Shadow Castle: Expanded Edition

My mother had read her very old copy of this to me as a child. Having decided to revisit it, I'm very glad I did. Given that it's primarily for younger readers, it lacks certain detail, but in other ways I find it vastly superior to many YA or even adult novels of the current year. Refreshingly devoid of presentism in its presentation of medieval kingdoms and the like, it has an authenticity that anything written these days attempting to capture an 'old fairytale' feel simply cannot attain.In the case of the audiobook, I did find the reader's style of narration a little monotone when not explicitly reading dialogue. Almost Text-To-Speech in fact, however, she does a fantastic job giving characters voices of their own, and even within the narration has a voice that meshes well with the overall feel of the book.

My mom had a old beat up copy that she loved as a child, and I loved it too growing up. Now, as an adult, it was such a treat to reread! Enchanting and delightful.

While exploring the woods near her home, a young girl, Lucy, encounters a small dog. She allows the friendly creature to lead her along a faded pathway, into a hidden cave and through a tunnel. When she emerges from the darkness, Lucy discovers an enchanted land and a young man named Michael who treats her to stories about the people and other beings who once lived there.One of my all time favorite books, Shadow Castle is a wonderful fairy tale full of goblins and dragons, fairies and magic and love. Like many other reviewers, I first read this when I was very young. But, unlike many, I never lost my copy. I shared it with my own children and am now sharing it with their children.I was excited to find Shadow Castle on Amazon a few years ago and happy to be able to purchase it in a hardcover library binding since my old paperback was showing its age. (Of course, I still kept the beloved original!) When the expanded edition was offered, I got that, too and enjoyed reading about some further adventures of characters I have loved most of my life.When my only daughter graduated from high school, I gave her her own copy of Shadow Castle to cherish. Years before, this was the book that had made her fall in love with reading. But I also chose it because I want her to always believe that life is filled with more than we may be aware of.Very highly and happily recommended.

Like many other reviewers, I read Shadow Castle as a child. It was a school book, so I never owned a copy and had, indeed, forgotten the title, though not Prince Mika, Gloria, Flumpdoria, Bluebell, Robin and Meira. When the image of the book came up in suggested titles, though, I immediately remembered it. It is one of those books that completely creates its enchanted world--the stories are touching, surprising and funny all at once. For girls who love stories with magic in them, the book hits just the right notes over and over again. While it can be enjoyed by younger children, I'd peg it for 8 and up as I think older readers will enjoy the comedy and romance more.Anyway, I ordered it and gave it to my 10-year-old daughter for Christmas. With all the wonderful princess novels now out there, I wondered if the book would weave the same spell on my daughter as it had on me. She was promptly ensorcelled. A few hours later, she'd finished the book and then started it again. "It's perfect," she said. "It's the book of my dreams."So glad the Authors Guild has made Shadow Castle available again.

I am always looking for quality fiction for my advanced 8 year old reader. This book is an excellent buy. Furthermore, each chapter is set up as a short story in it's own, though they are all serial, all tying in to the over history of the residents of Shadow Castle. I pre-read the whole book before giving it to my daughter. She really is enjoying it. There are goblins, fairies, and dragons. So if you are not a fan of fantasy, it won't be your cup of tea. But no characters are really killed, maybe just turned into doorknobs for a 1000 years : ) My daughter is very sensitive and prone to nightmares and has handled this book fine. The quality of the writing is very good too, another common problem with modern YA content.

I read this book when I was about 8 years old, but didn't remember the ending. This story always stayed with me in the back of my mind. I enjoyed finally reading the ending. This is a sweet, funny fairytale with a happy ending. I do wish the author was still living so we could have a continuation of this tale. A little girl finds her way to a mysterious castle and meets a man, Michael who is waiting for something. During the wait he tells the girl several stories, fairytales, to pass the time. Most of the writing is great, but some is a little silly. I recommend for kids at least 8-10 years old. Still love the story.

I first read this book when I was about 11 years old, when it was first published and the ink used in the book was green. I fell in love with it instantly and read and re-read it again and again. When my famly moved after my graduation from Puerto Rico to Florida, I had it packed with all my favorite books. Alas, I traveled to Calif. before our household belongings arrived in FL and when I came back from CA after six months, my folks had "unpacked" my stuff and my precious "Shadow Castle" was nowhere to be found. I have mourned its loss for thirty years now. I cannot express how thrilled I am to have found it again. Thanks to Amazon.com and all the wonderful vendors who carry long-lost and out of print books. I will not let this book leave my sight again! I am going to get an extra copy for my grand-daughter!

I was able to replace one of my favorite Scholastic book order books in a timely manner. I look forward to reading Shadow Castle this weekend.

I have been wanting to get a copy of this book years. Fortunately other people wanted it as well and there were some descriptions of it on the internet because I couldn't remember the name or the author.It was as good as I remembered. Thankful that they reprinted it.

I knew this book was for younger readers, but must admit, didn't realize just how young, lol. Still, now that I have read it, I thought I'd add my own review to the huge pile here especially as most of them are a bit sparse in content description - hence my own mishap.The book tells the story of a little girl that finds a hidden valley with a castle in it. She meets a stranger who then tells her the story of the castle and the people that used to live there. Those stories make up the bulk of the book and have typical fairy creatures like goblins, beautiful princesses, magic and dragons in them. There is a nice twist at the end which might surprise the little ones though older readers will certainly have spotted it early on.All in all, the book is a typical fairytale and is beautifully written. Who should read it? Difficult one. In this day and age small children grow up fast and most are much more streetwise than their parents generation at that age which means that this book is probably far too simple, story wise, for children over the age of about five or six. For those younger than that though, it would be a great bedtime story book for parents to read to them. It will probably captivate the girls more than the boys but there are plenty of battle scenes to have at least the younger boys interested as well.I gave it four rather than five stars because whilst I thought it was a lovely book, I wasn't totally captivated. But then... I am an adult. There is also the fact that the little girl totally ignores the 'don't talk to strangers' rule which may not be the role model you want to give your children.

The best book

Read this when I was little and loved it then and love it now.