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There May Be A Castle
A remarkable story about love, loss and the power of the imagination, from an award-winning, celebrated writer for children. On a frozen Christmas Eve, Mouse Mallory and his family set off across a snow-white valley to visit his grandparents. They never arrive. As the wheels skid off the icy road, Mouse is thrown from the car. When he wakes, he finds himself in a magical landscape, with only a talkative sheep and a very bossy horse for company. And they tell this is your story now. So begins Mouse's extraordinary quest through a world of wonder. A world of monsters, minstrels, dangerous knights and mysterious wizards; a world of terrifying danger but also more excitement than Mouse has ever known. All to find a castle, somewhere, beyond. But why is Mouse looking for a castle? As thoughts of his family back at the car begin to surface, Mouse realises this might be the most important journey he will ever make ... This is a novel about love and death. It's about the power of stories to change the way we view the world - and it's about the power of a child to change their own world. Emotionally arresting but ultimately uplifting, this is a remarkable novel for our times.
293 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2016
7 people are currently reading
522 people want to read
About the author
Piers Torday
38 books220 followersPiers Torday is an award-winning and best-selling children's writer. Books include The Last Wild, The Dark Wild, The Wild Beyond, The Wild Before, There May Be a Castle, The Lost Magician, and The Frozen Sea, with his latest one, Midnight Treasure, out in September 2024. His work has been translated into 14 languages.
His plays include The Box of Delights (Wilton’s/RSC), Christmas Carol, The Child in the Snow, and The Wind in the Wilton’s (Wilton’s Music Hall). The Little Angel Theatre has adapted his book There May Be a Castle for the stage.
The son of Paul Torday (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), he completed his father’s final unfinished novel, The Death of an Owl and co-founded the Paul Torday Memorial Prize for Debut Novelists over 60.
He has contributed short stories to Winter Magic, Scoop, and Return to Wonderland, nonfiction pieces for The Book of Hopes, The Writer’s Map, and Swallowed by a Whale, reviewed books for The Guardian, The Literary Review, and The Spectator, and judged The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, The Costa Book Awards, and the British Book Awards.
Piers is also Chair of the Society of Authors Sustainability Steering Committee, a trustee of The Unicorn Theatre, Patron of Shrewsbury Book Fest and an Artistic Associate at Wilton’s Music Hall.
His plays include The Box of Delights (Wilton’s/RSC), Christmas Carol, The Child in the Snow, and The Wind in the Wilton’s (Wilton’s Music Hall). The Little Angel Theatre has adapted his book There May Be a Castle for the stage.
The son of Paul Torday (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), he completed his father’s final unfinished novel, The Death of an Owl and co-founded the Paul Torday Memorial Prize for Debut Novelists over 60.
He has contributed short stories to Winter Magic, Scoop, and Return to Wonderland, nonfiction pieces for The Book of Hopes, The Writer’s Map, and Swallowed by a Whale, reviewed books for The Guardian, The Literary Review, and The Spectator, and judged The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, The Costa Book Awards, and the British Book Awards.
Piers is also Chair of the Society of Authors Sustainability Steering Committee, a trustee of The Unicorn Theatre, Patron of Shrewsbury Book Fest and an Artistic Associate at Wilton’s Music Hall.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
February 14, 2020
[2.5 stars]
I've loved Torday's previous The Last Wild books and I did enjoy the first third of this novel, but after that I got bored. The tiptoeing between reality and fantasy is too obvious, the slightly medieval fantasy setting is a cardboard cutout that not even the giant dinosaur and the snarky one-eyed horse can save (also knights and jousts just aren't my thing), and the protagonist, Mouse, is confusing. He's prone to daydreaming but hates books and made up stories? That didn't add up for me and his constant complaining makes him slightly unbearable. The regular mention of social media and electronic devices seems appropriate for a contemporary children's book but also makes the story feel unnecessarily dated. I'm still pondering what to think of that ending. I didn't see it coming at all and in a way it's a bold move but it doesn't feel like the right ending for this kind of story.
I've loved Torday's previous The Last Wild books and I did enjoy the first third of this novel, but after that I got bored. The tiptoeing between reality and fantasy is too obvious, the slightly medieval fantasy setting is a cardboard cutout that not even the giant dinosaur and the snarky one-eyed horse can save (also knights and jousts just aren't my thing), and the protagonist, Mouse, is confusing. He's prone to daydreaming but hates books and made up stories? That didn't add up for me and his constant complaining makes him slightly unbearable. The regular mention of social media and electronic devices seems appropriate for a contemporary children's book but also makes the story feel unnecessarily dated. I'm still pondering what to think of that ending. I didn't see it coming at all and in a way it's a bold move but it doesn't feel like the right ending for this kind of story.
March 3, 2017
I'm not crying, you're crying.
This book is really something different, a fantastic story full of heartfelt meaning. There May Be A Castle is a story of love, family, devotion, and imagination, that while is short and simple, is also bittersweet. As this is aimed at children, Torday does a fantastic job at explaining death and fear in an imaginative way. This is one I'll definitely be keeping on my shelf to one day read to kids of my own. 5/5.
This book is really something different, a fantastic story full of heartfelt meaning. There May Be A Castle is a story of love, family, devotion, and imagination, that while is short and simple, is also bittersweet. As this is aimed at children, Torday does a fantastic job at explaining death and fear in an imaginative way. This is one I'll definitely be keeping on my shelf to one day read to kids of my own. 5/5.
March 12, 2017
Wow.... ok.... that took me completely by surprise...
I got so wrapped up in the wonderful silliness of Mouse's imagined adventure and Torday's beautiful handling of the switches between his struggle and Violet's that I forgot that I'd been warned about the shock of the ending.
This story throws you from giggling at the lovely characters in Mouse's imaginings to recognising the very real danger for Mum, Esme and Violet, and the anxiety of Gramps and Grandma. You join Mouse in his daydream state, enjoying fart jokes and dinosaurs with very little brain, and then you suddenly remember that there's a car upside down in a field in a blizzard with three people trapped inside. You tell yourself off for the daydreaming but then you drift back into it.
