The Castle School (for Troubled Girls)

by Alyssa Sheinmel

Overview

Set in an experimental boarding school for teens dealing with trauma, The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) follows one girl's journey through grief and her eleven classmates, each with their own issues, that help her find a path to healing. Perfect for fans of Kathleen Glasgow, this atmospheric, emotional tear-jerker will leave you speechless.

When Moira Dreyfuss's parents announce that they're sending her to an all-girls boarding school deep in the Maine woods, Moira isn't fooled. She knows her parents are punishing her; she's been too much trouble since her best friend, Nathan, died—and for a while before that. At the Castle School, isolated from the rest of the world, Moira will be expected to pour her heart out to the odd headmaster, Dr. Prince. But she isn't interested in getting over Nathan's death or befriending her fellow students.

On her first night there, Moira hears distant music. On her second, she discovers the lock on her window is broken. On her third, she and her roommate venture outside…and learn that they're not so isolated after all. There's another, very different, Castle School nearby—this one filled with boys whose parents sent them away, too.

Moira is convinced that the Castle Schools and the doctors who run them are hiding something. But exploring the schools will force Moira to confront her overwhelming grief—and the real reasons her parents sent her away.

Praise for The Castle School (for Troubled Girls):

"Achingly beautiful. Moira's story gripped me from the first page and held me fast long after I finished reading."—Gilly Segal, New York Times bestselling co-author of I'm Not Dying with You Tonight

"Hooked me from page one. I couldn't stop reading until I had every single answer."—Francesca Zappia, author of Eliza and Her Monsters

"Beneath the trappings of a fast-paced mystery, this novel holds a heartrending exploration of adolescent grief... Memorable."—Booklist

"Complex and layered... A heartfelt exploration of grief, guilt, and recovery."—School Library Journal

"Mental health awareness wrapped in a captivating storyline."—Kirkus

"An effective exploration of mental illness, and it will share a coveted place on reading lists with Laurie Halse Anderson and Patricia McCormick."—BCCB

Also by Alyssa Sheinmel:

A Danger to Herself and Others

What Kind of Girl

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728220987
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	03/02/2021
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	1,150,639
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.60(d)
Lexile:	HL740L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Alyssa Sheinmel is the bestselling author of several novels for young adults including A Danger to Herself and Others and Faceless. Alyssa currently lives and writes in New York. Follow Alyssa on Instagram and Twitter @AlyssaSheinmel or visit her online at alyssasheinmel.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/25/2021

Following the death of her best friend, high school senior Moira Dreyfuss skips school, sneaks out at night, and gets a tattoo. Frustrated, her parents send Moira to the Castle School in Maine, a talk therapy program that provides new circumstances to “troubled” girls. Moira’s distrust of therapist Dr. Prince is heightened by his rules, including a strict curfew and no phones or junk food. As the semester progresses, Moira becomes friendly with the 11 other girls at the school, and with roommate Eleanor, she uncovers a mystery—a second castle housing 12 boys also in treatment but living with little supervision. While Moira’s viewpoint guides the novel, Sheinmel (What Kind of Girl) sensitively explores the reasons that brought each girl to Castle School, including addiction and kleptomania, emphasizing conversations between the healing schoolmates and between Moira and Dr. Prince. Despite a lengthy wrap-up, Sheinmel’s introspective story skillfully illustrates the weight of grief, the difference between adaptive and nonadaptive reactions to trauma, and the healing power of radical acceptance. Ages 14–up. Agent: Mollie Glick, Creative Artists Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Hooked me from page one. I couldn’t stop reading until I had every single answer." — Francesca Zappia, author of Eliza and Her Monsters

"An achingly beautiful exploration of grief and relationships, parents and children, the ways we hurt and the ways we heal. THE CASTLE SCHOOL masterfully displays Sheinmel's talent for building tension while crafting complex, flawed and fascinating characters. Moira's story and those of the students at the mysterious Castle Schools gripped me from the first page and held me fast long after I finished reading." — Gilly Segal, New York Times bestselling co-author of I’m Not Dying with You Tonight

"Beneath the trappings of a fast-paced mystery, this novel holds a heartrending exploration of adolescent grief... Memorable." — Booklist

"Mental health awareness wrapped in a captivating storyline. " — Kirkus Reviews

"Complex and layered... A heartfelt exploration of grief, guilt, and recovery." — School Library Journal

"Sheinmel’s introspective story skillfully illustrates the weight of grief, the difference between adaptive and nonadaptive reactions to trauma, and the healing power of radical acceptance." — Publishers Weekly

"An effective exploration of mental illness, and it will share a coveted place on reading lists with Laurie Halse Anderson and Patricia McCormick." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"In the long run the story seems to center back to Moira’s growth through her pain from Nathan’s death. One of those more poignant narratives that I got choked up while reading was the passage where Moira talks about how we can cry without actual tears." — Youth Services Book Review

From the Publisher

01/01/2021

Gr 9 Up—When Moira, who is white and Jewish, gets a tattoo, it's the last straw. Her parents can no longer cope with her depression, skipping school, and crossing NYC at midnight to visit her best friend's grave. They send her to The Castle School in Maine, which enrolls 12 girls who cope with issues including cutting, kleptomania, and anorexia. Moira finds it strange, without technology or classes, and with regular therapy sessions with Dr. Prince. Is this a psychological experiment? Even so, Moira knows she deserves the punishment for how her friend Nathan died…doesn't she? Interstitial chapters explore the other girls' stories as well. Sheinmel delves deep into the complexities of Moira's mind: her obsessive friendship with Nathan, and her guilt, crushing grief, and failure to understand the motivations of those seeking to help. Through the year Moira starts thinking more about her life, as well as those of her diverse and unexpected new friends. The book's main message is: "Maybe there is…no right thing. Maybe there's only the effort of trying to get it right." All character development is complex and layered, and sensory details create a strong sense of the place that plays a significant role in Moira's growth. Hand this to readers who need to know there's no right way to grieve—or to move forward after grief. VERDICT This boarding school story offers a heartfelt exploration of grief, guilt, and recovery. The complex, distinct characters and strong sense of place will give it wide appeal.—Rebecca Moore, The Overlake Sch., Redmond, WA

School Library Journal

2020-12-22
High school senior Moira Dreyfuss is sent to a remote boarding school known as the Castle.

After the death of her best friend, Moira’s dismal school attendance and late-night graveside visits coupled with a new tattoo push her worried Jewish parents over the edge. Moira is banished to the Castle, a school for troubled girls where psychiatrist Dr. Prince believes removing young people from their current environments will help them confront their problems. A day at the Castle for the 12 girls in attendance begins with breakfast and group therapy followed by low-effort classes and individual therapy. Moira isn’t happy about being sent away and knows she’s disappointed her parents, but she also senses that the Castle is not what it seems. When she notices her window’s broken padlock, she and her roommate, Eleanor, begin to sneak out and unravel the secrets of the institution and its leader, the enigmatic Dr. Prince. Moira’s character growth unfolds gradually and is satisfying to read; her fellow classmates prove that they’re far more than their diagnoses. Told with an air of mystery and populated with raw, struggling girls, this novel encapsulates themes such as grief, mental illness, addiction, and the value of friendship in times of suffering. It offers a haunting portrayal of the real mental, physical, and emotional challenges that adolescents struggle with. Characters are diverse in ethnicity, family background, and sexuality.

Mental health awareness wrapped in a captivating storyline. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews