Staff Review: "Tuesdays at the Castle" by Jessica Day George

In Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George, Celie and her family have a pretty sweet time of it, living in a magic castle as they do. You see, Castle Glower likes to move, create, and hide rooms at random. There are only two hard and fast rules, "Rule One: The throne room was always to the east. . . Rule Two: If you turned left three times and climbed through the next window, you'd end up in the kitchens." It also doesn't hurt if your dad happens to be the king of said castle. The good news is that Castle Glower is very fond of the royal family, and especially Celie, who has been trying to map the mysteriously moving rooms as she explores. Thanks to the castle, the royal family has always been protected from evil within its walls. That is, until one day when the King and Queen and their oldest son, Bran, are ambushed on the way home from wizard school graduation, and the three remaining royal children discover that the Emissary has hatched a plan to overthrow the kingdom of Sleyne by overcoming Rolf, the crown prince. Can Celie, Rolf, and their older sister Delilah work together with the magical castle to save the kingdom of Sleyne?

Jessica Day George has written an imaginative and entertaining story that leaves you wondering what this crazy castle will do next. With the shifting landscape, it must be a more benign cousin of Hogwarts. While Rowling kept her magical castle under a pretty tight reign, George gives Castle Glower the freedom to do whatever it wants, and it really is the main character in this fun story. If you like books about magic and castle intrigue, give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

This would be a great family read-aloud and is appropriate for readers in grades 3-6.

-Andrea W., Headquarters

P.S. If magical buildings are your thing, you could also give Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage by Johanna Wright a try.