The Battle for the Castle

The Castle In The Attic #2

by Elizabeth Winthrop, André Geerts

The adventure continues in this exciting companion to The Castle in the Attic.

As William turns twelve, he wonders if Jason is still his best friend. In the past year, Jason has grown a foot taller, while William is still a shrimp. When Jason challenges William to “jump the trains,” William is terrified. How else can he prove himself to Jason? William gets his answer when his former housekeeper sends him a magic token that once again transports him to Sir Simon’s castle in the Middle Ages, this time with Jason. There the two friends face a dangerous army of rats and their gigantic leader. Once before, William was a hero in Sir Simon’s day. Now it’s up to William to destroy the rats and save the kingdom in the final battle for the castle.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Adventure, Juvenile

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1993

About the author

ELIZABETH WINTHROP ALSOP (www.elizabethwinthropalsop.com), is the author of over sixty works of fiction for all ages, including ISLAND JUSTICE and IN MY MOTHER'S HOUSE, both available as e-books.

DAUGHTER OF SPIES: Wartime Secrets, Family Lies, her memoir about her parents' love affair during World War II and her own childhood in 1950s Washington as the daughter of a famous journalist, will be published October 25, 2022 by Regal House.

Her short story, The Golden Darters, was selected by Best American Short Stories by Robert Stone and was recently read on SELECTED SHORTS by the renowned actress, Ann Dowd. She is the author of the memoir piece, Don't Knock Unless You're Bleeding; Growing Up in Cold War Washington.The daughter of Stewart Alsop, the political journalist, she divides her time between New York City and the Berkshires.

Her historical novel, COUNTING ON GRACE was chosen as a Notable Book of the Year by the American Library Association, the National Council of Social Studies, the International Reading Association and the Children’s Book Council among others. The novel has also been nominated for state book awards in Vermont, Virginia, Kentucky, Kansas, Missouri,Indiana, Hawaii and Arizona.

THE CASTLE IN THE ATTIC and its sequel, THE BATTLE FOR THE CASTLE, were nominated for twenty-three state book awards and are considered children’s fantasy classics.

Her popular picture books include DUMPY LA RUE, SHOES,DOG SHOW, SQUASHED IN THE MIDDLE and most recently, THE FIRST CHRISTMAS STOCKING and THE BIGGEST PARADE. Two of her recent books for older children are THE RED-HOT RATTOONS, a comic fantasy novel and DEAR MR. PRESIDENT, Letters from a Milltown Girl, a work of historical fiction set in western Massachusetts.

For more information, www.elizabethwinthrop.com

Reviews

[karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

sigh... can't go back, i guess. when i was little, i once received The Castle in the Attic and The Owlstone Crown in my easter basket—two wonderful wonderful books i read and reread obsessively. this book is a sequel to The Castle in the Attic that i never knew existed. it is neither wonderful nor wonderful. one thing i know about twelve-year-old american boys is that they do not say "blast" when they are angry. not just one time either. it was no typo. it's just a weak follow-up, and that makes me a little unhappy. no big deal—i have other books...

come to my blog!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the right ingredients, but somehow less than fully satisfying. Maybe there wasn't enough sugar? Or maybe it needed to simmer longer? It was certainly spicy enough!

And by spicy I mean there was one very scary villain concept. But it did need to be developed more. I mean, where did that villain come from, and what was the deal with him?

And by sugar I mean both humor and character. Objectively both were included, but they didn't resonate with me.

Still and all, I do recommend this to fans of the first book.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time William's annoying friend joins him and they meet a girl at the castle their age. The new girl character starts our strong but ends up playing nurse and cook when the real action starts up. The villain in this book is just a nameless rat of darkness which sounds really interesting but is never really explained or fleshed out in any meaningful way.

A charming book, but to my dismay, the shrinking factor is minimized in this sequel (pun intended).

[Allison Fogarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little too dark for my liking, but overall a good sequel.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

William thinks that he is to old for the castle that Mrs. Phillips gave him. Granted he has had it for a few years, and he is now twelve. Her birthday present is a mystery to everyone but William - he knows exactly what it is, and he is itching to get back to the castle and use it.

Telling Jason the story, the boys make plans to go back to the castle, and see what adventure is awaiting them. They are in for the journey of a lifetime, but they do not know it yet!

But now, they must defend the castle against a force of rats, who are unlike any rats anyone has ever seen. Whether or not they are going to succeed depends on the strength of those inside the castle and whether or not they can find a way to survive until help comes...

