Tuesdays at the Castle

Just finished reading the manuscript, prior to beginning the Big Edit. Really excited about this book, the first in a middle grade series that will explore the endless possibilities of turning an eleven-year-old princess loose in a magic castle!*Reading aloud to my kids, March 2012.*Reading aloud to my kids, and also to prep for Fridays, June 2014.

Review also posted at Fantasy Literature. Though I enjoy some YA fiction, I don't read many middle grade books at this point in my life unless my 12 year old really twists my arm. But the idea behind Tuesdays at the Castle just sounded so fun that I couldn't resist when I saw it on the library shelf. Its pages were waving to me, I swear! Eleven year old Princess Celie and her royal family live in Castle Glower, which has a life and sometimes quirky opinions of its own and takes an interest in th [...]

I am a fan of Jessica Day George.  There is no denying that.  But most of what I've read by her has been more on the YA side than the middle grade side, so even though I was super excited for Tuesdays at the Castle, there was still the question of whether I would like her MG stuff.  I'm not sure why I was worried. It flowed along so well and kept me going.  Two sittings and I pretty much engulfed it all, continuously telling myself "I should stop after X, I should stop after Y" and I just c [...]

I need to mention I received this book from GoodReads giveaways.Princess Celie is the youngest daughter of a royal couple who reside in Castle Glower. The latter is not a regular castle, but something which as Celie suspects possesses some intelligence. It is also grows by itself every Tuesday adding new rooms and making it very hard to navigate it (Hogwarts instantly comes to mind). Due to a series of seemingly unrelated unfortunate incidents, it is up to Celie and her slightly older siblings R [...]

Beware – I’m sick and don’t have it altogether so this review might be a bit more fangirling than review. When I first started this story I thought it was going to be a bit more zany and with more of a Christopher Healy vibe– after all, we have a castle that magically rearranges itself to order.Boy, was I wrong. This book was whimsical, but definitely not wacky! And while there is a gentle, sophisticated humor throughout the book, the style is never zany. Beautifully and poignantly writt [...]

I made the mistake of picking this up after midnight (not telling how far after midnight) to settle down a bit before bed. Four hours later (yes, I know, I'm actually kind of a slow reader—certainly compared to some) I finished the book with a sense of satisfaction that overrode the impending doom of waking in two hours to go to work.This book is aimed at a bit younger audience than I usually read (middle grade?). I love YA novels and wouldn't dream of disparaging a book based on its target ma [...]

When I was 10 my dad had me help him sheetrock the basement ceiling. He piled three phone books on the tallest chair in the house, told me to scramble up as he stood on the ladder next to the chair holding a heavy piece of sheetrock flush with the ceiling. He needed help holding the sheetrock while attaching it to the ceiling. Sweat trickled down his face as I quickly clambered on top of the slippery phone books. Once my head was in position, he used a noisy power drill shooting screws into the [...]

Whenever I read a book aimed at a young audience I have to pause and consider how I might have enjoyed it at the age for which it was written, especially if I see glimpses of a really good book in a might-have-been good.This was one of those books. If I'd read it at age nine, I would have loved it to pieces. (Though I would have been convinced that the author stole my castle of appearing and disappearing rooms, but that, as they say, is another story.) The main thing is, at nine, I believed that [...]

Even though I was older than the target demographic when I read this, I still LOVED it! Simple, clean, happy fantasy! Would make a great read aloud!

I took almost 2 years on this one, but the fun was not diminished by the extensive amount of time. If you can still call it fun by the end of the story, life in the castle had turned into something of a nightmare for the Glower children! What a great story tho, with something for everyone and a pretty darn good ending. I just received Wednesdays in the Tower this week too, so that's up soon.

3/4/17 I am rereading the series in preparation for reading Saturdays at Sea, the last book in the series, and I truly do love this book and this castle.7/12/13 Read this book again with a big grin plastered on my face. Just love it so! I liked all the siblings even more this time and think Pogue is particularly sigh-worthy and Prince Lulath, well, I wish he were real, because I'd like to hang out with him. And with the Castle! (I finished it last night and had a dream that I lived in a magicall [...]

Cute and funny and smart MG fantasy, which I enjoyed very much. Like many of my friends who've read this, I was equally taken with the castle itself (not only sentient but keeps the monarchy about more than just inheritance!) and Celie, the 11-year-old heroine. I was particularly happy that her siblings listened to her, which I'd been afraid they might not do at points. I also look forward to more of Prince Lulath when I read on in the series!

This is a charming book, and I enjoyed it very much. I loved everything about it: its cute cover, its fast-moving plotline, and its enchanting, inventive protagonist, eleven-year-old Princess Celie. I regret that I don’t belong to the book’s target audience – middle grade school children – any longer, because if I did, I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed this short novel even more. Celie is the youngest daughter of the King of Sleyne. She lives with her family in a magical Castle, a Castle w [...]

I couldn't wait to read this book. It sounded so fun and magical; plus I'm a fan of Jessica Day George. Though most of her young adult books can border middle grade this was the first one with an actual girl of middle grade age. Though my 9-12 years are kind of blur to me I think the heroine Celie sounded just right. Princess Celie is a spirited young girl who lives in this castle. A castle that changes halls, rooms, and closets seemingly on a whim and the one who knows the most about this castl [...]

