Knight's Castle: 08/13/17

Knight's Castle by Edward Eager is the second book in Tales of Magic series. It takes place in the "present day" contemporaneously when it was published (1956), whereas Half Magic was written as historical fiction (or fantasy as the case may be). The children here are the children of the original set of siblings, brought together when Roger and Ann's father needs an important operation in the city.

Now for whatever reason, this family, and now this second generation of family, attracts magical items. Here it's an old figurine mixed in with the toys that brings the children's imagined adventures to life, sometimes with dire consequences.

For anyone reading the book now, there are lots of cultural references which may seem obscure. Roger, for instance is fascinated by Ivanhoe which was made into a film in 1952. But there are also nods to other popular films.

After reading most of the Tales of Magic series now, I have to admit that I prefer the older generation's dynamic to the younger one. The cousins squabble so much that it gets in the way of the adventures.

Four stars

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