When I went home for Fall Break, I scoured my bookshelf for a fantasy book. I came across Elizabeth Winthrop's The Castle in the Attic, which I read for the first and only time many years ago. I remembered how the world of The Castle in the Attic came to life for me as a then ten-year-old, and could not wait to reread the book to see if the magical world still existed in my mind.Upon beginning The Castle in the Attic, I found myself to my delight just as absorbed in the chivalry of knights, amazed fire of fire-breathing dragons, and scared by the evil wizard as I had been as a ten-year-old. In The Castle in the Attic, Winthrop introduces a boy named William who for the past ten years has been looked after and cared for my Mrs. Phillips, the family nanny. Now that William has grown, Mrs. Phillips is retiring from her position to return to her home country and give William the chance to become more independent. William will not even permit the idea of Mrs. Phillips leaving. When Mrs. Phillips gives William her old childhood toy castle and toy knight as a going away present, William gets an idea that will make Mrs. Phillips stay with him forever.
Against Mrs. Phillips' will, and with the help of Sir Simon (the toy knight that came to life upon William's touch), William takes Mrs. Phillips into a the medieval world of the toy castle where he thinks he can keep Mrs. Phillips forever. However, when William finds out that he has trapped Mrs. Phillips in a situation that can never be reversed, William must take it upon himself to enter the medieval world of the toy castle and save them all.
Winthrop writes a wonderful story of coming of age. The reader grapples alongside William as he faces becoming an independent boy. But the reader also celebrates William's triumphs and feels proud of WIlliam's accomplishments as he grows to learn that his ability to learn, love, and live resides within himself. While Winthrop creates a fantastical world within the toy castle including fire-breathing dragons, an evil wizard, and trips back in time, the story is very much relatable to any child. As Dr. Johnson said in class, at the root of the success of any fantasy book is believability. The Castle in the Attic provides just that.
Elizabeth Winthrop has written numerous books for all ages - children and adults alike. In an interview featured on Winthrop's website, Winthrop said "I'm a restless writer. I can't seem to stick to one genre or subject. " In fact, The Castle in the Attic is only one of two fantasy children's chapter books Winthrop has written. Other than fantasy, Winthrop has explored the genres of realistic fiction and historical fiction through her books.
The Castle in the Attic is accompanied by a sequel, The Battle for the Castle.
Elizabeth Winthrop sounds like an interesting author. I would like to see what else she has written. What age do you think this would be appropriate for? There seems to be a lot of underlying meaning. As I told Jennifer, I am not a big fan of fantasy (except Stephen King), and I was squirming just reading about knights and castles. I am glad you liked it though. I have also tried to read Harry Potter and I couldn't do it............I know, that is bad....
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I'm not a big fantasy fan either. And when I tried to read Harry Potter the first time, I put it down. I thought the first few chapters were so boring, strange, and uninteresting. Once I get far enough into a fantasy book, though, it just overtakes me. It takes awhile to get used to the language and other worlds, but it's so magical once it takes you over.
ReplyDeleteI say - give Harry Potter another shot :)
OMG!!!! I remember loving this book as a kid too! But that's all I remember, I can't really remember any of the plot, except that I think there is a small knight in it somewhere. Guess it's time to re-read it. Thanks for bringing this great book back to my attention.
ReplyDeleteI think the coming of age story is great. I never read this book, but after reading your summary I actually want to see what William does when he traps Mrs. Phillips in an irreversible situation.
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