Once again, a fun read. Character development was better in this one than in Princess of the Midnight Ball. Celie is tenacious and free-spirited, and I do love her bond with the castle. Rolf pulls off the protective-big-brother role very well. Pogue--well, I was convinced he was going to turn out to be a villain, because he was such a smooth-talking ladies' man at the beginning. I was actually kind of disappointed that he wasn't a double-crosser. I love books about siblings, and these siblings-- [...]

I loved this book! Though it's written just right for a middle-grade audience, it belongs with the handful of middle-grade books (most notably Wendelin Van Draanen's Sammy Keyes mysteries) that have enough substance to appeal to older readers as well. I especially liked the characterization of Castle Glower and Celie's relationship with it, something I'd like to see explored in later books. And Prince Lulath! My very favorite character. He is positively adorable. Very, very enjoyable book, and I [...]

Perhaps a little young for me, but I'll probably totally enjoy it anyway and proudly admit it. :D

Oh friends, you know I am a sucker for setting as character and never has it been so strongly present as in Tuesdays at the Castle. Castle Glower is a main character in this book as assuredly as the royal children themselves. The rearranged and suddenly appearing rooms (that always seems as if they were really there all along) reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones’ House of Many Ways, though Castle Glower edges it out in my heart with its temperament. If the castle likes you your rooms will be lavi [...]

4.25 stars. Really fun, suspenseful fantasy! I have to admit, though, that I expected to enjoy it more than I did. Sometimes high expectations are just NOT a good thing.*groans* I waited wayyy too long to update this. But sometimes that's a good thing. I'm going to have to chop off the .25, and say that this one was a solid 4. I really enjoyed the different characters in this book, and the fact that they all had distinct personalities. I also enjoyed the angle of the castle being its own charact [...]

I was genuinely surprised at how much I liked this one. I did it for the PopSugar reading challenge (book with a day/month in the title, obviously) and I wasn't hugely looking forward to it, but it was really, really fun.The adventures that the royal kids get up to are engaging and while the book ultimately stuck to its MG basis, I was also surprised at how serious things got. This book could easily have been some kind of psychological horror if Jessica Day George had let it go YA or New Adult o [...]

I JUST GOT MY SIGNED COPY IN THE MAIL!!!!!! (I ordered it from King's English Bookshop, where she was doing a signing)UPDATE:Oh. My. Goodness. I loved this book!From the very first sentence, "When Castle Glower became bored, it would grow a new room or two." I was hooked. My family barely managed to communicate with me at all, I was too busy reading. I got it late Saturday afternoon, and finished it early Sunday afternoon. It is NOT your typical fairytale/princess book. It is FAR from your avera [...]

Friends, I LOVE it when setting is a character and Tuesdays At The Castle by Jessica Day George just fuels this love. When King and Queen Glower disappear and are considered to be dead, a few opportunists try to shove out Celie and her siblings Lilah and heir Rolf. Celie, however, turns to Castle Glower in her time of need.Read the rest of my review here

Originally posted at Small ReviewSix reasons I loved Tuesdays at the Castle1.Family I thought Tuesdays at the Castle was going to be all about Celie, and while Celie is the main focus (the third person narration has a focus on her), her older brother and sister are just as important.I loved this! The interaction between the siblings was sweet and fun. I actually loved Celie's brother and sister so much that I would read the story all over again told from each of their perspectives. 2. PogueThis [...]

Reminded me a lot of Half Magic - and I love that the castle is as much a character as the people!---4th grade booktalkEver wish you could change something about your house? That your house could read your mind and give you, in house or room form, whatever you need? For those of you who are Harry Potter-familiar, think the Room of Requirement. Well – Castle Glower, where Princess Celie and her Royal Family live, does just that. On Tuesdays, anyway. For example: the castle once removed the door [...]

I love books with sentient buildings, and Castle Glower is a wonderful example. It adds, removes, and changes rooms, sometimes at a whim, other times for very good reasons - like imprisoning enemy spies, or making it obvious who it wants to be the next king. The Castle's preferences are why it's the King's second son that's the Crown Prince (the eldest is training to be a wizard instead). But its favourite is the youngest of the King's children, Princess Celie - who loves it in return, and knows [...]

This book was really good!! A little hard to get into, but once I did, it was great. :) can't wait to read the others.

I loved this book. It was charming and funny, a real delightful castle-y princess adventure. Reminded me of Ella Enchanted, but geared a little younger.

First of all, I want you to know that I just rubbed my hands together in delight, because I am so, so excited to review TUESDAYS AT THE CASTLE, by Jessica Day George! This is such a marvelous book, by such a marvelous author. Jessica’s books are always utterly gobble-worthybut there’s just something extra-special about this first title in her new middle grade series. Maybe it’s the settingThe Land of Sleyne sounds picturesque, with its mountains and bowl-shaped valleys, but it’s the cast [...]

I absolutely loved this book! Maybe it's a bit Juvenile for a young adult, but I don't care. It is now up there with some of my childhood favorites like Peter Pan and Ella Enchanted. This book was a fantasy and was packed full of fun and adventure. It was clean too! No dragons, no witches Just some brief scenes with some wizards and a magic castle that changes on a weekly basis.Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Celie is a princess of Castle Glower. She, along with her older brother Rolf, and older siste [...]

4.5 starsI got an advanced reading copy of this book at Book Expo America from Bloomsbury. Previously I have read Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow and Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George and enjoyed them both. This was a very fun read focused on the very nifty idea of a castle being able to change itself whenever it wants. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a quick read and was entertaining and fun. It is aimed more at the middle grade age set than young adult; but I think even adu [...]