A Tale of Two Castles

A Tale of Two Castles By: Gail Carson Levine

Rating:  Great

Age Group: 8+

Summary (from BarnesandNoble.com): In this fairy-tale whodunit, country girl Elodie's parents scrounge up fare to send her to the city of Two Castles, with instructions to find a weaver willing to take her on gratis for a 10-year apprenticeship. (Elodie, intent on joining a theatrical troupe, has other ideas.) Alas, months earlier the guilds abolished 10-year apprenticeships; now everyone must pay, and Elodie's one copper is stolen (by a cat) the moment she draws it from her purse. With no other prospects, she takes the only job she is offered: assistant to the dragon Meenore, who, in addition to its skills as mobile water heater, has a sideline as local detective. Elodie must overcome her fear of being eaten to help Meenore save another hated local—Count Jonty Um, the ogre who occupies one of the town's two castles. With a faint echo of Puss in Boots, Carson crafts a persuasive fantasy realm and a capable heroine. Readers should enjoy watching Elodie hone her powers of deduction to unravel the mystery of the ogre's sudden disappearance, and will likely anticipate further sleuthing adventures with this companionable duo.

My Thoughts:  Gail Carson Levine is one of my favorite authors of all time, and this book definitely doesn’t disappoint.  I loved all of the main characters, especially Meenore.  Who DOESN’T love a helpful, problem solving dragon?  And Jonty Um was just adorable.  Truly, all of the characters were developed and the plot was interesting.  Elodie was a wonderful character, she was smart and spunky.  I liked watching her grow into herself throughout the story, and I liked seeing the other characters show their colors as well.  Really, the character interaction made this book for me, it was so good.  And the twist at the end?  Yeah, I would never have been able to deduce that.  I’m not really familiar with Puss in Boots, so I can’t say how similar this story is to it unfortunately.  This was a very sweet story filled with wonderful characters, and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy books.

Book Recommendations:  Ivy's Ever After By: Dawn Lairamore, Ella Enchanted By: Gail Carson Levine