Tuesdays at the Castle (Castle Glower Series, Book 1) by Jessica Day George

Rating: My bookshelf, (However Book 3 in the series is not for me.)

Reading Level: Early Elementary, Mid-Elementary

Possible Concerns:

• Flirting. A boy is called a flirt and the girls, castle maids, etc., giggle and give him attention. That said, it is all very clean.
• Very Mild Impropriety. A princess is mentioned as meeting with a flirt boy “in private.” There are no nuances of physical boundaries being violated, but I generally don’t encourage young women to meet alone with a man. This could be a great conversation with your daughter/son.
• Peril. Presumed assassination of a king, queen, and prince
• Body humor. An angry princes talks about a treasonous superior’s “…wrinkled old bum.”
• A Magic Castle. The mysterious castle has a mind of its own, and is sort of an omniscient ally. They ask the castle for help when I think one might otherwise ask God. I don’t think the intention is pagan; it seems more creative but nonetheless worth mentioning. There is occasional mention of characters praying (presumably to God).
• Deception and sabotage. The children sabotage their enemies with horse manure pranks, etc.
• Sequel alert. Book 2 in the series is ok, but it ends in a cliffhanger and Book 3 is not for me.

Things I liked:

• Creativity, imagination.
• Healthy Family Relationships. Family values, siblings working together, devotion to parents. The great family relationships are actually hard to find in kids’ literature these days.
• Perseverance, fighting for what you believe in.

Despite the long list of possible concerns, I actually thought it was a generally clean and creative book with no perceivable agenda. It was extremely refreshing to have a functional family with kids who respect and honor their parents, and kids who fight for honor in age-appropriate ways.

See also my review of Book 2 in the Castle Glower Series, Wednesdays in the Tower. Book 3, Thursdays with the Crown, unfortunately is not for me.