Tuesdays at the Castle

by Jessica Day George Narrated by Grace Andrews

Overview

Bloomsbury presents Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George, read by Grace Andrews. See where it all began with the start to Jessica Day George's bestselling series about a castle that can rebuild itself and the children who defend it. Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the Castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the Castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions. But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom. Don't miss these other stories from New York Times bestselling author Jessica Day George: The Rose Legacy series The Rose Legacy Tuesdays at the Castle series Tuesdays at the Castle Wednesdays in the Tower Thursdays with the Crown Fridays with the Wizards Saturdays at Sea Dragon Slippers series Dragon Slippers Dragon Flight Dragon Spear The Twelve Dancing Princesses series Princess of the Midnight Ball Princess of Glass Princess of the Silver Woods Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow Silver in the Blood

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"This enjoyable romp turns mischief into political action and a stone palace into a cunning character. . . . These kids are clever, as is George's adventure. May pique castle envy." —Kirkus

"This story puts an unexpected spin on the typical princess tale. Readers will root equally for crafty Celie and for her castle, a truly unique and memorable 'pet.'" —Library Media Connection

"Castle Glower is the true star of this charming story of court intrigue and magic. A satisfying mix of Hogwarts and Howl's Moving Castle, Castle Glower helps its true citizens, but never at the expense of plot or character development. . . . Adventure stories fans will enjoy this as much as children who wear their wizard cloaks proudly." —SLJ

"There is a warmth here that is utterly irresistible, both in Celie as the plucky, resourceful protagonist . . . and the maternal, protective nature of her guardian castle. Furthermore, Celie's devotion to her older brother and sister is appealing, and it's refreshing to see siblings who get along despite their differing personalities." —BCCB

Kirkus Reviews

This enjoyable romp turns mischief into political action and a stone palace into a cunning character.

Castle Glower always chooses its own king, and its current is Celie's father. Celie's family knows the castle's rules—for example, no matter where you are, "if you turned left three times and climbed through the next window, you'd end up in the kitchens"—so they navigate fine, even when Castle Glower gets bored of a Tuesday and grows a new room or hallway. When disaster strikes, the castle's protective love becomes paramount. Celie's parents and eldest brother Bran are reported killed in an ambush, leaving three siblings at home to fend off a foreign prince who's trying to assassinate Celie's brother Rolf and steal the crown. Pranks such as spreading manure on the soles of shoes and snipping threads so the baddies' clothes fall off make the siblings (and readers) giggle, but underneath the capers lies a bit of deftly written grief and fear. Luckily there are comforting clues: If King Glower were really dead, wouldn't this sentient, active castle have adapted heir Rolf's bedroom into a king's room? Instead, the foreign prince's rooms become ever smaller and bleaker, proving the castle's disapproval; but Celie and sibs still need to win the day. Never fear: These kids are clever, as is George's lively adventure.

May pique castle envy. (Fantasy. 8-11)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940195114176
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Children's Books
Publication date:	03/26/2021
Series:	Tuesdays at the Castle Series
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1

Whenever Castle Glower became bored, it would grow a new room or two. It usually happened on Tuesdays, when King Glower was hearing petitions, so it was the duty of the guards at the front gates to tell petitioners the only two rules the Castle seemed to follow.

Rule One: The throne room was always to the east. No matter where you were in the Castle, if you kept heading east you would find the throne room eventually. The only trick to this was figuring out which way east was, especially if you found yourself in a windowless corridor. Or the dungeon.

This was the reason that most guests stuck with Rule Two: If you turned left three times and climbed through the next window, you'd end up in the kitchens, and one of the staff could lead you to the throne room or wherever you needed to go.

Celie only used Rule Two when she wanted to steal a treat from the kitchens, and Rule One when she wanted to watch her father at work. Her father was King Glower the Seventy- ninth, and like him, Celie always knew which way was east.

And also like him, Celie truly loved Castle Glower. She never minded being late for lessons because the corridor outside her room had become twice as long, and she certainly didn't mind the new room in the south wing that had a bouncy floor. Even if you could only get to it by climbing through the fireplace of the winter dining hall.

King Glower the Seventy- ninth, on the other hand, valued punctuality and didn't enjoy being late for dinner because the Castle had built a new corridor that ran from the main hall under the courtyard to the pastures, and all the sheep had wandered inside to chew the tapestries. He also didn't particularly like waiting for hours for the Ambassador of Bendeswe, only to find that the Castle had removed the door to the ambassador's room, trapping the man inside. Of course, the king had to admit that there was usually some strange logic to the Castle's movements. The Ambassador of Bendeswe, for instance, had turned out to be a spy, and the sheep . . . well, that had all been mere whim; but there was still logic to be found if you looked hard enough. King Glower admitted this freely, and he made it clear that he respected the Castle. He had to; otherwise he would no longer be king.

The Castle didn't seem to care if you were descended from a royal line, or if you were brave or intelligent. No, Castle Glower picked kings based on some other criteria all its own. Celie's father, Glower the Seventy- ninth, was the tenth in their family to bear that name, a matter of tremendous pride throughout the land. His great- great- greatgreat-great- great- great- great- grandfather had become king when Glower the Sixty- ninth's only heir had turned out to be a nincompoop. Legend had it that the Castle had repeatedly steered the old king's barber to the throne room via a changing series of corridors for days until the Royal Council had him declared the next king, while the young man who should have been Glower the Seventieth found himself head-down in a haystack after having been forcibly ejected from the Castle through the water closet.

King Glower the Seventy- ninth, Lord of the Castle, Master of the Brine Sea, and Sovereign of the Land of Sleyne, knew when to leave well enough alone. He married the beautiful daughter of the Royal Wizard when the Castle guided them into the same room and then sealed the doors for a day. He paid attention when the Castle gave people larger rooms or softer chairs. When his older son, Bran, kept finding his room full of books and astrolabes, while his second son Rolf's bedroom was moved next to the throne room, King Glower sent Bran to the College of Wizardry, and declared Rolf his heir.

And when little Celie was sick, and the Castle filled her room with flowers, King Glower agreed with it. Everybody loved Celie, the fourth and most delightful of the royal children.

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