Great book! I am going to read this one outloud to the boys, and see what they think of these characters.

[Lara Kasparian · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as children's books go, this has it all. I remember loving this book when I was younger, and thinking it was so scary with the evil rats. It had everything I loved to read about as a kid: castles, Knights, omens, and kids having to solve their own problems. As an adult, it held up really well for me. It was so fun to read again! I liked it just as much as the first one.

[Lillian Ervin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giant rats are attacking!Read and see what happens.

[Linnae · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars: Kids will be happy to return to this world for another adventure.

In this second installment, William is now 12, but still short and small for his age. His friend Jason has grown several inches lately, and has gotten really into biking. He is constantly talking about training and working out. William still does gymnastics, but is thinking about quitting. It's becoming harder and harder to find common ground with Jason.

A rite-of-passage for boys in their town is "jumping the trains;" essentially, climbing onto a train car as it slows down close to town, then going up and over the other side and jumping off before the train gets going too fast. It's dangerous and the very thought makes William's stomach curl, but he feels like he has to do it to be accepted by Jason and their other friends.

Then for his birthday, his former housekeeper sends him a magical token that can take him back to the world of the Castle. Speaking of the Castle, he still has it upstairs, but hasn't really played with it very much lately. This time he decides to tell Jason about the token, the magic, and the Castle. Skeptical at first, Jason soon becomes eager to experience it all for himself.

The two friends re-enter the magical world of the Castle, only to find that a different threat hangs over Sir Simon's kingdom--one that Sir Simon himself refuses to even acknowledge. It will be up to the boys, and a girl named Gudrin, to defeat the plague that is poised to descend upon the Castle, destroying everything and everyone in its path.
 
* * * * *
This one was as much about William becoming confident in himself--despite what he saw as flaws--as it was about another adventure in the Castle. William came to recognize his own leadership abilities when the chips were down. He also realized that physical prowess was not the only helpful attribute in hard situations. His ability to think under pressure was just as useful as big muscles, if not more so.

My one quibble was with the ending. After building up some good suspense, the solution itself was a bit anti-climatic. After they won, I thought--"Wait, that was it? That's all it took?" I don't think kids will mind, though. The creepiness of the rats in the first place may make the quick resolution a relief.

One of my favorite parts of the book, from a parent's perspective, was William's realization at the end about jumping the trains, and Jason's respect for him in that moment.

If you've read the first, this one must follow!
You are invited to my blog for more reviews, themed booklists, and garden talk!
www.ofbooksandblooms.com

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Castle in the Attic was one of my favorite books as a child, and thanks to LibraryThing, I was made aware of the sequel. In The Battle for the Castle, William returns to the realm of the Silver Knight, and with the help of his friend, Jason, and the fair maiden Gudrin, is able to save the castle from another dark and mystical threat: a plague of rats.
I was a little disappointed by this story, as it seamed really rather anticlimactic and not as well plotted as it's predecessor, but it was good to meet up with William again and see how well he's grown up. Gudrin was an engaging and high-spirited addition to the action as well.
I would recommend this fantasy story to parents reading to their kids at bedtime, unless they're really prone to nightmares. On second thought,I may not even be able to sleep tonight thinking about those rats!

[Janeen-san · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is even better than the first. I loved it because it was funny and exciting, and the author did a wonderful job shaping all the characters personalities.

William tells his friend about the castle. Together, using the Amulet, they shrink themselves. Meeting with Sir Simon, the Knight of the castle, they embark on a magical quest to save the kingdom.
Walking out onto the drawbridge, William doesn't see the maze of boxes and old toys that was inside his attic. Instead, he sees a giant forest!
Sir Simon says that they must travel through the forest to reach the kingdom. They go on a magical journey to save it, and make many friends and enemies. Can they save the castle? Read this awesome book to find out!

[Catherine Symchych · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I need to stop reading sequels as I’m usually disappointed and this time very much so. William’s friendship with Jason tried to be the theme in the beginning, but then got lost. That was fine because I didn’t really like it. The rat was worse, though. Never explained well and battled unbelievably. This won’t have a place on my shelf next to the original.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids were disappointed this was the last book of the two. They loved them both. Great read alouds!

[Kassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

June 29, 2018-- Read it out loud with my husband. He said it was pretty good. :)

[hpboy13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s hard for lightning to strike twice in this regard – The Castle in the Attic is such an enchanting story, it would be hard to recapture that magic. Winthrop gives it the good ol’ college try here, to mixed results.

