Review: The Battle for Castle by Elizabeth Winthrop
my children enjoyed The castle in the attic by Elizabeth Winthrop, so we decided to listen to the sequel, The battle for the castle. Both kids gave the book a thumbs up, and I was engrossed enough with the book to keep listening.
The summary
William took a magical journey back in time six hundred years with his nanny, Mrs. Phillips, in the first book, The Castle in the Attic. He met Sir Simon and defeated the villain, Alastor. This book begins with William being two years older and Mrs. Phillips sending him a birthday present, the Janus amulet used in the first book. The amulet can be used to shrink and unshrink things, animals and people. So if these shrunken people spend the night in William’s penthouse castle, they wake up in the past. The attic is gone and there is a forest outside the castle.
William and his friend Jason take their bikes to the attic, shrink down, and go on an adventure. They meet Sir Simon when he is about to leave for a tournament and stay at his castle. They spend time with a boy and a girl in the castle and together. The girl tells them an omen that her grandmother, Calendar, repeated before she died. Sir Simon feels that Calendar is going to the convent because she thought she was crazy and doesn’t believe in the omen. Few believe it, but Calendar’s granddaughter does. Jason and William think so too.
discussion topics
New technology: Children are interested in bicycles. They have never seen them before. How would you react if someone from the future brought you something and you had never seen it before?
Human behavior: Some people panic in emergencies. Some people don’t panic, they seem to gain clarity and guidance through contact situations. What kind of person you are? Is that a trait you can change?
Human behavior: Why did the little rats turn on the big rat? Would humans behave that way in a similar way if they were in that kind of situation?
Swimming: Is it a good idea to go out by boat? What happens when you can’t swim? What if you’re with people who can swim?
rats: What can rats really do? Can rats really chew through walls? Can they eat whole animals? Is it a dangerous rat? How many rats does it take before rats become dangerous?