Customer Reviews

The Castle Tower Lighthouse (Edgar Font's Hunt for a House to Haunt, Adventure One)

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My daughter is 11 and is a huge Lemony Snicket fan. I recently picked up Edgar Font's Hunt for a House to Haunt now that the last Series of Unfortunate Events book came out as an alternative. She read it and LOVED it! She even wanted to change her Halloween trick-or-treat costume to Audrey! And the drawings in the book have very clever clues for the mystery. If you're a parent of a Lemony Snicket reader, pick up Edgar Font. It could just be the next Harry Potter series.

I came across this book by chance, so my wife and I bought a copy for our neice. We read it first and absolutly loved it, with that said we kept the copy and bought another just for her...
We can't wait for the next adventure!!

My family and I enjoyed this book immensely. I bought several as gifts for kids (and their families) ranging from 8 1/2 to 13 years old - everyone loved it! Can't wait for the next big adventure.

I picked this up for my niece and she loves it. She keeps asking when the next Edgar Font book is coming out. She loved the illustrations and the sense of adventure. As a matter of fact, she even gave her best friend a copy for her birthday. It was a great find. And I have to admit, I started to read a little bit to see what the fuss was about and found it hard to put down. Highly recommended.

I am not a school teacher or a mom. I bought this book for my grownup self. And I loved every word of it. Mr. Doyle is a wonderful storyteller. My copy did get passed to a teacher friend who read it to her fourth grade class. Kept the whole lot of them sitting still page after page. So Mr. Doyle, how long do we have to wait for the next adventure?

As a grammar school teacher, I'm always on the hunt for more written matter to pass to my kids. I picked up Edgar Font on Amazon almost on a whim, and couldn't have been more lucky. If your little boy or girl loves puzzles and an adventure that keeps just keeps moving, give them Edgar Font. My kids went wild over the characters and illustration, and the factual tidbits to be found throughout kept a smile on my face, too. Puzzle-lovers, fact-finders, and adventurers, be advised: this is a book for you and yours.

If I told you this story began with an old man pointing the way to a secret door in a dream, what would you say? Yet, that is exactly how Patrick H.T. Doyle discovered the leatherbound journal in the attic of his home. Inside he read the most wonderful stories, each describing the adventures of a trusted grandpa and two adoring grandchildren, Audrey and Garrett. Through his imagination and incredible storytelling abilities, Doyle has delivered a new kind of adventure book, that is destined to be a favorite for young and old alike.

The last time the kids had seen grandpa was three years earlier, at their Mother's funeral. Garrett remembered his bushy moustache and that he lived in a tree house on an island somewhere. Audrey recalled the fantastic stories he had shared during their visits. How he explored pyramids in Egypt, surfed waves in Australia and climbed Mount Everest, twice. Yes, Grandpa was a true explorer. Now everyone referred to him as eccentric. Which of course to the kids simply meant he was weird. Now they would be spending the entire summer with him at his apartment in The Sterling Oaks Retirement Village. Translated into kids english - "boring, boring, and boring." But, they could not have been more wrong. This would be a summer they would never forget.

Sir Edgar Font has lived an exciting life and certainly intends to continue his quirky ways after he passes from this world into the next. So begins his search for the perfect house to haunt. The Retirement Village was filled with lonely, bored ghosts and that was no place for him. As grandpa explained his plans to his wide eyed grandchildren he was met with skeptisim and questions.
Later that night after having seen a ghost at the dinner table, they exited down the emergency steps and made their way to the "Adventure Wagon." This wagon will take us anywhere we want to go and our first destination will be the Lighthouse, grandpa told them.

The Castle Tower Lighthouse holds many puzzles, secrets, and mysteries, each waiting to be discovered. Beyond all the games there are life lessons being taught through out this book. Dealing with the loss of someone you love, like the death of Audrey and Garrett's Mother and learning to look beyond that which seems obvious, are only two of the many wonderfully woven stories that both entertain and teach. As a companion and beautifully complimenting the adventures within the book, the website offers many hours of fun and puzzle solving.

Patrick H.T. Doyle has delivered a truly new and refreshing alternative to the books currently available.This could easily be a review filled with all the raving adjectives, because each and every one has been earned. Excellent, engaging, suspense filled, action packed, I could list them all. However, it is far more important to point out that this is not just a children's book or for young adults. For all the parents out there who have searched for a great story to read to your children before bed, this is it! I have no doubt, children everywhere will be asking, "is it bed-time yet"? For all the children looking for an affordable book that is entertaining and fun, here it is! And lastly for all the adults who enjoy discovering a new author that has truly created something different, look no further, you have found it! And with the second book in this adventure series available in July, this is the perfect time to get introduced to Sir Edgar Font.

Happy Reading!
RJ McGill (3Rs)
Real Reader Reviews

An enchanting story that introduces Garrett and Audrey to some pretty wondrous adventures that delivers a positive message to children everywhere. Garret and Audrey are brother and sister, and as they head to China to join their father they have no clue of the great adventure that lies ahead. The children usually stay with their aunt while their father is off on his trips as an architect but this year the children's aunt is asked to join their father for the summer in China. The children end up spending most of their time with Edgar Font, their grandfather. Edgar is on a quest of finding the perfect place to haunt when he passes away, and their summer adventures begin, their adventures will be remembered a lifetime. Their first adventure begins at an abandoned lighthouse which is full of puzzles, ghosts and mystery. As their adventure continues through the lighthouse they must rely on everything they know and the lessons that they have learned along the way to ensure they will make it out without being harmed.

The Castle Tower Lighthouse is a children's book that everyone will fall in love with no matter your age. The author writes with such skill that lights an imaginitative spark in the reader. The illustrations are absolutely wonderful and the message the story delivers is of a positive one. This is sure to be a series you will want to keep and treasure for years to come. I intend to collect each in the series for my grandson to enjoy, which I am sure will ignite another book lover in our family. I cannot wait until Edgar Font's Hunt For a House To Haunt Adventure Two: The Fakersville Power Station comes out in July. I am ready to enjoy another great adventure with Edgar Font on his search for the perfect place to haunt.

You will not want to miss the website and blog devoted to Edgar Font, they will add to your enjoyment, check them out at:

http://edgarfont.com

http://edgarfont.blogspot.com

The blogspot gives you so much informative information, which includes how the author came up with the story. Here you will find the information about Edgar Font, Audrey and Garrett. Be sure to read the top 10 questions that are asked relating to the story as you will find some very interesting facts.

The Edgar Font series is highly recommended for everyone. It has been such an honor and a pleasure to be able to review such a treasure that will be added to my collection to pass on from generation to generation. A message to the author: not only have you created such a great story for children, you have accomplished reaching readers of all ages with this series and need to be commended. I personally thank you, Bravo!

The author has created a treasured collection for readers of all ages!!!!!

There are few stories out there that my kids love and I can enjoy as well. I bought Edgar Font after a friend of his let him borrow the book. It hasn't left his nightstand since. I believe he's on his 5th read and continuously on the website to see when the next book will be out - anyone know the answer? I read it one weekend and have to admit that I can't wait to read the next book too. It's perfect if your kids are ready to move away from early reader books. I loved the illustrations and the vocabulary and storytelling are perfect for all children without talking down to them. Don't let the title fool you into thinking this is just another ghost story. It's so positive and lessons learned by the characters in the story have stayed with my kids.

In one word: WONDERFUL!

Patrick Doyle's "The Castle Tower Lighthouse" is a delightful summer mystery for young readers. Patrick Doyle presents the tale of Edgar Font's Hunt for a House to Haunt (making the full title of the book a real mouthful, but a fun one). The book is fun through and through, down to a puzzle at the end for the reader to solve on their own. It's cleverly illustrated, and its tale-within-a-tale is engaging.

Doyle uses the conceit that the story has been given to him by Edgar Font, as recorded by Edgar Font's two grandchildren, Audrey and Garrett. Edgar Font is a capricious adventurer, somehow past his prime yet ready to take on anything--including his two grandchildren, who are precocious but overall _unadventuresome_ children. Edgar's answer to that is to drive them into the waters of adventure by making them integral to his summer's quest.

Edgar introduces them to the world of ghosts, as he outlines their intended journey--while not dead yet (and it's hard to imagine such a formidable person "passing on"), he wants to find a singular place to live out his eternity. The grandchildren are appropriately skeptical to begin with, but by the end of the book they're reasonably well converted--all in the span of a day.

It's a quick read, much more fluid than "wandering around the house and picking up clues" might suggest. The characters are fleshed out, for the age range, and I expect we'll learn much more about them in further installments, as they learn more about themselves. We're not told where they'll adventure to next, but there's a photograph marked, "Exploring the site for Adventure Two" in the back, and an arrow showing that it's "just over yonder". (And a glimpse at Amazon tells us that Adventure Two takes us to The Fakersville Power Station; and that that will be available July 1st!)

I heartily recommend this for the young (it's marked ages 9 and up), and the young at heart.