As with its predecessor, there is terrific character work done in these very short books. William is a gentle boy, now twelve, struggling with all the typical angst of a boy growing up. His best friend is changing, becoming obsessed with fitness and talking about girls, and William is struggling to connect with him. I found their friendship fascinating, and would have actually loved a deeper exploration of the conflict between them.

Once we get to the fantasy realm, though, Winthrop seems to be struggling to craft as compelling a conflict as in the first book. The antagonist is an army of evil rats, defeated by sunlight. Um, okay? There really wasn’t much to explain why the evil rats are as solar-phobic as vampires, how they got huge and evil, and what on earth is going on here. In the first book, William’s triumph over Alastor was a great bit of character work, and felt earned through the setup of his gymnastics skills… there is no such satisfaction in the resolution here.

Also, all the folk of this enchanted realm seem very content to leave the whole last-line-of-defense to a pair of 12-year-old boys. Sure, the boys have accomplished some cool stuff in the past and all. But I just could not suspend my disbelief that every single adult there was like “Yep, we’re all gonna flee, good luck 12-year-olds! You’ll do great!”

I didn’t mind reading this book, and it doesn’t in any way cheapen the effectiveness of the first book… but it’s a wholly inessential sequel. Personally, I would recommend “Castle in the Attic” as a standalone book.

[Rex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This young readers novel is the sequel to ‘Castle in the Attic’. It has been about 20 years since I have read the original to make any comparison to that. This is a story about William, a self conscious young boy with a magic toy castle. The castle acts as magical conduit to the past when William shrinks himself down to the same size as the castle with a magic token his British nanny gave him not his birthday.
The book starts off as relatable, William is embarrassed when he is unable to complete a dangerous rite of passage that his best friend Jason completes with ease. Jason has also started to hit puberty, but William hasn’t really started down that road yet. This is all very relatable to many of the young readers the novel is intended for, but none of this really plays a role when Jason and William shrink themselves down in size to return to the land of the castle. It felt pointless to put all that content about Jason growing up quicker than Jason when none of it plays a role, even when there is a girl in the land of the castle that they both could have easily taken a liking too.
Anyway, they get to the castle and for some reason are left in charge of it after Sir Simon leaves on holiday. Of course, there is an invading army whose origins and intentions are never made clear. This leads to the titular ‘Battle for the Castle,’ where both Jason and William can prove their mettle.
This is a young reader’s novel so I don’t ask too much of it. But I feel like it failed to justify its existence as a sequel to ‘The Castle in the Attic.’ But for what it’s worth, I enjoyed this book quite a bit when I was ten and I remember being scared of the villains back as a child.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book continued the story of William's "castle in the attic". This time, William is twelve, and he thinks he's too old to play with castles. He's also worried. His best friend, Jason, is turning into someone very different. Jason has gotten into bicycles in a big way, and he's also starting to be interested in girls. William is starting to feel as if he and Jason don't really know each other at all, and maybe that Jason will leave him behind, no longer content to be friends with the smallest kid in class, a kid who cries too easily and seems to try to avoid doing anything daring.
The greatest lesson in this book is that a person can be friends with someone without liking everything about them. The added pleasure of the lesson is that it is delivered in a story filled with all the adventure, compassion, and smooth writing that readers were treated to in the prequel.
I only had one regret: that there's not a third book in the series. But Winthrop does something many authors aren't brave or skilled enough to do: She knows when to stop! Better to leave readers satisfied but wanting more than to lose them in Book 235 of a series that has outlived itself.

[Lara Vehar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was all right - it wasn't as good as the first one but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

It's okay, slightly longer than the first one, but the ending still felt rushed. The beginning makes you think that it's going to be about growing up and finding new friends because the old ones changed - but nope, it wasn't about that. There were some attempts at swearing but no 12 year old says Blast instead of the f bomb trust me - that part felt a little bit awkward and could have easily be left out.

Oh yeah and if Sir Simon had an important part in the first book he is barely in this one because he leaves fir a tournament at the beginning of the story and only comes back at the end after the entire story is done- that was kind of disappointing.

[Ramona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun JF read for preteens. 12-year-old William received a gift of a play castle from a beloved friend, Mrs. Phillips, "as we are told in the first book, "The Castle in the Attic". He introduces his best friend, Jason, to the magical castle and so their adventure begins. As the title tells us, there is a battle, and William and Jason are expected to save the day! The legend on the castle has changed and now reads, "Two squires shall cross the drawbridge, shall put themselves to the test. Knights know much of battle But the maiden knows the rest". Young Gudrin, niece of Dick, and Prince Tollivers' cousin is much involved in the story and battle. A quick, easy, adventure that leaves you wanting to return to the castle again, soon!

