Thursdays with the Crown (Castle Glower Series Book 3) by Jessica Day George

Rating: Not for me

Reading Level: Early Elementary, Mid-Elementary

Possible Concerns:

• Lying. There is a lot of deceit and lying. At one point the princess even thinks to herself that she supposed everyone needs to like sometimes.
• Paganism. A king who is relieved about his daughter’s return says, “Praise the Skies!”
• Hate. A princess hopes horrible thing happen to villains; another boy says, “I hate you.”
• Suggested Flirting. One of the main boys is described as a flirt. You don’t actually see him flirting much.
• Kissing. It is mentioned that a princess was caught kissing a prince several times. The context suggests kissing in private for long periods of time.
• Magic and magical creatures. Wizards, Griffins, time travel, magic artifacts…
• Magic Castle. The mysterious castle has a mind of its own, and is sort of an omniscient ally. I was concerned in book 1 that it might be trying to replace God but by Book 2 we see the castle is not omnipotent and needs help. So it is more like a mysterious friend.
• Grave robbing. The children go into the tomb of the king who built the magic Castle and take a few artifacts they think might solve their problems.
• Polygamy. A king is buried in a tomb with statues of his many wives. This inspires debate between a prince and a princess about whether it is appropriate to have more than one wife.

Things I liked

• Creativity, imagination.
• Perseverance, fighting for what you believe in.

Overall I’m the least impressed with this one. Not sure the good outweighs the bad. Unfortunately, the previous book ends in a cliffhanger; nevertheless I recommend skipping this one.

See also my reviews of Book 1 in the Castle Glower Series, Tuesdays at the Castle, and Book 2, Wednesdays in the Tower.