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cimorene1558's review against another edition
1.0
Seemed lousy, so did not finish. I adore the Castle in the Attic, and I would hate to have that spoiled.
annagoldberg's review against another edition
DNF. I was hoping this book would build upon the poorly fleshed out story of the first, but was disappointed. Saying “with magic, it’s best not to ask any questions” is not wise, it’s just bad worldbuilding.
princess71608's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
teaandspite's review against another edition
4.0
Cute. Pacing is off, but for a children's pulp paperback from the 90s it holds up well enough
aotora's review against another edition
3.0
This book was all right - it wasn't as good as the first one but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
It's okay, slightly longer than the first one, but the ending still felt rushed. The beginning makes you think that it's going to be about growing up and finding new friends because the old ones changed - but nope, it wasn't about that. There were some attempts at swearing but no 12 year old says Blast instead of the f bomb trust me - that part felt a little bit awkward and could have easily be left out.
Oh yeah and if Sir Simon had an important part in the first book he is barely in this one because he leaves fir a tournament at the beginning of the story and only comes back at the end after the entire story is done- that was kind of disappointing.
It's okay, slightly longer than the first one, but the ending still felt rushed. The beginning makes you think that it's going to be about growing up and finding new friends because the old ones changed - but nope, it wasn't about that. There were some attempts at swearing but no 12 year old says Blast instead of the f bomb trust me - that part felt a little bit awkward and could have easily be left out.
Oh yeah and if Sir Simon had an important part in the first book he is barely in this one because he leaves fir a tournament at the beginning of the story and only comes back at the end after the entire story is done- that was kind of disappointing.
kathykekmrs's review against another edition
2.0
Once upon a time a book of this nature would have had a dream sequence. I do not know if it is a good or bad thing that dreams have been taken away from Children's Fantasy novels, but it does make some of the action illogical. There is no logic to a dream and therefore it works as a good device to introduce an illogical series of events. It could be that it has been a long time since I have read children's books and they do not seem complete to me. I am always looking for details that are not in the story to make it be more detailed and logical to the order of the universe.
This is a coming of age novel about two recently turned twelve-year-old boys. In the town that they live in a boy must jump a train before he turns thirteen. William's legs are not strong enough for this rite of passage. Williamm is given a token on his birthday by his nanny who moved across the ocean. This token allows him to shrink to fit inside a castle also given by this woman. In this castle it is six hundred years earlier and William finds a different way to prove he is a man than by jumping over a freight train.
I do not mind coming of age novels. This one feels weak because the author shows disdain for the initiation of train jumping. Yes, it is dangerous and not something I would have tried. Then again, I live in New Jersey with electrified third rails so playing around train tracks was never recommended anyway because of the danger of electrocution. I understand that there is always a child who is unable to perform the prescribed rite of passage and feels as if he were always going to be a little boy. There are many passages that explain to William that it is okay not to jump. The book just does not do a great job of explaining how two boys went to a castle and discovered that they were on the brink of growing up.
This is a coming of age novel about two recently turned twelve-year-old boys. In the town that they live in a boy must jump a train before he turns thirteen. William's legs are not strong enough for this rite of passage. Williamm is given a token on his birthday by his nanny who moved across the ocean. This token allows him to shrink to fit inside a castle also given by this woman. In this castle it is six hundred years earlier and William finds a different way to prove he is a man than by jumping over a freight train.
I do not mind coming of age novels. This one feels weak because the author shows disdain for the initiation of train jumping. Yes, it is dangerous and not something I would have tried. Then again, I live in New Jersey with electrified third rails so playing around train tracks was never recommended anyway because of the danger of electrocution. I understand that there is always a child who is unable to perform the prescribed rite of passage and feels as if he were always going to be a little boy. There are many passages that explain to William that it is okay not to jump. The book just does not do a great job of explaining how two boys went to a castle and discovered that they were on the brink of growing up.