But the biggest impact of that backwards-forwards, telling-myself-off thing, and the silliness in particular, was that it lulled me into expecting a happy ending. What happens to Mouse hit me out of the blue. There were tears.
However, Torday doesn't smack you in the face with the shock and then abandon you - I loved the gentleness of the flash forward in the last few pages for Violet and Esme and Mum - they were devastated by what happened to Mouse but their lives were positive and filled with happiness and success and Mouse was part of that. I'm glad that the 'but they *were* all ok' reassurance comes immediately after the shock - I think that's so important for young readers. If I were reading this to a child or a class I'd have to remember to time the reading of the ending very carefully - this isn't a story to finish at bedtime or hometime, there needs to be plenty of time to talk and process and recover. Independent young readers of this story need to be watched and supported I think.
For me, I think the tears at the end were mostly because of the things Mouse remembered about his life, the little things -a reminder of the feel of a jumper being pulled over your head for you was particularly powerful for me. I know my own childhood was filled with those little things that make me who I am and I very much hope I filled my own children's childhoods with the same kind of memories. Would a child reader respond to that little section in the same way? I don't actually think it matters, we all respond to stories differently depending on our own experiences, but it's important to recognise that responses may be powerful - powerfully positive or powerfully negative.
Loved this.
I got so wrapped up in the wonderful silliness of Mouse's imagined adventure and Torday's beautiful handling of the switches between his struggle and Violet's that I forgot that I'd been warned about the shock of the ending.
This story throws you from giggling at the lovely characters in Mouse's imaginings to recognising the very real danger for Mum, Esme and Violet, and the anxiety of Gramps and Grandma. You join Mouse in his daydream state, enjoying fart jokes and dinosaurs with very little brain, and then you suddenly remember that there's a car upside down in a field in a blizzard with three people trapped inside. You tell yourself off for the daydreaming but then you drift back into it.
But the biggest impact of that backwards-forwards, telling-myself-off thing, and the silliness in particular, was that it lulled me into expecting a happy ending. What happens to Mouse hit me out of the blue. There were tears.
However, Torday doesn't smack you in the face with the shock and then abandon you - I loved the gentleness of the flash forward in the last few pages for Violet and Esme and Mum - they were devastated by what happened to Mouse but their lives were positive and filled with happiness and success and Mouse was part of that. I'm glad that the 'but they *were* all ok' reassurance comes immediately after the shock - I think that's so important for young readers. If I were reading this to a child or a class I'd have to remember to time the reading of the ending very carefully - this isn't a story to finish at bedtime or hometime, there needs to be plenty of time to talk and process and recover. Independent young readers of this story need to be watched and supported I think.
For me, I think the tears at the end were mostly because of the things Mouse remembered about his life, the little things -a reminder of the feel of a jumper being pulled over your head for you was particularly powerful for me. I know my own childhood was filled with those little things that make me who I am and I very much hope I filled my own children's childhoods with the same kind of memories. Would a child reader respond to that little section in the same way? I don't actually think it matters, we all respond to stories differently depending on our own experiences, but it's important to recognise that responses may be powerful - powerfully positive or powerfully negative.
Loved this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2017
Review to come. Way too much to think about.
February 7, 2017
A heartbreaking, lovely and eerie book about growing up, understanding yourself and learning that there are some things in life that you can't change. And also, of course, about knights, quests and a castle ... 10+
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
December 19, 2018
Magical, fantastical and very very intriguing. Great book.
August 17, 2017
I like to read to my kids at bedtime to help them get to sleep. We usually read a couple of picture books together and then turn the lights low and I read a couple of chapters of a longer book to them. I've tended to read books that I loved when I was a child- Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton. I recently picked this book up at the bookshop and thought it looked like an interesting read, and something a bit more modern for them.
We started reading it and got through the first few chapters. I was so tempted to read the whole thing myself while the kids were asleep because it was so interesting! My seven year old son loved it and we stayed up past bedtime more than a few nights to read "just one more chapter".
And then we got to the end. I realised what was happening about two sentences before it became really obvious. I will say right now, its very difficult to read a book aloud when you are sobbing. Tonight was rough. My five year old was a bit oblivious (and possibly a sociopath) but my seven year old was really heartbroken at the end of this book. He lay in bed weeping quietly for about ten minutes, and then I went in to him and read him some Dr Suess to help him cheer up.
Even with the very sad ending, I really loved this book. It was beautifully written and kept me guessing the whole way through. I will be passing it on to my eleven year old nephew to read next as I think he will enjoy it (I will forewarn him about the potential weeping). I think it's important for kid to know about death, and this book told the story so nicely that it made it easy to accept what had happened at the end.
But perhaps it could have a warning on the cover- There May be Some Sobbing.
We started reading it and got through the first few chapters. I was so tempted to read the whole thing myself while the kids were asleep because it was so interesting! My seven year old son loved it and we stayed up past bedtime more than a few nights to read "just one more chapter".
And then we got to the end. I realised what was happening about two sentences before it became really obvious. I will say right now, its very difficult to read a book aloud when you are sobbing. Tonight was rough. My five year old was a bit oblivious (and possibly a sociopath) but my seven year old was really heartbroken at the end of this book. He lay in bed weeping quietly for about ten minutes, and then I went in to him and read him some Dr Suess to help him cheer up.
Even with the very sad ending, I really loved this book. It was beautifully written and kept me guessing the whole way through. I will be passing it on to my eleven year old nephew to read next as I think he will enjoy it (I will forewarn him about the potential weeping). I think it's important for kid to know about death, and this book told the story so nicely that it made it easy to accept what had happened at the end.
But perhaps it could have a warning on the cover- There May be Some Sobbing.
November 19, 2016
Mouse doesn’t exactly fit in… at school or at home. He’s always been rather short for his age, would prefer to play with his toys than other kids his own age, and he spends most of his time in day dreams. But he’s completely happy being himself, even if “himself” is so out of sync with the rest of the world.
