Lorina's older sister, Alice, has had fantastic adventures in strange lands. When Lorina finds the Castle, she enters a crazy world where the Insiders have everything and the Outsiders are starving.
Lorina's older sister, Alice, has had fantastic adventures in strange lands. When Lorina finds the Castle, she enters a crazy world where the Insiders have everything and the Outsiders are starving.
Gr 3-5-Clive Mantle, a talented narrator, does his best with this rather strained parable about racism, class, and the environment by British author David Henry Wilson. Lorina must write about a special place for her school report, so she decides to visit a magical land accessible through the nearby woods. There, she comes upon the malnourished green people who are being poisoned by smoke emanating from the nearby castle. Lorina goes to the castle and attempts to gain aid for the green people by talking to those in power, who happen to be pigs. After getting passed around from one inefficient bureaucrat to another, Lorina realizes that there are no good reasons for the green people to be treated as serfs or for polluting the environment. After much satire about western society, Lorina is able to restore the rightful king to the throne. Mantle is an expressive reader, using a variety of vocal characterizations to help listeners keep track of the different characters. It is questionable whether or not children will appreciate the many puns (the pompous animal administrator is a superviper, the cruel president is the piggident, the officious bureacrat is a bureaurat) and plays on common phrases, but the tale does highlight the perils of arrogance, blind belief, and falsity.-B. Allison Gray, South Country Library, Bellport, NY Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
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Overview
Lorina's older sister, Alice, has had fantastic adventures in strange lands. When Lorina finds the Castle, she enters a crazy world where the Insiders have everything and the Outsiders are starving.