Knight's Castle

I reread the first book in this series not long ago, and despite its flaws I still loved it. However, I had never read any more of the books in the series, and I was curious what I'd think of them. I wondered if I'd enjoy them as much as book one, despite not being nostalgic about them. Well, for this second book at any rate, the answer was a definite no. I had fun reading it, but didn't like it nearly as much as book one. I was also a lot less forgiving of its flaws (in this case, mostly the "not bad, for a girl" thing directed at Ann by her brother Roger).

The plot itself was fun, with the kids' toy castle (and its knightly inhabitants) becoming a full-size real castle. They messed up some things and had to fix them, and I was amused show more by that. I only partly enjoyed the characters, though: in this one, we follow cousins who are kids of two of the characters in Half Magic. I enjoyed some of their interactions, but at other times they seemed mean to each other, and I didn't care for those parts.

I've heard that book 3 goes back to revisit the characters from book 1, and then book 4 follows the characters from this book again. However, I've yet to determine if I will continue reading the series. show less

What a delightful book. These children appear in other magical adventures by Eager, but this is by far the best. He lovingly mixes E Nesbit's "Magic City" with Scott's "Ivanhoe" to great comic effect, and it works so well.

A mid 20th century children's classic. I read this because it was there. At the time I was making my way through The English Patient; oh wait I am still making my way through The English Patient!
Anyhow, any book that fell in my path that was not The English Patient had a good chance of being read. This one my son had left in my room. So I read it because it wasn't The English Patient!

Really a delightful and whimsical story. I appreciated the nod to the greatest of children's fantasy writers, E. Nesbit. Yes, I said E. Nesbit, not Rowling or Lewis or L'Engle or.... The idea of Ivanhoe debauched by pulp science fiction was a hoot.

That said, this is definitely a children's book and needs to be read as such. Unlike some children's fiction show more that can be read and appreciated by adults as something more, here I am thinking of Randall Jarrell's [b:The Animal Family|48132|My Family and Other Animals|Gerald Durrell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170350325s/48132.jpg|76682], Knight's Castle is 100% for kid's, and I like that about it. show less

A mid 20th century children's classic. I read this because it was there. At the time I was making my way through The English Patient; oh wait I am still making my way through The English Patient!
Anyhow, any book that fell in my path that was not The English Patient had a good chance of being read. This one my son had left in my room. So I read it because it wasn't The English Patient!

Really a delightful and whimsical story. I appreciated the nod to the greatest of children's fantasy writers, E. Nesbit. Yes, I said E. Nesbit, not Rowling or Lewis or L'Engle or.... The idea of Ivanhoe debauched by pulp science fiction was a hoot.

That said, this is definitely a children's book and needs to be read as such. Unlike some children's fiction show more that can be read and appreciated by adults as something more, here I am thinking of Randall Jarrell's [b:The Animal Family|48132|My Family and Other Animals|Gerald Durrell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170350325s/48132.jpg|76682], Knight's Castle is 100% for kid's, and I like that about it. show less

A mid 20th century children's classic. I read this because it was there. At the time I was making my way through The English Patient; oh wait I am still making my way through The English Patient!
Anyhow, any book that fell in my path that was not The English Patient had a good chance of being read. This one my son had left in my room. So I read it because it wasn't The English Patient!

Really a delightful and whimsical story. I appreciated the nod to the greatest of children's fantasy writers, E. Nesbit. Yes, I said E. Nesbit, not Rowling or Lewis or L'Engle or.... The idea of Ivanhoe debauched by pulp science fiction was a hoot.

That said, this is definitely a children's book and needs to be read as such. Unlike some children's fiction show more that can be read and appreciated by adults as something more, here I am thinking of Randall Jarrell's [b:The Animal Family|48132|My Family and Other Animals|Gerald Durrell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170350325s/48132.jpg|76682], Knight's Castle is 100% for kid's, and I like that about it. show less

Ann and Roger must stay with their cousins in Baltimore for the summer while their father is in the hospital. They, along with their cousins Eliza and Jack, discover that the toy castle in Roger's bedroom not only appears to be a portal to another place and time, but that in that place, the children have substantial influence and responsibility. They find it's not easy to be heroes, but that with pluck and perserverance, they can change circumstances and situations for the better. We enjoyed reading this book as a family. While clearly set in an earlier time, it was not dated. The themes of responsibility and sibling love and rivalry were fresh and realistic.

Just charming. The "noble Ivanhoe," as Maud Hart Lovelace called it, is spoofed delightfully by Eager(along with the ever present Nesbit). For anyone who has fond memories of childhood games, or disliked the fact that the blonde always got the guy(