Hi y’all!

Fall is here, and I am so happy!! We are loving the cooler weather and all the pumpkin things. It’s my favorite season and made even more exciting this year because it means we are closer to welcoming our new baby into our family!

Today I am excited to share my review of The Enchanted Castle by E Nesbit. I have several of her books on my latest Classics Club list and I really enjoyed this one!

Book Summary: “When Jerry, Jimmy and Cathy discover a tunnel that leads to a castle, they pretend that it is enchanted. But when they discover a Sleeping Princess at the centre of a maze, astonishing things begin to happen. Amongst a horde of jewels they discover a ring that grants wishes. But wishes granted are not always wishes wanted, so the children find themselves grappling with invisibility, dinosaurs, a ghost and the fearsome Ugli-Wuglies before it is all resolved.”

I really enjoyed this children’s classic. The four kids (3 siblings and a found friend) are delightful and have so many fun adventures. I think young readers would especially connect with these characters. They feel authentic and like kids that you could meet anywhere. They take care of each other. They make mistakes. They argue. They find solutions to their problems together. And they find so much joy in their adventuring. Some of my favorite adventures include: live statue feast on the island, the many adventures of the invisibility ring, when one boy wishes to be old, when they make their fake people come alive, and every evening on the castle grounds. The adventures are clever, fun and the perfect blend of scary and exciting.

I enjoyed the magic in this story. Its subtle and doesn’t just work no matter what. There are limitations to the magic and no one knows quite what they are. Part of the fun of this book is figuring out the magic alongside the kids. They can’t understand at first why the ring makes you invisible or for how long. Then they piece together the why and a new adventure begins with the magic a bit different. The clever ways their adventures change and surprise them were so much fun. I really loved the magical elements in the story!

I actually listened to this and enjoyed the narration. Hearing the stories read out loud was a delight and I think paints the picture of the stories so well. I could see the castle and the ring and all the magical delights of the story. I would love to read this aloud to my kids one day. I think they’d enjoy it.

Overall, a lovely children’s classic! I really enjoy E Nesbit’s novels and hope to continue to read more in future.

What are some of your favorite children’s classics?
Any E Nesbit fans out there? Which of her novels do you enjoy?

This is my 12th classic finished on my 2nd list for The Classics Club!
Check out my full list here. To see my completed first list, click here. For more info on the club, click here.