So long as he has Nonky, he can survive anything.
And then the very worst thing that could happen, does.
The rest of this review can be found HERE!
He was eleven and apparently that meant he had to read books that had more words than pictures, or even no picture. He was supposed to be able to sleep with the lights off, and everyone said he was too old to carry a stuffed toy around with him all the time.So long as he has his toy horse, Nonky, nothing can bring him down.
Mouse didn’t get what the problem was.
‘Do you really need that?’ his mum would complain. ‘I’ve washed it a thousand time and it still stinks of trainers. You’re too grown-up to be playing with a babyish toy like that.’Not his dad moving to California to be with another woman, leaving their mum to look after him and his sisters; not little Esme who likes to muck up the settings on his iPad games and who is always coated in “choclit”; not even Christmas, which he hates.
‘You’re such a little boy sometimes,’ his big sister Violet would often add.
So long as he has Nonky, he can survive anything.
And then the very worst thing that could happen, does.
The rest of this review can be found HERE!
August 25, 2016
It's Christmas.
And Mouse hates Christmas.
This Christmas is particularly awful because Mouse has to spend hours in the car with his older sister Violet, who's dressed as a pirate, and his baby sister Esme, who keeps shouting "Easta!" at the rapidly falling snow flakes.
But things take an unexpected turn when Mouse's mum looses control of the car in the snow after being hit by a flying dinosaur.
Mouse is thrown from the car and tumbles into a whole new (and scary) world. This world is filled with a whole host of fantastical characters such as a sarcastic one eyed horse called Nonky, a friendly sheep called Bar (because that's all she can say), a giant robotic dinosaur, a mildly irritating Minstrel who weirdly reminds Mouse of his Dad, and a terrifying Knight dressed in bright pink armour.
And of course, there may be a castle...
This book surprised me completely.
Its a story about the startling power of imagination and how we can achieve remarkable things if we just imagine that we can.
It's a story about love, family, and the staggering things we are able to endure in order to protect them.
It's a story about life and death.
It's a story you should read.
And Mouse hates Christmas.
This Christmas is particularly awful because Mouse has to spend hours in the car with his older sister Violet, who's dressed as a pirate, and his baby sister Esme, who keeps shouting "Easta!" at the rapidly falling snow flakes.
But things take an unexpected turn when Mouse's mum looses control of the car in the snow after being hit by a flying dinosaur.
Mouse is thrown from the car and tumbles into a whole new (and scary) world. This world is filled with a whole host of fantastical characters such as a sarcastic one eyed horse called Nonky, a friendly sheep called Bar (because that's all she can say), a giant robotic dinosaur, a mildly irritating Minstrel who weirdly reminds Mouse of his Dad, and a terrifying Knight dressed in bright pink armour.
And of course, there may be a castle...
This book surprised me completely.
Its a story about the startling power of imagination and how we can achieve remarkable things if we just imagine that we can.
It's a story about love, family, and the staggering things we are able to endure in order to protect them.
It's a story about life and death.
It's a story you should read.
February 20, 2017
Super amazing story, quite scary and sad at some points but worth it. I loved how Torday portrayed Mouse's struggle to accept his fears and finally grow up to understand that some things can not be changed. Torday really got into my head as he made me feel like a child again, reliving those moments where you promise the hardest things like "never being mean to mom, or brushing my teeth everyday" to just get out of a horrible situation. There is so much to say about this story, and I feel like I need to read it another time just to get some of the things at the beginning of the story.
August 18, 2017
'Is there a castle?' he asked.
The horse seemed to flinch underneath him, as if he had wounded her. She sighed, her head sank low and then with a snort she straightened up again, although her voice wavered.
'There may be, little knight,' said Nonky. 'There may be a castle.'
So yesterday night I had about 1 hour and 20 minutes to read before I wanted to sleep, and I managed to read 220 pages, sadly I was too tired to read further, so I had to wait until now before I could find out the outcome, the last part. Would Mouse make it?
And now I am going to try to write a review, though bear with me, it may be chaotic.
Before I start to talk about the awesomeness of this book, I want to say I am giving the book -1 star. This could have been a wonderful, special, epic book, I wanted to rate it 5 stars, maybe even 5+ stars, but then the author added Violet's POV. Violet, the sister. Whose POV I did like when she was still in the car, but when she started to dismiss Mouse and his journey, even scoffing the fact he did x and not y, and just took the journey sans mystical stuff herself? It just felt like Mouse's journey was worth less. Here look at this sister, she can do it without going into a mystical world bordering on death and life, she will be the one to solve everything, look at how fast she is doing things that took her brother a whole day if not more. That is how it felt to me. With each POV of Violet I grew increasingly frustrating at her attitude and her butting in. I wanted Mouse's journey. So Violet, please stay in the car and don't move. Thanks and bye.
One other thing that was a bit eh was: The accident? I just felt so sorry for the mom, for Esme, Violet, and Mouse, though I did think it was a bit too irresponsible to go outside. Sorry, I know, not really the right thing to say, but I just couldn't help thinking that it was a bad idea. There is tons of snow, hidden ice patches, and who knows what else. Still no one deserves an accident, but I just can't help but shaking my head at people going outside in dangerous conditions. Especially if you have kids with you. Don't do it! Just go another day, I am sure the grandparents could understand.
Now back to the story, it broke my heart many times. I just knew what was going on with Mouse's journey, I just knew what all those things he encountered meant. I just knew! And it broke my heart. But I noticed that I was still hoping for another outcome. I was sure he would make it! He would find help! He would be the one saving everyone. He would grow up! He would be great! I was rooting for this little boy the entire time. Sometimes acting like Nonky did (yep, including her attitude :P). Telling the kid to not look behind him, to not fall asleep, to not waver. To continue with his journey. Cheering him on.
Mouse was a great character, I didn't entirely like him during some parts of the book (with how he acted), but mostly I just liked the little guy.
