Tuesdays at the Castle

ramo - Tuesday at the castle, is a novel written by Jessica Day George. it begins Celie is the youngest daughter of the King of Sleyne. She lives with her family in a magical Castle, a Castle with personality. The Castle’s quirks are one of the main attractions of the book. It grows new rooms every Tuesday, changes corridors, opens new passages, and Celie considers it her duty to map all the new developments of her eccentric home. Her many-pages atlas of the Castle is her main project…until her parents disappear, and all the royal children – Celie, her older brother Rolf, and her older sister Lilah – are thrust into a scary adventure. Betrayal and loyalty, power-hungry villains and true friends, political intrigues and siblings’ dynamics surround the children, as they bravely defend their Castle and their family. Celie is in the heart of their struggles, a daring and ingenious little heroine, always coming up with a new scheme to sabotage the treacherous interlopers. Her beloved Castle is always on her side, helping the children to deal with the terrifying foreign usurper and his flunkies.

June 1, 2011

This enjoyable romp turns mischief into political action and a stone palace into a cunning character.

Castle Glower always chooses its own king, and its current is Celie's father. Celie's family knows the castle's rules—for example, no matter where you are, "if you turned left three times and climbed through the next window, you'd end up in the kitchens"—so they navigate fine, even when Castle Glower gets bored of a Tuesday and grows a new room or hallway. When disaster strikes, the castle's protective love becomes paramount. Celie's parents and eldest brother Bran are reported killed in an ambush, leaving three siblings at home to fend off a foreign prince who's trying to assassinate Celie's brother Rolf and steal the crown. Pranks such as spreading manure on the soles of shoes and snipping threads so the baddies' clothes fall off make the siblings (and readers) giggle, but underneath the capers lies a bit of deftly written grief and fear. Luckily there are comforting clues: If King Glower were really dead, wouldn't this sentient, active castle have adapted heir Rolf's bedroom into a king's room? Instead, the foreign prince's rooms become ever smaller and bleaker, proving the castle's disapproval; but Celie and sibs still need to win the day. Never fear: These kids are clever, as is George's lively adventure.

May pique castle envy. (Fantasy. 8-11)

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November 1, 2011

Gr 4-8-Princess Celie has been trying to map out the rooms in her beloved Castle Glower. The difficulty is that it whimsically manufactures, alters, and moves its rooms around whenever it deems necessary. It has chosen the kings of Sleyne, including Celie's father, King Glower the 79th, and his heir, Celie's brother Rolf. Everyone finds the meddling castle delightful and proper until the king and queen are ambushed and presumed dead. Now it seems that the Royal Council has treason in mind as it threatens Rolf, Celie, and their sister, Lilah. Celie relies on Castle Glower's affectionate interference to help them quash the cabal and reinstate the rightful rulers. Castle Glower is the true star of this charming story of court intrigue and magic. A satisfying mix of Hogwarts and Howl's Moving Castle (Greenwillow, 1986), Castle Glower helps its true citizens, but never at the expense of plot or character development. Celie and her siblings have to display courage in order to deserve its help. Celie's escapades keep the action moving briskly. Adventure stories fans will enjoy this as much as children who wear their wizard cloaks proudly. It is a good for those not quite ready for Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted (HarperCollins, 1997) or Shannon Hale's Princess Academy (Bloomsbury, 2005). Most libraries will want to add Tuesdays to their fantasy collections. While the story stands alone, it is the first in a new series.-Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT

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