This is basically one of those sequels that's totally different from the original in theme, despite following logically from the previous story's events.The first book was more about a sort of "magic in the home" type theme, with William discovering that his model castle and toy knight are in fact the key to entering another world. His "toy" is actually alive and can talk, as he was a genuine knight changed into lead. Through the use of a magical amulet, William can shrink himself to the size of the knight and enter not only the castle, but the actual magical world itself, complete with forests, towns, and an enemy castle.Most of the story had to do with William living with the sheer novelty of all this in his attic, and his relationship with the miniature knight. It's only in the second half that he actually goes on an adventure in the world by shrinking down and entering it, and truth be told, I was bored at that point until he finally entered the wizard's castle and things got very suspenseful. The fact that the events in the magical world felt random until that point didn't help matters any. Overall, I really enjoyed the story, minus William's initial entrance into the fantasy world.In Battle for the Castle, whose title technically (and fortunately) refers only to the end of the story, it changes genres and you get a more general adventure. Basically, William shows his friend Jason the castle and magical amulet, and the two agree to visit the world, after bringing their bicycles and backpacks full of stuff.What follows is pretty much a standard "normal person enters another world" adventure story, though with a few neat ideas. William is welcomed as a hero, his role in the overthrow of the wizard Alastor being well-known from the first book. Jason is also treated with the same respect for being a friend of William. The fact that the two are from another world is also well-known, so when they bring bicycles, flashlights, matches, and other inventions with them, the people are curious and fascinated. It's fun seeing the culture clashes and the way the people of the world interact with these inventions, treating them as toys. Gudrin making little circles in the sky with William's flashlight, and Tolliver wanting to learn how to ride a bike, are cute details.The main story events themselves are a bit arbitrary - a ghost ship and a magic rat invasion don't sound to me like they go together, but I didn't really mind. Mainly because the events are internally consistent and are handled logically, and don't feel as random as the trials and curses in the first book. The result is that the adventures are pretty exciting and fun.The character of Gudrin is pretty fun, if cliched. Basically, the girl whose family (in this case, her uncle) doesn't want her to be educated and involved with the adventure, while naturally she's in fact very clever and a big help in the end. I liked the character a lot and she had a great personality. She insists on learning as much as she can, such as how to ride a bike, out of sight of her disapproving uncle. She loves her uncle and cares for him despite clashing with his sexist views. And she tries to get William and Jason to go along with her plans. While this isn't high literature, she's a surprisingly complex character when you get down to it, and was probably more human than anyone else in the story.The plot moves fast, there's a lot of fun events, and overall, it's a nicely told adventure. There are some definite flaws in the "kids do not act that way" department: mainly some of the dialog, and the kids are given too much free reign to make decisions for the castle when things get rough (yes, William is the hero who saved the land and freed everyone from the evil wizard in the previous book, but realistically, I can't picture an entire castle's remaining defenses being put in the hands of a couple of 12-year-olds. Well, okay, there was Joan of Arc in real life, but still...). Still, overlooking these imperfections, the characters mostly do act like kids their age enough for the story to work and them to be believable enough - especially with their convincing character flaws - and it's a fun story which I really enjoyed.
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.
Do You like book The Battle For The Castle (1994)?
Good story, very poor audio. It may be just me, but I truly dislike the multi-voice book audio especially where child actors are involved. It distracts from the story and I find myself gritting my teeth.This is the sequel to The Castle in the Attic. It continues with William growing into a teen and watching his best friend Jason physically mature faster than William. This places stress on their friendship and William pulls the only card he has to keep Jason's interest: magic.Jason and William shrink into the castle for another adventure with Sir Simon and friends. This time, the world-of-the-castle has been overtaken by a weird tall-as-a-man rat and his rat minions. Can William and Jason help save the castle? And cement their friendship?A good read. Tween boys will particularly enjoy this story if they enjoy fantasy. Just don't get the audio.
—Cball
The most interesting thing about this one was that there were three children this time instead of only William. And Ms. Winthrop did an admirable job of outlining their differences without making any of them seem either better or worse than the others.Jason is the typical reckless, sports-minded, too-brave-for-his-own-good young man. William is more reflective, less susceptible to peer pressure, and more open to wonder. Gudrin is redemption for females in a lot of classic fantasy. She still cooks for everyone when they're trapped in the dungeon, but she's learned to read and write and she learns to ride William's bicycle. I like that no matter the child reading, they will likely be able to find someone to relate to.I wish it had been explicitly stated whether the giant rat had really come from the attic. It was nicely implied, but I couldn't help wishing that part of the resolution had included discussion of its true origin.
—Julesmarie
I almost ALWAYS finish books. It might take me a while, but unless there is something I absolutely can't stand, I'll finish it. Unfortunately, this book had the "something I can't stand." I liked the first book in this series, so I was excited to read this. I enjoyed it, but then I came to the rats. Ugggghhhh. This was a few years ago, and it completely freaked me out to have an onslaught of zombie rats to defeat. I never ended up finishing it, but I might go ack to it and see if the rats are less creepy.
—Lydia