The journey was a wonderful one, the author sure wrote an engaging story. I was thinking this would just be old-fashioned fantasy (given the blurb stating that Mouse wakes up in a magical world), but it was so much more. It was so different from what the blurb states. From the start I knew that this was not some ordinary fantasy world, but something much more real. It still held all the elements of fantasy (talking animals, magic, evil knights, etc.) but... nah, I won't say more. You will just have to read it to find out what is going on.
The ending to the book? Dang. Thanks author for making me cry. Thanks for breaking my heart. I am glad though that the author didn't shy away from making this ending. Yes, it was a heartbreaking ending, but I feel that another outcome wouldn't have fitted. It wouldn't have been right. The epilogue was a really good touch and nice addition.
Also pay close attention to the little chapter images! I loved that little detail when I spotted what was going on.
All in all, I would highly recommend this book to everyone. Bring tissues though and grab some glue, your heart is going to need it.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
The horse seemed to flinch underneath him, as if he had wounded her. She sighed, her head sank low and then with a snort she straightened up again, although her voice wavered.
'There may be, little knight,' said Nonky. 'There may be a castle.'
So yesterday night I had about 1 hour and 20 minutes to read before I wanted to sleep, and I managed to read 220 pages, sadly I was too tired to read further, so I had to wait until now before I could find out the outcome, the last part. Would Mouse make it?
And now I am going to try to write a review, though bear with me, it may be chaotic.
Before I start to talk about the awesomeness of this book, I want to say I am giving the book -1 star. This could have been a wonderful, special, epic book, I wanted to rate it 5 stars, maybe even 5+ stars, but then the author added Violet's POV. Violet, the sister. Whose POV I did like when she was still in the car, but when she started to dismiss Mouse and his journey, even scoffing the fact he did x and not y, and just took the journey sans mystical stuff herself? It just felt like Mouse's journey was worth less. Here look at this sister, she can do it without going into a mystical world bordering on death and life, she will be the one to solve everything, look at how fast she is doing things that took her brother a whole day if not more. That is how it felt to me. With each POV of Violet I grew increasingly frustrating at her attitude and her butting in. I wanted Mouse's journey. So Violet, please stay in the car and don't move. Thanks and bye.
One other thing that was a bit eh was: The accident? I just felt so sorry for the mom, for Esme, Violet, and Mouse, though I did think it was a bit too irresponsible to go outside. Sorry, I know, not really the right thing to say, but I just couldn't help thinking that it was a bad idea. There is tons of snow, hidden ice patches, and who knows what else. Still no one deserves an accident, but I just can't help but shaking my head at people going outside in dangerous conditions. Especially if you have kids with you. Don't do it! Just go another day, I am sure the grandparents could understand.
Now back to the story, it broke my heart many times. I just knew what was going on with Mouse's journey, I just knew what all those things he encountered meant. I just knew! And it broke my heart. But I noticed that I was still hoping for another outcome. I was sure he would make it! He would find help! He would be the one saving everyone. He would grow up! He would be great! I was rooting for this little boy the entire time. Sometimes acting like Nonky did (yep, including her attitude :P). Telling the kid to not look behind him, to not fall asleep, to not waver. To continue with his journey. Cheering him on.
Mouse was a great character, I didn't entirely like him during some parts of the book (with how he acted), but mostly I just liked the little guy.
The journey was a wonderful one, the author sure wrote an engaging story. I was thinking this would just be old-fashioned fantasy (given the blurb stating that Mouse wakes up in a magical world), but it was so much more. It was so different from what the blurb states. From the start I knew that this was not some ordinary fantasy world, but something much more real. It still held all the elements of fantasy (talking animals, magic, evil knights, etc.) but... nah, I won't say more. You will just have to read it to find out what is going on.
The ending to the book? Dang. Thanks author for making me cry. Thanks for breaking my heart. I am glad though that the author didn't shy away from making this ending. Yes, it was a heartbreaking ending, but I feel that another outcome wouldn't have fitted. It wouldn't have been right. The epilogue was a really good touch and nice addition.
Also pay close attention to the little chapter images! I loved that little detail when I spotted what was going on.
All in all, I would highly recommend this book to everyone. Bring tissues though and grab some glue, your heart is going to need it.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
August 2, 2020
Gelezen: Er was een een kasteel (10+) 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
Tijdens een ‘Lees LIVE’ stream van De Kinderboekwinkel vroeg ik Kirsten om een tip. Ik hou van de boeken van Lisa Thompson en ik wilde ‘iets zoals dat’. Ze kwam met dit boek van Piers Torday met de waarschuwing: Je gaat een lekker potje huilen…
Het is kerst en net zoals bijna iedereen zoek je dan je familie op. Muis Mallroy (11) rijdt met zijn moeder (Belinda), zijn zusje (Esmée) en zus (Roos) naar hun opa en oma. Het sneeuwt. Hard. Het is glad en Muis wordt uit de auto geslingerd. (geen spoiler, #achterflap) Dan begint zijn avontuur…
Ik snapte meteen waarom deze is getipt. Het ligt echt in het straatje van Lisa en je voelt de diepte in het schrijven. Maar het verhaal wordt pas echt interessant als Muis er alleen voor staat. Ik vraag me continu af wat er nou eigenlijk precies echt gebeurd. Tegen wie of wat praat Muis nou echt en wie of wat tegen hem? Vindt het allemaal in zijn hoofd plaats of is er toch iets mysterieus?
Het is mooi om te lezen dat Muis zijn fantasie gebruikt, onbewust, om zichzelf te beschermen. Dat hij deze nieuwe wereld aan kan door die te vermengen met zijn fantasie. Maar het zorgt ook voor conflicten. Ik denk regelmatig terug aan ‘Gozert’. Roos zoekt het in haar rol binnen dit verhaal juist bewust op. Wat deed haar grote voorbeeld in haar favoriete verhaal om zich uit benarde situaties te redden?
