The Battle for the Castle [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Winthrop (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

In the sequel to The Castle in the Attic, William and Jason return to Sir Simon's medieval castle, where William develops a plan to fend off an attack by an army of rats while learning how he can be a hero.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-- Two years have elapsed since young William battled the forces of evil in The Castle in the Attic (Holiday, 1985). Now turning 12, he's miserable because he thinks his friend has outstripped him in bravery, for Jason has "jumped the trains," which is the local male rite of passage, while he has failed. In the previous story, his family's former housekeeper gave William a model castle and a magic token through which he entered its inner world. Now that he is maturing, she again presents him with the token, and he and Jason return to the castle. William is welcomed back and he soon learns that there is again great danger in the land. A monstrous army of rats, behind a gigantic leader, is ravaging the land, eating everyone in sight. William is pressed into defending the castle and destroying the rats. He has to rely on his wits and his courage, for the magic token has been stolen; in the process, he learns that he does not have to jump trains to prove bravery. William and Jason offer contrasting models of what constitutes heroism. Some readers will wonder how the rats came under the spell of their demonic leader, but others will just enjoy the adventure. --Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Now that William is 12, housekeeper Mrs. Phillips--who, two years ago, gave him the Castle in the Attic (1985), where they shared an adventure before she went home to England--sends William the magic token he believed she had destroyed. Stung by his failure to perform a dangerous initiation rite--jumping a freight train, a tradition for local 12-year-olds--William shows best friend Jason how the token can change their size. Miniaturizing each other, they enter the world of the castle, where William gets a hero's welcome in honor of his earlier exploits and the two, with the help of a girl their age, avert a new threat: an army of human-devouring rats led by a mesmerizing giant rat. Including just enough details of setting and character to give her story texture, Winthrop keeps it moving with some humor (there's a witty jester, rather underemployed here, and a joust between a pompous knight and Jason, with a lance, on his bike); some mild horror involving the rats and a fortuitous twist leading to their defeat; and the kind of compromise between courtly and colloquial dialogue that imaginative children make in their dramatic play. No one changes much, but William does make the sensible decision, before he gets home again, to give up on the train. Accessible, well told, and entertaining. (Fiction. 8- 12) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 211 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (April 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823410102
• ISBN-13: 978-0823410101
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #961,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ELIZABETH WINTHROP is the author of over fifty works of fiction for all ages.

Her most recent historical novel, COUNTING ON GRACE has been chosen as a Notable Book of the Year by the American Library Association, the National Council of Social Studies, the International Reading Association and the Children's Book Council among others. The novel has also been nominated for state book awards in Vermont, Virginia, Kentucky, Kansas, Missouri,Indiana, Hawaii and Arizona.

Elizabeth has published more than fifty books for readers of all ages. THE CASTLE IN THE ATTIC, nominated for twenty-three state book awards is currently under option to Walden Media.

Her popular picture books include DUMPY LA RUE, SHOES,DOG SHOW, SQUASHED IN THE MIDDLE and most recently, THE FIRST CHRISTMAS STOCKING and THE BIGGEST PARADE. Two of her recent books for older children are THE RED-HOT RATTOONS, a comic fantasy novel and DEAR MR. PRESIDENT, Letters from a Milltown Girl, a work of historical fiction set in western Massachusetts.

Elizabeth is also the author of two novels for adults, IN MY MOTHER'S HOUSE and ISLAND JUSTICE. She is currently at work on a memoir.

The daughter of the journalist, Stewart Alsop,she divides her time between New York City and the Berkshires.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Battle for the Castle, March 28, 2000

By 

pgawith (Three lost Creek Concordia,Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Battle for the Castle (Paperback)

I thouhgt The Battle for the Castle was a good book. Infact it was probably my favorite book ever. In some parts of the book I was afraid and scared. In other parts I thought what a great idea. When i first got the book I thought, what is the battle for the castle. This sequal to the castle in the attic is the way to go when there is no other.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars There was a battle?, October 24, 2004

By 

danielle (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Battle for the Castle (Paperback)

The Battle for the Castle takes place two years after the much-loved The Castle in the Attic. William Lawrence celebrates his twelveth birthday with his family and his best friend Jason Stubbs Hardy. The two boys are growing up, and one of the rituals of age is to jump a train. Jason, the athletic biker, succeeds, but William does not, and this gnaws at his mind. William receives the magical token featured in the first book from his old nanny, Mrs. Phillips, that can shrink and enlarge living things. He shows Jason, and they decide to shrink themselves for the grandiose castle in the attic, where another completely different world exists, one of knights, squires, and of course, monsters. William meets up with old friends (from The Castle in the Attic) and makes some new ones, the most important being Gudrin, a mystical blonde girl of twelve. The trouble starts when sightings of a ghost ship in the sea and mysterious bones in the river occur. Little did they know that hundreds of rats are on board the ship, and the rats threaten to eat up the entire castle and its inhabitants.

Good plot, but the events in it were a little...dry. Even though this is directed to a younger audience, the rats do not do a whole lot, and I am disappointed that their leader rat (the big one) is very simple minded. Also, where did the rats come from? Any correlation with the rats in William's attic? The rats' end is, I think, unsatisfying... the first half of the book is really good as it builds up the suspense, but by the second half, one would have thought nothing happened. Was there really a battle? I think there could have been a more grandiose battle because the characters basically hid the whole time.

Also, I admire William, Jason, and Gudrin, but sadly, the book does not delve into their characters enough to leave an impression on me. They have so much potential to be really awesome characters.

The Battle for the Castle is probably entertaining for the younger readers... but I (who happens to be a little older)? I want the excitement that makes The Castle in the Attic so good, and The Battle for the Castle simply does not capture the excitement like its predecessor did so well.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great traveling adventure and entertainment, August 10, 1999

By A Customer

We listened to the cassette version of this book while traveling cross country. Our 8-year old son was entranced and wanted to listen to it again and again. It's a great story about the challenges of pre- and early adolescence wrapped up in a story of high adventure. Great listening. Oh yeah, the book is good too!