[Joel Cuthbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a kid this one freaked me right out, and it's always delightful to revisit your childhood fears. When I was a kid I was also obsessed with Castles. Something about the endless possibilities of the place, like a home but also a maze, a full city encapsulated in mighty walls. I remember taking out books from the library a plenty, even a ridiculous guide to building model ones, I ate it all up! So the two books by Winthrop that imagine a child traveling (downwards in size) to be able to wander its hallowed halls had my imagination reeling. This one takes the stakes into a pretty haunting, and downright frightening sequences. Things wrap up rather heroically, so don't you be afeared for too long. A nice revisit to tidy up my summer reads.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great example of why this website should give its readers half-stars. 3.5


This book gave us more background on his friend, and gave us some insight on the feelings of a tween who thinks he does not measure up, and I appreciate that as he reminds me of many of my students. However, I don't think we learned enough about the main antagonist - why it was the way it was, and WHY it could be defeated in the way it could be defeated. I'm also SO curious of where it originated from!

As a last thought, Sir Simon kinda sucked in this book. Much harder to like. Also, was he kinda the king of the castle, not just the head knight anymore? Is that a thing? When did it happen?

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not going to lie, I didn't ever expect a sequel to The Castle in the Attic, and I was surprised when I found it. But I don't know that I liked it a ton. It seemed like the characters are less real than in the first book, and the story seemed a little choppy. Minor characters from the first book, and their kin, seemed to take precedence over the original characters. HOWEVER, the big baddie in this book was really well done, and I enjoyed reading about them. The ending was satisfying, even though the first part was muddled.

[Twyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book as much as I did the first book. My favorite part was when the rats were gone, and the castle was safe. My least favorite part was when the token that could shrink and grow things was taken by Deegan, so that they had no way to try stop the rats. I probably would have enjoyed this more if the rats had a little bit more personality, or if they did more than just be evil and scary.

[Isaias Soriano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say The Battle For The Castle, by Elizabeth Winthrop, is a pretty stunning book with an amazing cast of characters with lots of development. Each chapter is full of adventure and breathtaking moments. There was never a chapter where I wasn't left in suspense and not wanting to read more. My only complaint is about the villain, he was brought out of nowhere and it didn't really make sense.


-Isaias Soriano

[Ginger Ciminello · Rating 2 out of 5]

We found this to be a fairly lame follow up to a really inventive first book in the series. We were at the climax and my seven-year old said, “This is boring. Can we be done.” Not great.

Issues:
-No growth in the main characters, especially Jason
-Where did the big rat come from? Why did he turn the other rats into his zombie followers?
-Why was the court jester such a random jerk?
-This story built up to a really underdeveloped finish with so many plot holes.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book, but a fun follow-up. Jason was annoying and I wish we could have learned anything at all about where the giant rat of darkness came from and why, but Gudrin was cool and I liked the general theme of "you don't have to jump a train to be a man." Some nice adventure and peril, even if it didn't all make sense.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay. It was a little more intense than the first book, and was almost too much for my boys. I was not that crazy about the plot, it seemed more contrived and less edifying. Both boys say they would give it 5-stars, but they are both happy to be finished with it. I feel generous giving it 2-stars

[Carrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently reread this and the book that it follows before giving them as gifts to my friends. As when I was a kid, I felt that this was sort of an unbalanced continuation of the story--yet just like when I was a kid, it didn't really seem to matter because the story was still really good! Like its precursor, I really wish they'd make these into films. I would watch as an adult.

[jake]

I think that the book is a great book for someone who loves adventure and loves cliff hangers. The boom is the second book in the series and the first book is equally as good. Personally, I love adventures so this book was perfect for me I think It would be a must-read for people who love adventures.

[Jim Sibigtroth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very exciting, though the rats are pretty frightening and creepy.

Steady action and excitement. The writing is easy to read. My one complaint is that in some places characters did things that were really dumb - like letting a stranger hold their magic token and even explaining to the stranger how it worked!

[John Barclay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good sequel to the first book. The story does move on a lot, and that's great. A new sidekick, a new set of twists etc. The trouble is that some of the magic of the attic is gone, and that's a big trouble.