Ik vond het knetter spannend en ontroerend, maar huilen heb ik niet hoeven doen. Tenminste... niet tot de epiloog. Die eerste zinnen. Het begint in me te borrelen. Ik begin sneller te lezen. De volgende bladzijde. Ik kan niet. Ik wil niet geloven wat ik lees. Mijn ogen vullen zich met water en dan komen de tranen... Ik merk dat ik vrienden ben geworden met Muis.
Ik vertel altijd aan mijn wederhelft wat ik heb gelezen. Ook zij was natuurlijk benieuwd of ik heb moeten huilen. En ja hoor, de tranen komen er weer uit. Harder dit keer. Ik moet nog even verwerken wat ik zojuist heb gelezen.
Kirsten, bedankt voor de tip.
Tijdens een ‘Lees LIVE’ stream van De Kinderboekwinkel vroeg ik Kirsten om een tip. Ik hou van de boeken van Lisa Thompson en ik wilde ‘iets zoals dat’. Ze kwam met dit boek van Piers Torday met de waarschuwing: Je gaat een lekker potje huilen…
Het is kerst en net zoals bijna iedereen zoek je dan je familie op. Muis Mallroy (11) rijdt met zijn moeder (Belinda), zijn zusje (Esmée) en zus (Roos) naar hun opa en oma. Het sneeuwt. Hard. Het is glad en Muis wordt uit de auto geslingerd. (geen spoiler, #achterflap) Dan begint zijn avontuur…
Ik snapte meteen waarom deze is getipt. Het ligt echt in het straatje van Lisa en je voelt de diepte in het schrijven. Maar het verhaal wordt pas echt interessant als Muis er alleen voor staat. Ik vraag me continu af wat er nou eigenlijk precies echt gebeurd. Tegen wie of wat praat Muis nou echt en wie of wat tegen hem? Vindt het allemaal in zijn hoofd plaats of is er toch iets mysterieus?
Het is mooi om te lezen dat Muis zijn fantasie gebruikt, onbewust, om zichzelf te beschermen. Dat hij deze nieuwe wereld aan kan door die te vermengen met zijn fantasie. Maar het zorgt ook voor conflicten. Ik denk regelmatig terug aan ‘Gozert’. Roos zoekt het in haar rol binnen dit verhaal juist bewust op. Wat deed haar grote voorbeeld in haar favoriete verhaal om zich uit benarde situaties te redden?
Ik vond het knetter spannend en ontroerend, maar huilen heb ik niet hoeven doen. Tenminste... niet tot de epiloog. Die eerste zinnen. Het begint in me te borrelen. Ik begin sneller te lezen. De volgende bladzijde. Ik kan niet. Ik wil niet geloven wat ik lees. Mijn ogen vullen zich met water en dan komen de tranen... Ik merk dat ik vrienden ben geworden met Muis.
Ik vertel altijd aan mijn wederhelft wat ik heb gelezen. Ook zij was natuurlijk benieuwd of ik heb moeten huilen. En ja hoor, de tranen komen er weer uit. Harder dit keer. Ik moet nog even verwerken wat ik zojuist heb gelezen.
Kirsten, bedankt voor de tip.
December 9, 2017
A deceptively simple start to a story becomes something else as imagination affects how children manage after a winter car crash. The modern references jarred until, close to the end, I saw how they fitted in the protagonist’s dream world. The Pink Knight is a terrifying opponent for the fantasy sections of the story, beautifully written.
Tighter and better paced than The Last Wild trilogy, this has similar puzzles, ambiguous allegiances, and children in a truly life-or-death situation.
I didn’t guess the ending - and re-read the final chapters to see if I could have missed any clues - but it was moving and emotionally satisfying, consistent and yet surprising.
Tighter and better paced than The Last Wild trilogy, this has similar puzzles, ambiguous allegiances, and children in a truly life-or-death situation.
I didn’t guess the ending - and re-read the final chapters to see if I could have missed any clues - but it was moving and emotionally satisfying, consistent and yet surprising.
May 21, 2017
I started this book to bond with most of my pupils, who were avidly reading it, and it was surprisingly gripping and sarcastic, even from the point of view of an adult. Although the ending left me with a bittersweet feeling, I absolutely loved the way Torday creates allegories which are relatable to young readers. This novel explores he true powers f the imagination, of resilience and of love- a very pleasant read.
November 8, 2017
A really good book. Very thoughtful and sweet. It had a lovely storyline and was about a boy who crashed in a car and ended up in a magical world. It had a sad ending but It will stick in your mind long after you have read it.
Read
May 7, 2019Available for loan in the SEC at Harcourt Hill Library :)
July 2, 2025
I read this when I was like a decade younger and I STILL got shivers re-reading the epilogue. I remember I didn’t expect the absolutely saddening plot twist.
March 16, 2017
Quite a sad little book. Has that "Wizard of Oz" feeling about it.
Aimed at a younger audience, and they probably would have appreciated the adventure the main character, Mouse, has on his journey.
It is set at Christmas. Mouse and his family are travelling to see their Grandparents, but have a car accident due to the icy roads. The adventure begins from here.
Just left me feeling sad to be honest :(
Aimed at a younger audience, and they probably would have appreciated the adventure the main character, Mouse, has on his journey.
It is set at Christmas. Mouse and his family are travelling to see their Grandparents, but have a car accident due to the icy roads. The adventure begins from here.
Just left me feeling sad to be honest :(
December 22, 2019
Wow! This book truly takes you on a journey! It offers a fascinating insight into the imagination of children told through the incredible journey that Mouse goes on within his own imagination. Told as thought it so real, Piers Torday tells a story that turns the pages for itself. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would as I was originally wary of the strongly fantastical nature which I don’t normally enjoy as much in books. Despite this, the way Torday brings it all to an end in the last 8 or so chapters is truly a credit to his writing ability, and will definitely be my favourite part of this story along with the elements of comedy that feature throughout and keep the story light-hearted despite the basis of a family car crash!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2018
4.5 stars
I was very prepared for this book to break my heart, even having heard very little about it. There's something about the tone of a well-written blurb that thickens the mood and expectations of a book like this, and I'm glad I knew nothing really but that short teaser when going into it.
