Wednesday, June 17, 2015

A Wicked Summer Read for Kids

Sometimes it is nice to read about a castle with a wicked witch, minions and an evil sorceress and not have it scare the socks off you.  In fact, this story will having you laughing and rooting for the wicked witch. Because sometimes it takes someone a little wicked to defeat someone truly evil.

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Title: Castle Hangnail

Author: Ursula Vernon

Target: Grades 4-6

Series: Not at this time

What this book is about: 
Molly shows up at Castle Hangnail when it is in dire need of a new caretaker.  The fact that she is twelve and doesn’t really seem like a Wicked Witch are conveniently overlooked by the minions who work there.  While she may not be particularly evil or demanding, she can do some wicked magic (but only to people who really deserve it!)  As she charms the minions and the townspeople, she is also hiding a secret which could spell the end of her time at the Castle.

Why I love this book: 
Vernon is the wildly successful author of the Dragonbreath series which I just adore.  Her books are clever and funny and this one did not disappoint.  Immediately you are rooting for Molly but you know something is going to go wrong, you just have to keep reading to find out what and when.  

Her supporting cast of characters are perfect.  As minions they have been adequately tortured and abused at the hands of past masters, but this is a new era and they quickly see the benefits and joys of the benevolent Molly.  Whether it is the minator who cooks the meals and has a particular issue with the letter Q or Pins, a rag doll like creature who can sew masterpieces out of old drapes or Major Domo who is not a natural hunchback, they grow to love Molly like family.

Who this book is for: 
Vernon readily states that she wrote this book as a tribute to Eva Ibbotson, so if your child has enjoyed The Secret of Platform 13 or Which Witch? this book will be a slam dunk.  Any kids who enjoy a fun story with humor and bad guys who get their comeuppance will certainly like this one.

Final thoughts: 
This book was quite fun and funnier than I expected.

To purchase this book:
Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: Castle Hangnail  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support.

1 comment:

  1. I'm a also looking forward to Hamster Princess. Dragon breath is so clever that it's bound to be good! Thanks for the review of this one. Great for Halloween Displays, too.

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