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stanwebb02's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
thereadingtrashqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
4.0
Another day, another fantastic piece of middle grade fiction in the form of Alfie Bloom, an ordinary boy whose life changes dramatically when he is left a beautiful but very strange old castle in an inheritance that pronounces him as the new caretaker of some magical powers he could only have imagined in his wildest dreams. I missed this book when it was first released last year but when I was asked if I would like to be involved in the blog tour for the second book in the series, I jumped at the chance - although I knew without a doubt that I simply had to read this one first.
When we first meet Alfie, he is as I mentioned, just a normal boy who lives with his father in a rather modest little flat. His father is a struggling inventor and quite scatter-brained with bits and pieces of things that he's working on (that mostly don't work very well unfortunately!) dotted around the flat and because he gets quite wrapped up in his work, he sometimes forgets to spend much quality time with his son. Alfie himself is fairly happy for the most part, he enjoys spending time with his best friend Amy and is quite used to his father's occasionally eccentric behaviour but is having a bit of trouble with bullies at his school, something his father is quite unaware of.
Then one day everything changes. Alfie receives a strange letter through the post from a solicitor, calling himself Caspian Bone informing him that he has been left an inheritance and that a coach will arrive to pick him and his father up one minute before midnight to go to the solicitor's office and discuss the matter further. Things get even more mysterious when the coach appears to fly like the speed of light, Caspian Bone turns out to be half man, half raven and Alfie discovers that he is now the owner/protector of a castle and the guardian of magical (and somewhat dangerous) powers.
Alfie meanwhile is absolutely delighted at the turn his life has taken and he and his father move into the castle almost immediately. On exploring the property and the many secret passages with his twin cousins, Madeleine and Robin who live nearby, Alfie's excitement and happiness increase ten-fold at what he finds within. They are even provided with a very special butler who takes charge of all the cooking and maintenance of the castle which is a huge relief to Alfie's father - there is so much more room and time for all his inventions!
Of course, this book wouldn't be much of an adventure story without a real adventure to be had and this all begins when Alfie starts at his cousins' school, presided over by two headmistresses, Murkle and Snitch. The two sisters dislike children intensely and devise a number of terrible punishments for any child they believe to be stepping out of line (which can be for the smallest, silliest thing believe me!). They also appear to be very interested in Alfie's castle for reasons which at first, Alfie cannot understand. The story is about to get a lot more dangerous, even more exciting and unbelievably tense as Alfie takes up his mantle as guardian of the castle and whatever lies within its walls and discovers a lot of interesting and at times, frightening things about himself as a result.
I'm a bit of a sucker for a magical adventure story and it's certainly true that fans of Roald Dahl and J.K. Rowling will really enjoy this thrilling middle grade read. The strong characters and solid plot grabs your attention instantly and leaves you eager for more at the end and I believe the fantasy elements will appeal to both the young and the young at heart. I can definitely see it being read in classrooms and also read by children on their own and if they are anything like me when I was younger they'll be turning the torch on to read under their covers after the light goes out, desperate to reach the end!
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
When we first meet Alfie, he is as I mentioned, just a normal boy who lives with his father in a rather modest little flat. His father is a struggling inventor and quite scatter-brained with bits and pieces of things that he's working on (that mostly don't work very well unfortunately!) dotted around the flat and because he gets quite wrapped up in his work, he sometimes forgets to spend much quality time with his son. Alfie himself is fairly happy for the most part, he enjoys spending time with his best friend Amy and is quite used to his father's occasionally eccentric behaviour but is having a bit of trouble with bullies at his school, something his father is quite unaware of.
Then one day everything changes. Alfie receives a strange letter through the post from a solicitor, calling himself Caspian Bone informing him that he has been left an inheritance and that a coach will arrive to pick him and his father up one minute before midnight to go to the solicitor's office and discuss the matter further. Things get even more mysterious when the coach appears to fly like the speed of light, Caspian Bone turns out to be half man, half raven and Alfie discovers that he is now the owner/protector of a castle and the guardian of magical (and somewhat dangerous) powers.
Alfie meanwhile is absolutely delighted at the turn his life has taken and he and his father move into the castle almost immediately. On exploring the property and the many secret passages with his twin cousins, Madeleine and Robin who live nearby, Alfie's excitement and happiness increase ten-fold at what he finds within. They are even provided with a very special butler who takes charge of all the cooking and maintenance of the castle which is a huge relief to Alfie's father - there is so much more room and time for all his inventions!
Of course, this book wouldn't be much of an adventure story without a real adventure to be had and this all begins when Alfie starts at his cousins' school, presided over by two headmistresses, Murkle and Snitch. The two sisters dislike children intensely and devise a number of terrible punishments for any child they believe to be stepping out of line (which can be for the smallest, silliest thing believe me!). They also appear to be very interested in Alfie's castle for reasons which at first, Alfie cannot understand. The story is about to get a lot more dangerous, even more exciting and unbelievably tense as Alfie takes up his mantle as guardian of the castle and whatever lies within its walls and discovers a lot of interesting and at times, frightening things about himself as a result.