Mouse hates Christmas. It's busy and loud, and he's a daydreamy and quiet kind of kid, who'd prefer not to have to drag himself into real clothes and make a journey through the cold to his grandparent's house on the moors for a loud and exhausting Christmas. With his two sisters and his stressed-out mum, they all pile into the car, squabbling and arguing into the night. When an accident happens and the car crashes, Mouse is propelled into a strange version of the moors around him, filled with fantastical creatures and his dearest soft toy come to life. [toy name] explains Mouse has to stay awake and find the castle, which may or may not exist. Driven by friendship, missing, and half-forgotten urgency, Mouse travels towards the castle, following landmarks he's sure are showing him the way.
This book is filled with a vivid sense of uncertainty and tension, compelling the reader on through every chapter and every page. At no point did I want to stop. The pacing was excellent but relentlessly stressful. I wanted to know. The whole book spans just one night, with chapters switching between Mouse and his elder sister who bravely channels her hero, a famous female pirate, to get her through her own challenges while stuck in the crashed car and unsure what to do.
It's a strange lucid dream of a story, looping between Mouse's journey through a bizarre fairyworld populated by living versions of his own toys, and his sister's mental coaching. It's emotional in the best kind of ways - understated, implied, teased out and sunk deep before you really know how exactly. This story is so much about what isn't written, as well as what is, and that's another kind of brilliance in terms of writing. It gets right under your skin. When the two threads finally collided, my emotions were already tangled up and ready to tear with tension.
I only dropped a star because the ending felt somehow scatty, with certain expectations never fully realised, and too much in the way of post-climax-summary that I didn't feel was necessary and just sucked at all my expended emotion for a little more. It's a book I wholeheartedly recommend, and I think children's writers can definitely learn a lot from writing like this.
I was very prepared for this book to break my heart, even having heard very little about it. There's something about the tone of a well-written blurb that thickens the mood and expectations of a book like this, and I'm glad I knew nothing really but that short teaser when going into it.
Mouse hates Christmas. It's busy and loud, and he's a daydreamy and quiet kind of kid, who'd prefer not to have to drag himself into real clothes and make a journey through the cold to his grandparent's house on the moors for a loud and exhausting Christmas. With his two sisters and his stressed-out mum, they all pile into the car, squabbling and arguing into the night. When an accident happens and the car crashes, Mouse is propelled into a strange version of the moors around him, filled with fantastical creatures and his dearest soft toy come to life. [toy name] explains Mouse has to stay awake and find the castle, which may or may not exist. Driven by friendship, missing, and half-forgotten urgency, Mouse travels towards the castle, following landmarks he's sure are showing him the way.
This book is filled with a vivid sense of uncertainty and tension, compelling the reader on through every chapter and every page. At no point did I want to stop. The pacing was excellent but relentlessly stressful. I wanted to know. The whole book spans just one night, with chapters switching between Mouse and his elder sister who bravely channels her hero, a famous female pirate, to get her through her own challenges while stuck in the crashed car and unsure what to do.
It's a strange lucid dream of a story, looping between Mouse's journey through a bizarre fairyworld populated by living versions of his own toys, and his sister's mental coaching. It's emotional in the best kind of ways - understated, implied, teased out and sunk deep before you really know how exactly. This story is so much about what isn't written, as well as what is, and that's another kind of brilliance in terms of writing. It gets right under your skin. When the two threads finally collided, my emotions were already tangled up and ready to tear with tension.
I only dropped a star because the ending felt somehow scatty, with certain expectations never fully realised, and too much in the way of post-climax-summary that I didn't feel was necessary and just sucked at all my expended emotion for a little more. It's a book I wholeheartedly recommend, and I think children's writers can definitely learn a lot from writing like this.
October 4, 2016
I suspect there may be awards in this book's future. It is a bath-go-cold sort of book; a wheeling, soaring skim through a car journey that goes very wrong and then into somewhere else. Somewhere other. And it's in this other place that young Mouse has just woken up. His mother isn't here. Neither are his sisters. It's just Mouse, a sarcastic talking horse and a sheep that says baa.
And Mouse knows exactly what to do in such fantastical, quest-beginning, sort of circumstances : he is to find the castle. He is to be the hero.
It's hard to talk about this nuanced, rich book without spoiling elements of it so forgive me if I generalise occasionally. I will try not to, but I want to tell you about how perfect There May Be A Castle is and I want to sort of tell it whilst I'm still lost in it. This is a book that I don't want to step back from. I think Torday's getting better - and he was wonderful beforehand. There May Be A Castle feels stronger, somehow, more potent (and again, I say this with the caveat of how wonderful Torday's other work is). It's a book that is almost palpable with intent - and freedom. It revels in its space. It knows its space. It is a space of fantasy and of otherness, but also of bravery. Both Mouse and his sister face quests of their own, quests that rely intensely on bravery and being able to take control of the apparently uncontrollable.
I love this book. I love the strength of the protagonists. I love how confident it feels, how potent and powerful it is, and I love it and hate it and love it for the way it made me weep at the ending. I love how it smashes fairytales firmly into the present and makes them into something wonderfully profound and awful and brilliant and gorgeous. It is layered and rich and wonderful and I love it, I love it.
There May Be A Castle is due out on October 6th. I would mark the date.
My thanks to Quercus for the review copy.
And Mouse knows exactly what to do in such fantastical, quest-beginning, sort of circumstances : he is to find the castle. He is to be the hero.
It's hard to talk about this nuanced, rich book without spoiling elements of it so forgive me if I generalise occasionally. I will try not to, but I want to tell you about how perfect There May Be A Castle is and I want to sort of tell it whilst I'm still lost in it. This is a book that I don't want to step back from. I think Torday's getting better - and he was wonderful beforehand. There May Be A Castle feels stronger, somehow, more potent (and again, I say this with the caveat of how wonderful Torday's other work is). It's a book that is almost palpable with intent - and freedom. It revels in its space. It knows its space. It is a space of fantasy and of otherness, but also of bravery. Both Mouse and his sister face quests of their own, quests that rely intensely on bravery and being able to take control of the apparently uncontrollable.
I love this book. I love the strength of the protagonists. I love how confident it feels, how potent and powerful it is, and I love it and hate it and love it for the way it made me weep at the ending. I love how it smashes fairytales firmly into the present and makes them into something wonderfully profound and awful and brilliant and gorgeous. It is layered and rich and wonderful and I love it, I love it.
There May Be A Castle is due out on October 6th. I would mark the date.
My thanks to Quercus for the review copy.
October 2, 2016
Aagh – this was so close to brilliant, but I found just too many problems with it. There's a wonderful character in our lead hero Mouse, forever daydreaming and being told off for it, sticking by the comfort rag that is his toy horse, even though he's eleven. He's not the tallest or most boyish boy in the box, as it were – getting by through life as only he can see fit. When disaster strikes on a Christmas Eve family outing, the whole book changes, even the font, as we see a very different story indeed. For me there were issues with this change, and what it entailed for the reader – at first it is too open and hard to guess quite what is happening, but then it becomes too obvious and blatant. OK, I'm trying to have my cake and eat it, but I'd also like a night-time scene to not feature sunlight so bright it hurts a girl's eyes, and Torday does the same with his cake when someone leaves an unreachable castle and arrives at our hero within seconds. Yes, the editing is certainly off, so that leaves the author and his storytelling nous – inherited, of course, from his late father Paul. But I didn't feel the book nailed the lesson behind the adventure, leaving me at least with some debate as to whether that actually succeeded in being conveyed. I don't think, as Mouse remained snide about books throughout, that it was completely welcome, either. Certainly I could take issue with the approach of many of these pages, which is why I'm not talking as much about the high drama as I'd like. Some scenes were visually very strong, and a lot of the story is compelling – but I was pulled back from loving it, and into a realm where I could be very picky (as you can tell), which wasn't very welcome. Yes, I suppose I could recommend it, but with caveats.
November 5, 2018
Actual rating is somewhere between 2 and 3. I liked it, but I didn't think it was anything brilliant. Or it COULD have been brilliant, but doesn't get there.
In a car crash on an icy, isolated road, Mouse is thrown from the car. Hallucinating from trauma and cold, his imagination gives him companions in the form of his toys come to life and they set off in search of a 'castle' (his grandparents' house a few hills away).
Back in the car, his sister does her best protect her mother and sister from the cold, and then sets off after him.
Mouse arrives at his grandparents' house and he dies right before his sister reaches him.
Mouse's hallucination does not always make sense (as hallucinations tend to do). I think part of the reason I didn't like this book is that the target audience (ages 9/10+) won't necessarily get the layers of reality and hallucinations, and it's not written in a way that would appeal to an older audience.
In a car crash on an icy, isolated road, Mouse is thrown from the car. Hallucinating from trauma and cold, his imagination gives him companions in the form of his toys come to life and they set off in search of a 'castle' (his grandparents' house a few hills away).
Back in the car, his sister does her best protect her mother and sister from the cold, and then sets off after him.
Mouse arrives at his grandparents' house and he dies right before his sister reaches him.
Mouse's hallucination does not always make sense (as hallucinations tend to do). I think part of the reason I didn't like this book is that the target audience (ages 9/10+) won't necessarily get the layers of reality and hallucinations, and it's not written in a way that would appeal to an older audience.
June 21, 2017
I'm reading this to my three children. My 6 year old son finds the parts with Violet and Esme and the mother traumatising and enjoys the fighting parts. For my 10 year old daughter, she prefers the parts about the car crash and gets bored in the fighting and search for a castle. My 12 year old finds the whole book boring and tries to avoid the book completely. Overall, all my children have a part of the book that they don't like. I love the book even though I'm an adult! Not sure what to say about this book really!
August 29, 2016
I was given access to this by the publisher and Netgalley in return for my thoughts. A totally amazing read that totally gripped me from the very start. It is told from two very different perspectives, a brother and sister who are caught in a car crash and it is not till the very end that you really know what the final ending is going to be. I can only say not to read this on public transport, it is utterly heart-wrenching.
July 8, 2017
Some interesting expression of the world from the point of view of the main child characters, including the imaginary/real journeys at the heart of the story. But drawn out in some instances. I wondered at the rather confused message it left the reader with by the way it ended as well. It felt like a fairly regressive, possibly disturbing comment on people prone to being lost in their imagination for young ones. I would hesitate to pass it on to kids in the age range recommended.
November 7, 2022
I have 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 cried so hard at a children's book as I did at 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝐁𝐄 𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄 by Piers Torday.
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𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐡𝐞'𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭. 𝐎𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐭, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫. (𝐎𝐫, 𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫.)
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There May Be A Castle opens with the Mallory family (Mouse, his Mum, and his sisters Violet and Esme) on Christmas Eve, getting ready to head to their grandparent's house, as they do every Christmas.
But tragedy strikes as they are caught in a bad snow storm, and they veer off the road and crash.
Albert Thomas Mallory, aka Mouse, a boy 'so small, and so full of questions' is thrown from the car. And so begins his quest to find the castle.
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𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥, 𝐨𝐟 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝. 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐭, 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝'
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Mouse wakes up in a world full of fantastical animals, friends, and knights, who all seem somewhat familiar, though he can't place them or remember anything from before he woke up. He knows something important happened, but he can't quite put his finger on what.
His beloved toy horse, Nonky, has come to life, though she is more sarcastic than he perhaps expected her to be. And he has acquired a friendly sheep as part of his troupe, who he appropriately names 'Bar', as she can only communicate with him in a series of emotive 'baas'.
