings
trust her.
But the Council acts straightaway to set up a
funeral and a coronation. Royal personages are invited including the scary
Prince Khelsh and the unusual Prince Lulath. The Castle is required to make
accommodations for them and their staff. But the Castle also provides Celie
with a Spyglass Tower from which she receives help in the form of a language
dictionary, food, magical telescopes, secret passageways to spy on her enemies,
and a cloak that doesn’t make her invisible, but silent instead!
This is an excellent fantasy choice for school-age girls.
It is a wonderful read aloud as well. Even better, it is full of humor. I am
keeping my eye open for a sequel!
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