Cousins in the Castle [Paperback]

Barbara Brooks Wallace (Author)

Book Description

Plucked out of her comfortable life in Victorian London by her forbidding cousin Charlotte, Amelia sets sail for New York. But no sooner does she land than the orphaned 11-year-old finds herself abandoned and then imprisoned. Deliciously gothic, this Dickensian mystery is full of evil villains and so many plot twists that the pages practically turn themselves.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?Amelia Fairwick, 11, is a motherless child of comfortable means living in Victorian London. When her father purportedly dies on a business trip, she must go to America to live with her closest relatives, distant cousins in New York. The journey is Amelia's first introduction to Cousin Charlotte, a cold, strict chaperone who has come to collect her. The shipboard passage is brightened, however, by Amelia's acquaintance with sprightly Primrose, an orphaned singer in the employ of two grasping rogues slated to perform their musical comedy routine in New York. When the ship arrives, Amelia is abandoned on the pier by Charlotte and winds up in the care of Mrs. Dobbins, a kindly woman who offers her shelter in her tiny basement flat. But the next morning, Mrs. Dobbins is gone, and Amelia discovers that she is a prisoner. Suspicions mount that her cousins are after her fortune as Amelia escapes, searches out her pal Primrose (who is revealed to be a boy named Rosie), and eventually arrives at the forbidding mansion of her dastardly relations. Loose ends are neatly tied up in a run of high-rolling Dickensian coincidences: her father reappears, alive and well, and Rosie discovers that Charlotte, who is not so bad after all, is actually his long-lost mother. This gothic mystery is slight, but it will keep young readers guessing.?Susan W. Hunter, Riverside Middle School, Springfield, VT
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. The plot twists and turns at an alarming rate in this story of dastardly crimes and firm friendships, and that's exactly what makes it so much fun. The tale begins in Victorian London, where recently orphaned Amelia Fairchild must leave her home for America to live with distant cousins. On the ship, Amelia meets Primrose, "the London canary," who turns out to be not the girl with curls she seems but a boy who must pose as a girl for theatrical purposes. "Rosie," as Amelia calls him, is a wonderful friend, who saves Amelia more than once when she is abducted, first by an unknown stranger and later by her own cousin. It's too bad that Wallace had to title this Cousins in the Castle, because it gives away a major secret of the plot. Not to worry, however, there are so many other mysteries that readers will still have plenty to figure out. Written in a lightly Dickensian style, this peach of a book will make an excellent read-aloud. But be prepared for shouts of, "One more chapter!" Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689807783
• ISBN-13: 978-0689807787
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,159,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A completely excellent book!, May 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cousins in the Castle (Turtleback)

This was an excellent book. I couldn't put it down. Ameila, the main character, has gone through some very depressing times lately, and when she must go with spookily quiet and strict cousin Charolette, It just makes matters worse. No one turns out to be who they seem, and sometimes, it's for the better. Everyone is betraying her, but this fabulous storie has a wonderful outcome. RL: 10-13

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jaclynn Soranno, November 3, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Cousins in the Castle (Paperback)

Imagine if you had no mother, and you thought your father died? Then you are forced to live with the closest relative to your name, who doesn't want you there anymore than you want to be there. In Cousins In The Castle, Amelia had to go through this. Cousins in the Castle is a fictional story by Barbara Brooks Wallace, who also wrote Peppermints In The Parlor, and The Twin In The Tavern.
Amelia Fairwick, who lives in London, had recently lost her father, and is forced to move in with her distant cousin, Basil Desmond, who lives in New York. To get there, she has to take a boat trip. Since Basil couldn't make it there to pick her up, he sent his sister, Amelia's other cousin, Charlotte. She was very dull and quiet, and there was always something suspicious about her. She gave Amelia specific orders to follow while she was on the ship. She was to talk to no one unless spoken to, and most importantly, she could not make any new friends.
Amelia did however, make a friend. Her name was Primrose, and she was a performer at Castle Theater in NYC.
After the boat trip, she was secretly abandoned by her cousin Charlotte, and picked up by a lady named Mrs. Dobbins, who ended up kidnapping her. Amelia managed to escape and make her way to Castle Theater to see if Primrose could help her. Even though they eventually got caught and she was returned to her cousin Basil's house where she faces the biggest problem and solves the biggest mystery of all.
I enjoyed reading this book because it was very mysterious. It was like the characters were walking right off the pages! I recommend it to people who like mysteries, and good plots.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TOTALLY COOL!!, September 2, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Cousins in the Castle (Paperback)

This book is GREAT! its sooo full of twists and turns that if you were to (try) and tell about it to someone you would be talking for hours!! The ending is soo cool!! VERY unexpected! Anyone who loves a good book would like this one! When eleven yr old Amelia finds out her dad died in a fire she thinks nothing could be worse, but when she finds out that she can't live with her soon to be stepmom (who is really nice) she is Very disapointed, but things get worse, she has to live with her cousin basil (in New york soo faraway from london)(her real moms cousin) whom she has never met! but its not cousin basil himself who comes to acompany her on the ship from london its his sister, who barely ever talks and is about as MEAN as you can get, but things get worse when they finally get to NY, the lady abandons her (cousin basils sister) and her new friend that she made on the ship has already left, primrose. so a kindly old lady takes her in so she can be fead and finally get some sleep, but nothing is as it seems she is now a prisoner again! Tricked Again! But this time by an old lady! This book has a suprising ending! I love it!