But it isn't all fun and games, as something is following them, and if it catches Mouse it might destroy him.
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𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞. 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞, 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐒𝐨 𝐈 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮: 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 ... 𝐢𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫.'
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In the upturned car, Violet (Mouse's older sister) and Esme (who is just a toddler) both wake up, but their Mum doesn't.
Taking inspiration from the pirate queen Gráinne O'Malley, Violet is brave and resourceful, and she is on her own quest taking care of her Mum and sister as best she can, before setting out in search of Mouse and help.
I didn't know much about Gráinne O'Malley before, and I enjoyed learning more about her through Violet. She was certainly formidable, and is a great inspirational character for young girls.
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𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 - 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 - 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝.
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Throughout the book, there are losses big and small. Violet and Mouse have experienced loss in their young lives, as their Dad left them for a woman he met online, which is strange considering how he had always given them stick for being on their phones and the internet too much, rather than out experiencing the real world.
Parental separation is something that a lot of children experience, but it's important to acknowledge how hard it can be for children to deal with, no matter how resilient they may be. Especially when you learn that parents aren't perfect, and sometimes their actions don't align with their supposed values.
Torday depicts this in a brilliant and age-appropriate way, and even as adults we can all share Violet's sentiment that sometimes we just want someone to come along and do the hard things for us, but unfortunately life isn't like that.
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𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝, 𝐚 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐫. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 - 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐭.
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The adventure that Mouse sets out on does have a very dreamlike quality to it, though we can recognise elements of the 'real world' that inspire his journey, whereas Violet's adventure is much more grounded in reality.
The balance of the two is great, especially as Violet's version reveals Mouse's journey for what it really was, including all the landmarks he is following. Both quests are ultimately important, and both children are heroes at the end in their own ways.
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𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝.
'𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝?' 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝.
'𝐀 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧,' 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐲. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐮𝐧.
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I would definitely recommend There May Be A Castle, and I think it's an important book for any children who have a significant loss to deal with.
I don't want to give any spoilers, as the ending absolutely hit me unexpectedly, but for younger children who don't know how to process loss and who perhaps don't have the language to describe how they're feeling, it is an excellent book that will help them to process those complex emotions, and to feel less alone.
I will definitely be reading more from Piers Torday.
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'𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫, 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭? 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲?'
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𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐡𝐞'𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭. 𝐎𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐭, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫. (𝐎𝐫, 𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫.)
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There May Be A Castle opens with the Mallory family (Mouse, his Mum, and his sisters Violet and Esme) on Christmas Eve, getting ready to head to their grandparent's house, as they do every Christmas.
But tragedy strikes as they are caught in a bad snow storm, and they veer off the road and crash.
Albert Thomas Mallory, aka Mouse, a boy 'so small, and so full of questions' is thrown from the car. And so begins his quest to find the castle.
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𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥, 𝐨𝐟 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝. 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐭, 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝'
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Mouse wakes up in a world full of fantastical animals, friends, and knights, who all seem somewhat familiar, though he can't place them or remember anything from before he woke up. He knows something important happened, but he can't quite put his finger on what.
His beloved toy horse, Nonky, has come to life, though she is more sarcastic than he perhaps expected her to be. And he has acquired a friendly sheep as part of his troupe, who he appropriately names 'Bar', as she can only communicate with him in a series of emotive 'baas'.
But it isn't all fun and games, as something is following them, and if it catches Mouse it might destroy him.
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𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞. 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞, 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐒𝐨 𝐈 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮: 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 ... 𝐢𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫.'
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In the upturned car, Violet (Mouse's older sister) and Esme (who is just a toddler) both wake up, but their Mum doesn't.
Taking inspiration from the pirate queen Gráinne O'Malley, Violet is brave and resourceful, and she is on her own quest taking care of her Mum and sister as best she can, before setting out in search of Mouse and help.
I didn't know much about Gráinne O'Malley before, and I enjoyed learning more about her through Violet. She was certainly formidable, and is a great inspirational character for young girls.
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𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 - 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 - 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝.
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Throughout the book, there are losses big and small. Violet and Mouse have experienced loss in their young lives, as their Dad left them for a woman he met online, which is strange considering how he had always given them stick for being on their phones and the internet too much, rather than out experiencing the real world.
Parental separation is something that a lot of children experience, but it's important to acknowledge how hard it can be for children to deal with, no matter how resilient they may be. Especially when you learn that parents aren't perfect, and sometimes their actions don't align with their supposed values.
Torday depicts this in a brilliant and age-appropriate way, and even as adults we can all share Violet's sentiment that sometimes we just want someone to come along and do the hard things for us, but unfortunately life isn't like that.
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𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐲. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝, 𝐚 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐫. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 - 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐭.
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The adventure that Mouse sets out on does have a very dreamlike quality to it, though we can recognise elements of the 'real world' that inspire his journey, whereas Violet's adventure is much more grounded in reality.
The balance of the two is great, especially as Violet's version reveals Mouse's journey for what it really was, including all the landmarks he is following. Both quests are ultimately important, and both children are heroes at the end in their own ways.
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𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝.
'𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝?' 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝.
'𝐀 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧,' 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐲. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐮𝐧.
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I would definitely recommend There May Be A Castle, and I think it's an important book for any children who have a significant loss to deal with.
I don't want to give any spoilers, as the ending absolutely hit me unexpectedly, but for younger children who don't know how to process loss and who perhaps don't have the language to describe how they're feeling, it is an excellent book that will help them to process those complex emotions, and to feel less alone.
I will definitely be reading more from Piers Torday.
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'𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫, 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭? 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲?'
October 8, 2016
This is a children's book and perhaps this explains why I, as an adult, didn't rate it higher. I enjoyed the story and interplay with the main character's imagination, and the way the story developed but probably didn't connect fully until the last few chapters. 3.5 stars
June 25, 2017
A brilliant tale of adventure, imagination and friendship. This book encapsulated brilliantly the power of the mind and how brave children can be. The horse made me laugh an incredible amount. I cried a lot at the end.
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