Tuesdays at the Castle

by Jessica Day George

Series: Tuesdays at the Castle

Rating: 4 stars

This used to be one of my favourite series… I still like it, but instead of being one of my favourites, now it’s just a fun read.

Also I last read this a couple months ago, and I’m not sure how well I remember it, but I’ve probably read it three times, so I should be able to remember it pretty well. I hope.

Plot

Tuesdays at the Castle is about princess Celie and her siblings when their parents disappear. They need to thwart* the people who are trying to take control of the castle.

It’s a pretty typical plot, not the most creative, but it’s such a fun book, and the rest of it makes up for the lack of creativity in the plot.

*Am I the only person (other than my friend who is reading over my shoulder and informing me she likes it as well) who gets great enjoyment out of the word Thwart?

Setting

The setting is a big part of what I like about this book. Although the world itself isn’t developed very much, it doesn’t need to be. The book takes place entirely in the castle, and it is developed wonderfully.

Castle Glower isn’t an ordinary castle, it’s very far from ordinary. The rooms in it move around, which makes it quite hard to get around in. It’s changes are mostly harmless, but it has a tendency to kick out the people it doesn’t like.

Basically, it has a mind of it’s own. It locked two people into a room together until they realized they loved each other. It moved the younger prince’s room next to the throne room, and put spell books in the older prince’s room, until the king sent him off to learn to be a wizard, and made the younger prince his heir. Things like that.

I love the castle. It’s developed even more in the later books, but I love it just as much in this one.*
The setting is magical, and whimsical, and fun, and it really fits the tone of the book.

*More really, because this is the one where it helps them play pranks on the antagonists. And I love that scene so much. It’s hilarious.

Characters

• Celie – Celie is the MC. I found her very young, but she is ten. So me finding her young wasn’t unreasonable. She acted ten, I had a slightly harder time relating to her than I do with older characters, but that was okay. She’s still a fun character, and I enjoy reading about her.

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• Lilah – Lilah is Celie’s older sister, I can’t quite pinpoint how old she is… sixteen or seventeen probably… maybe fifteen. She’s a bit motherly and ladylike at times. She’s not always my favourite character, but I do like her.

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• Rolf – Rolf is Celie’s older brother, I think he’s fourteen. Most of the time he’s very goofy, but when he has to, he can be serious and kingly. Only when he has to though.
  Rolf is one of my favourite characters. He has so many great lines, and never fails to make me laugh. He’s just sort of great.

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• Pogue – Pogue is a total flirt. He comes up to the castle to flirt with Lilah, but when the trouble starts, he’s a good friend to all of them, and helps them however he can. Pogue is another one of my favourite characters. I can’t pinpoint what I like about him, but I really like him.

Over All

Tuesdays at the Castle is a fun book,* if you enjoy MG it’s well worth reading. It’s quick, funny, quirky, and unique. Even though this isn’t my favourite series anymore, I still quite like it, and really need to read the last book.** Because I want to know what happens, and I want more about the characters. And the castle, but I’m not sure how much it’s going to be in the last one. It is called Saturdays at Sea, so I’m really not sure their going to spend a lot of time in the castle… I still want to read it though. Also I was trying to talk about book one, not book five… whoops

*How many times have I said that now? I’m really not sure, it’s just the best way I can think of to describe this book.

**It’s been out since February or something and I haven’t read it yet… I now own it, so I’ll read it soon…

Have you read Tuesdays at the Castle? Or anything else by Jessica Day George? What do you think about MG? What’s a series you used to love, but slightly outgrew? Do you like the word Thwart?