Product Description

William's former housekeeper gives him a magic token that takes him and Jason back to Sir Simon's Castle in the Middle Ages where they face an army of dangerous rats in the final battle for the castle. Reprint. AB. PW. H. K.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #205543 in Books
• Published on: 1994-11-01
• Released on: 1994-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780440409427
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-- Two years have elapsed since young William battled the forces of evil in The Castle in the Attic (Holiday, 1985). Now turning 12, he's miserable because he thinks his friend has outstripped him in bravery, for Jason has "jumped the trains," which is the local male rite of passage, while he has failed. In the previous story, his family's former housekeeper gave William a model castle and a magic token through which he entered its inner world. Now that he is maturing, she again presents him with the token, and he and Jason return to the castle. William is welcomed back and he soon learns that there is again great danger in the land. A monstrous army of rats, behind a gigantic leader, is ravaging the land, eating everyone in sight. William is pressed into defending the castle and destroying the rats. He has to rely on his wits and his courage, for the magic token has been stolen; in the process, he learns that he does not have to jump trains to prove bravery. William and Jason offer contrasting models of what constitutes heroism. Some readers will wonder how the rats came under the spell of their demonic leader, but others will just enjoy the adventure. --Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Now that William is 12, housekeeper Mrs. Phillips--who, two years ago, gave him the Castle in the Attic (1985), where they shared an adventure before she went home to England--sends William the magic token he believed she had destroyed. Stung by his failure to perform a dangerous initiation rite--jumping a freight train, a tradition for local 12-year-olds--William shows best friend Jason how the token can change their size. Miniaturizing each other, they enter the world of the castle, where William gets a hero's welcome in honor of his earlier exploits and the two, with the help of a girl their age, avert a new threat: an army of human-devouring rats led by a mesmerizing giant rat. Including just enough details of setting and character to give her story texture, Winthrop keeps it moving with some humor (there's a witty jester, rather underemployed here, and a joust between a pompous knight and Jason, with a lance, on his bike); some mild horror involving the rats and a fortuitous twist leading to their defeat; and the kind of compromise between courtly and colloquial dialogue that imaginative children make in their dramatic play. No one changes much, but William does make the sensible decision, before he gets home again, to give up on the train. Accessible, well told, and entertaining. (Fiction. 8- 12) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher
As William turns twelve, we wonder if Jason is still his best friend. In the past year Jason has grown a foot taller while William is still a shrimp. When Jason challenges William to "jump the trains," William is terrified. How else can he prove himself to Jason. William has the chance when his former housekeeper sends him a magic token that once again takes him back to Sir Simon's castle in the Middle Ages, this time with Jason. There they face a dangerous army of rats and their gigantic leader. Once William was a hero in the castle. Now its up to him to destroy the rats and save the kingdom in the final battle for the castle.

Customer Reviews

great traveling adventure and entertainment
We listened to the cassette version of this book while traveling cross country. Our 8-year old son was entranced and wanted to listen to it again and again. It's a great story about the challenges of pre- and early adolescence wrapped up in a story of high adventure. Great listening. Oh yeah, the book is good too!

There was a battle?
The Battle for the Castle takes place two years after the much-loved The Castle in the Attic. William Lawrence celebrates his twelveth birthday with his family and his best friend Jason Stubbs Hardy. The two boys are growing up, and one of the rituals of age is to jump a train. Jason, the athletic biker, succeeds, but William does not, and this gnaws at his mind. William receives the magical token featured in the first book from his old nanny, Mrs. Phillips, that can shrink and enlarge living things. He shows Jason, and they decide to shrink themselves for the grandiose castle in the attic, where another completely different world exists, one of knights, squires, and of course, monsters. William meets up with old friends (from The Castle in the Attic) and makes some new ones, the most important being Gudrin, a mystical blonde girl of twelve. The trouble starts when sightings of a ghost ship in the sea and mysterious bones in the river occur. Little did they know that hundreds of rats are on board the ship, and the rats threaten to eat up the entire castle and its inhabitants.

Good plot, but the events in it were a little...dry. Even though this is directed to a younger audience, the rats do not do a whole lot, and I am disappointed that their leader rat (the big one) is very simple minded. Also, where did the rats come from? Any correlation with the rats in William's attic? The rats' end is, I think, unsatisfying... the first half of the book is really good as it builds up the suspense, but by the second half, one would have thought nothing happened. Was there really a battle? I think there could have been a more grandiose battle because the characters basically hid the whole time.

Also, I admire William, Jason, and Gudrin, but sadly, the book does not delve into their characters enough to leave an impression on me. They have so much potential to be really awesome characters.

The Battle for the Castle is probably entertaining for the younger readers... but I (who happens to be a little older)? I want the excitement that makes The Castle in the Attic so good, and The Battle for the Castle simply does not capture the excitement like its predecessor did so well.

The Battle for the Castle
I thouhgt The Battle for the Castle was a good book. Infact it was probably my favorite book ever. In some parts of the book I was afraid and scared. In other parts I thought what a great idea. When i first got the book I thought, what is the battle for the castle. This sequal to the castle in the attic is the way to go when there is no other.