Castle of Shadows, by Ellen Renner; Houghton Mifflin Books for Children: New York, 2012; $15.99 Charlie is the princess of Quale. Yes, she lives in a castle, with gardens and servants that cook and clean. But ever since her mother disappeared five years ago, Charlie has been all alone. Her father the king has gone mad and Charlie is surrounded by people who don’t care about her. She has to fend for herself, and that doesn’t always bring out the best in people. In the beginning of this book, I wasn’t quite sure what to think of Charlie. We didn’t really have any similarities, and quite frankly I thought she was a little bit of a brat. Charlie has grown up hearing rumors about her mother’s disappearance. Some say her mother ran away, abandoning her husband and young child. Even worse, others say her father murdered her mother. As far as Charlie knows, her family is horrible. So why shouldn’t she be? Think about the stories your parents tell over and over again. My parents gave me a spoonful of honey when I cried. Maybe you always laughed at the dog. Those stories are part of who we are today. What if the only stories you ever heard were about your horrible temper tantrums, and the time your parents lost you at the park? Everyone seems to hate the king and queen. Imagine going to a party and walking into a big room filled with strangers. There’s no one to talk to. In fact, no one likes you at all. The host of this party despises you. If you can imagine that, it’s pretty close to how Charlie feels, except she’s not at a party. This is her home. And if you were convinced everyone hated you, you might hate them a little too. If someone doesn’t like me, I find it awfully hard to be nice to them, and gradually I get to dislike them more and more. And so Charlie just hates. Charlie has pretty much raised herself; she’s rude, and wild, and doesn’t always know right from wrong. But when Charlie finds a clue to her mother’s disappearance, an unfinished letter which speaks of some unknown danger, Charlie finds a spark of hope. Her mother speaks of Charlie and her husband the king as her two greatest joys. Her joys. The queen paints a picture with her words, a picture Charlie never had before, of a loving family, an adoring father and mother, and a younger, happier Charlie. Then terrible danger tears their family apart. Charlie is willing to do whatever it takes to find her mother. She befriends her mother’s old butler and makes an unlikely ally, Tobias Petch, the gardener’s boy and her biggest rival. As Charlie and Tobias uncover more clues, their friendship grows. Charlie also changes as a person. She realizes that some people do care about her and she cares about them as well. Charlie has a wonderful transformation. The wild and adventurous spirit that used to get her into trouble makes her brave enough for the many difficult and frightening things she has to do to find her mother. Charlie is willing to risk everything. But wouldn’t you? I thought this book was very entertaining. The plot was exciting and moved quickly. When I was reading this my cousin started reading over my shoulder and didn’t stop for four chapters! I definitely recommend you read Castle of Shadows. I really enjoyed it. Olivia Zeiner-Morrish, 12Washington, New Jersey
July/August 2013
If Money Grew on Trees
We started high-fiving each other every time we sold an item I could see the bike in the display window of the Park Ave Bicycle Shop. A black BMX with a fire design on the frame. Every day since third grade I had gazed at it on my walk home. Now, looking at it for the umpteenth time, I knew about every nook and cranny of the two-wheeler. It felt like it was mine. But there was still a quarter-inch window of glass and the $100 price tag that made all the difference. The day that I got my first A-plus on my final report card of the school year was the day that Park Ave put up a sign that made me forget all about my exceptional achievements. It read: Park Ave Bicycle Shop will be moving on the first day of fall. We apologize for any inconvenience. That was only a couple of months away! I knew I had to do something, or else my biggest wish would disappear right in front of my eyes. The genius plan: earn $100 in a summer. I mean, how hard could it be? But soon I learned that earning money is not easy. Green bills don’t grow on trees. I really wish they did. Because on the last day of summer, I was $20 short. I had done just about everything I could to earn those $80, and I wasn’t going to give up anytime soon. I had walked my neighbors’ dogs, tried a paper route, done some babysitting, set up a lemonade stand, given kids algebra lessons, and much more. Even after all that, I was still stuck on the number line, twenty marks short of the finish. “Well, good morning, Jack! It’s the last day of summer, and I’m going to make the best out of it!” my dad proclaimed. “What are you going to do, buddy?” “Not much I can do, seeing that I have to earn $20 on a day like this!” I replied. In the background we heard the weatherman say, “Today’s high is a whopping ninety- five degrees…” “Oh right,” my dad said slowly, “isn’t it about that bike or something?” “Dad,” I remarked, “it’s not just a bike. It’s a BMX. And it costs $100!” “Oh,” was all he said back. Suddenly the phone rang. I sprinted to pick it up. On the other side of the line was my best friend, Marcus, the one with all the crazy inventive ideas. When I first met him, we did all sorts of weird things. We once surveyed our whole neighborhood on which team they thought was going to win the Super Bowl and sent a certificate to everyone that guessed right! Last summer, we reinforced Marcus’s trampoline and we bounced all the way up to his roof! Another time, Marcus picked up a box of cereal that had high iron on the nutrition facts and we waved a giant magnet over it. I must say, after all my years together with Marcus, I had learned a lot of nonsensical information that may come to use one day. This time, though, the “adventure” was a simple garage sale. Right thing. Right time. Marcus strikes again. I quickly ran into my house looking for things to sell. Once I realized how stuffed my basement was, I called Marcus back. “Marcus, I’ve got so many things in my house! How about you come over and we’ll do the sale here?” I asked. I heard Marcus breathe a sigh of relief. I could tell that he was having some trouble hunting down garage sale material. “OK! Meet you in an hour!” Mission status: still on track. I started tearing boxes apart in the basement, and soon enough I had a decent-sized heap of various junk. The pile itself seemed pretty neat, but when I turned around, the place had been trashed into a wasteland. It would be another half hour of cleaning up until I could admire my mountain of odds and ends once more. Soon Marcus was turning into my driveway on his shiny new bike he got a few weeks ago. He told me that I also needed to get one so we could race and ride together. I explained to him that I had to earn it myself, and Marcus knew that. “Hey, Marcus! Are you ready?!” I asked as we high-fived. “Yeah! Let’s start selling!” he said, running toward the garage. “Marcus!” I called. “Do you see anything we can sell yet?” “Oops,” Marcus said. “I always skip the setup.” Maybe that’s why his model airplanes always nosedived into his carpet. In the beginning, I felt like setting up was a piece of cake. But soon, the sun was shining brighter, and the boxes got heavier. I shouldn’t have packed so many. Marcus and I needed several water breaks to complete the job. When, at last, we finished, our arms felt like jelly. But we were ready “for launch,” according to Marcus. We felt so accomplished after selling our first item. We treated the crumpled dollar bill as if it were gold. After that, we had to wait in the intense heat for more business. Marcus and I were being fried alive. After a while, Marcus went inside and came out holding a slim red box. I grinned. America’s favorite word game. What could be better than playing Scrabble to pass the time? “So, Jack, ready for a rematch of a rematch of a rematch of a rematch…?” “Stop,” I interfered. “Just start the game!” On the first draw, I drew seven excellent letters and put down a fifty-point word. Then a sixty-point word. Marcus looked frustrated, but then his frown transformed into a smile. He then put down all of his tiles to make a word which I had never heard of. I challenged it, and it was a word! I was flabbergasted! “Hahaha!” Marcus said in a maniacal laugh. He tallied up
The Soundtrack of Summer
The breeze sweeps through my hair and pulls aside the curtain of leaves above me allowing sunshine to fall, gracefully onto my face. I close my eyes and listen as the hammock sways me gently. With a bold splash someone dives into the relieving cool of a backyard pool. An insect hums and chirps while lounging on a leaf. A lawn mower putters and roars as it begins to hack away at a mighty forest that’s been allowed to grow far too long. My dog beneath the hammock pants contentedly. Somewhere near a happy laugh celebrates freedom from school for many weeks to come. And then I hear a tinkling like the music at a fairy ball. For ages that very sound has attracted kids like moths to a flame. I jump to my feet and set out at a sprint towards the iconic ice cream truck. With every step my flip-flops snap as my feet pound against the asphalt. Although the peaceful trance is broken I still love no song more than the soundtrack of summer in full swing. Rebecca Kilroy, 11Basking Ridge, New Jersey