I'm a bit of a sucker for a magical adventure story and it's certainly true that fans of Roald Dahl and J.K. Rowling will really enjoy this thrilling middle grade read. The strong characters and solid plot grabs your attention instantly and leaves you eager for more at the end and I believe the fantasy elements will appeal to both the young and the young at heart. I can definitely see it being read in classrooms and also read by children on their own and if they are anything like me when I was younger they'll be turning the torch on to read under their covers after the light goes out, desperate to reach the end!
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
imzadirose's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED this book!! Loved the characters, loved the story. loved the Castle. loved the friendships, loved it ALL!! Can't wait to read the next!
kba76's review against another edition
4.0
Alfie is surprised when he learns he's inherited a castle. But not as surprised as he is when he learns more about the person who bequeathed him the castle, and what it means for Alfie.
From the moment he arrives at Hexbridge Castle Alfie gets the feeling that this is a good place. However, it's clear that there are secrets being hidden...and that they involve his new head teachers.
This is an exciting read for younger readers, and with just a hint of terror. Great fun, and left in a good place for book two.
Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction!
From the moment he arrives at Hexbridge Castle Alfie gets the feeling that this is a good place. However, it's clear that there are secrets being hidden...and that they involve his new head teachers.
This is an exciting read for younger readers, and with just a hint of terror. Great fun, and left in a good place for book two.
Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction!
the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition
5.0
I'm always on the lookout for a good dragon tale, and we enjoyed this one, although the dragon takes a while to surface.
The cover led me to be expect a Halloween / haunted house type story, but that's far from what you get with Alfie Bloom's tale.
It starts, wonderfully enough (!!! loved this opening!!!), with a murder not seemingly related to Alfie or the castle at all. Elderly Nora Emmett goes out with her gun to shoo rustlers away from her sheep and finds so much more. Poor Nora. She's goner in the first three pages, and you, the reader, are left to wonder what -- exactly -- got her.
Enter Alfie. He inherits Hexbridge Castle, moves to a new town and enrolls in a new school with the world's most seriously twisted twin sister Headmistresses, Murkle and Snitch (not their real names, of course, but you get the idea).
There's all sorts of rooms and treasures in the castle that will open only to Alfie, like the flying bear (rug) and a heavy, padlocked and secured portal in the basement. There's a message from 600 year old sorcerer Orin Hopcraft, guiding Alfie and challenging him to find certain things before... he's manipulated into opening the castle to Murkle and Snitch.
I won't reveal why, just know it's all related, and I enjoyed the plot twists and turns enormously of this wonderful dragon tale!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: http://amb.mystrikingly.com/
The cover led me to be expect a Halloween / haunted house type story, but that's far from what you get with Alfie Bloom's tale.
It starts, wonderfully enough (!!! loved this opening!!!), with a murder not seemingly related to Alfie or the castle at all. Elderly Nora Emmett goes out with her gun to shoo rustlers away from her sheep and finds so much more. Poor Nora. She's goner in the first three pages, and you, the reader, are left to wonder what -- exactly -- got her.
Enter Alfie. He inherits Hexbridge Castle, moves to a new town and enrolls in a new school with the world's most seriously twisted twin sister Headmistresses, Murkle and Snitch (not their real names, of course, but you get the idea).
There's all sorts of rooms and treasures in the castle that will open only to Alfie, like the flying bear (rug) and a heavy, padlocked and secured portal in the basement. There's a message from 600 year old sorcerer Orin Hopcraft, guiding Alfie and challenging him to find certain things before... he's manipulated into opening the castle to Murkle and Snitch.
I won't reveal why, just know it's all related, and I enjoyed the plot twists and turns enormously of this wonderful dragon tale!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: http://amb.mystrikingly.com/
mjspice's review against another edition
Why I'm avoiding
https://youtu.be/mL714PU5G2U?t=2127
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoaLZOBj5a8
https://twitter.com/TheGavGav7/status/1340424737412018180
https://youtu.be/mL714PU5G2U?t=2127
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoaLZOBj5a8
https://twitter.com/TheGavGav7/status/1340424737412018180
neffcannon's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
sarahwilson60's review against another edition
5.0
Such an amazing book! I'd forgotten how much I love stories like this - full review to come!
bookwormbev17's review
4.0
A young boy's life is transformed when he inherits a castle from a mysterious benefactor.
This story has everything the 9+ reader could possibly want with heaps of adventure, perils galore and of course, magic.
Wholeheartedly recommended for the junior school age group with plenty to develop into a series.
This story has everything the 9+ reader could possibly want with heaps of adventure, perils galore and of course, magic.
Wholeheartedly recommended for the junior school age group with plenty to develop into a series.