Tuesdays at the Castle
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 9+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
Princess Celie lives in a magic castle that adds new rooms every Tuesday. When her parents go missing, a mean prince tries to take the throne. Celie and her brother and sister use pranks and the castle's help to stop him. There are some fights and a scary knife, but nothing gross or rude. Good for kids in third grade and up. This is clean fairy-tale fantasy in the Oz mode, not occult. A loving family, loyal siblings, and parents who pray carry the story. The one reservation is that Celie turns to the castle for help the way a child might turn to God, so name that difference.
For parents
Read aloud from 7, independent reading from 9. Plugged In and Compass both say 9 and up. The magic is an enchanted building and a wizard's college, story-world magic with no spells to copy. Ask who Celie asks for help when she is afraid, and who we ask (CCC 2559). Ask why the siblings keep fighting for their parents when everyone says they are dead. Hope is a virtue, not a feeling.