The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle
By Janet Fox
Viking, Penguin Random House, 2016. 388 p.

Kat, her two brothers, and son of a family friend are all sent to Rookskill Castle while WWII bombings are prevalent in London. However, it is actually a bit more dangerous at Rookskill Castle than in London with all the Nazi bombs. One by one the children of Rookskill Castle Children’s Academy are disappearing and it seems as if by some dark magic. Kat is the oldest of her crew (and quite clever and logical to boot) so she feels it is her responsibility to figure out just exactly what is happening. The only trouble is…she has a hard time believing in magic (even though her Great-Aunt Margaret gave her a chatelaine that she claims has magical powers).

This is a spooky tale where clues as to what is happening are strewn throughout the text via flashbacks or Kat slowly figuring out bits at a time. Yet, through text highlighting other characters, readers will end up guessing the mystery with enough time to be sure to read with all the lights on while Kat is still figuring it all out. And the ending! There is a solid, satisfactory ending; however, there is a door left wide open for possible sequels. Readers who love children’s horror or being a little frightened while reading a good, magical mystery will enjoy this creepy tale.

Comments

Five Faves: Mysterious High-Low Intermediate Books

Intermediate Mystery books are a gold mine. High-low books refer to titles that are of high interest to readers, but contain low level vocabulary. These titles are clever, action-packed, and have several books in the series to keep the mystery alive. These intermediate mystery books are the first in their series and are sure to appease any mystery loving reader. The Ghost Tree Written by Natasha Deen Illustrated by Lissy Marlin New York: Random House Children's Books, 2022. Intermediate. 95 pages. With a dash of paranormal mixed with mystery, this book introduces Asim, a Guyanese American fourth grader who moves to a new town. After a visit to a graveyard, an evil spirit is unleashed. Asim works with new friends, Rokshar and Max, to save their town. With scarily cool illustrations to accompany this text, this book is great for any amateur sleuths who love a touch of creepy. Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash Written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrated by Dan San

Display: Dino-mite Reads

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co

Review: The Enigma Girls

The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog