dandelionfluff's review
2.0
Alright, so, this book came to me when I was a preteen, and I gave it away. For years, I remembered a book about stone lions coming to life, strange things happening in an old house... and it took years to remember what its title was. Thank you, Scholastic, for letting me find it again. So, not remembering the whole thing, I reread it.
I saw what frustrated me earlier: the ending. She just... leaves. The mother, being the neglectful selfish thing she was, never assumes a better mother role. The whole thing just seemed terribly convenient, with no real resolve. Magic didn't help, really, and the main character essentially gets to run away from her problems.
I saw what frustrated me earlier: the ending. She just... leaves. The mother, being the neglectful selfish thing she was, never assumes a better mother role. The whole thing just seemed terribly convenient, with no real resolve. Magic didn't help, really, and the main character essentially gets to run away from her problems.
aklibrarychick's review
3.0
I saw this one in the bookstore and it looked good, so I checked it out at the library.
This is a book for older kids, but of course, I always love this genre. Griffin's Castle is sort of a combination of science fiction and fantasy.
The main character is twelve and is being raised by a flaky single mom in modern day Wales. She is not the girly, fluffy type of daughter the mom would want. She is outspoken, unconcerned with fitting in, inquisitive and very smart.
They move into a dilapidated old house provided by her mom's new sleazy boyfriend. The girl loves the house with the passion of someone whose never had a place to really call home. She befriends (or is befriended by)a couple of outcasts at her new school, and an unusual set of friendships develop. Surrounding all this is a fantasy (or is it real?) of stone animals come to life and acting as her guardians, a bedraggled cat who follows her everywhere, and the mystery of the girls past.
This is a book for older kids, but of course, I always love this genre. Griffin's Castle is sort of a combination of science fiction and fantasy.
The main character is twelve and is being raised by a flaky single mom in modern day Wales. She is not the girly, fluffy type of daughter the mom would want. She is outspoken, unconcerned with fitting in, inquisitive and very smart.
They move into a dilapidated old house provided by her mom's new sleazy boyfriend. The girl loves the house with the passion of someone whose never had a place to really call home. She befriends (or is befriended by)a couple of outcasts at her new school, and an unusual set of friendships develop. Surrounding all this is a fantasy (or is it real?) of stone animals come to life and acting as her guardians, a bedraggled cat who follows her everywhere, and the mystery of the girls past.
madmadammim's review
4.0
I read this book for the first time a very long time ago, and I liked it, but I don't think I really got it very well. I don't know that I do now, either, but I really like this story.
kinderny's review
4.0
I can see why this was nominated for awards. Dinah is a smart girl who has lived a rough life going from one temporary residence to another with her single mom. At one point her Mom “lost her” but now they are reunited. Her mother is easily distracted by nice presents and bright lights, but Dinah sees that her mother’s current boyfriend just wants the Mom and not her around. So she makes friends with the stone animals surrounding the castle down the road and they come to life, offering aid in her fight against her Mom’s evil boyfriend. Along the way she has to come to trust some classmates and realizes that the stone animals’ friendship also has its dangers. Good story but I am not sure if it is one that will appeal more to what adults think kids like rather than what they actually like. But I really like the Dinah character and I think middle grade fantasy readers might too. It is a bit dark though, so may not be good for all readers.
thatbookhoarder's review
3.0
I bought the book because of the cover and it was sort of in my genre. I thought the book was pretty good and it made me very exited to the end. I was thinking 'there is going to happen something' but nother happened. The end kind of left me empty, I was expecting more and I thought I had the clues together in my head but the clues led nowhere. I got really dragged into the story and it was very fun but the end just kind of ruined it for me.
youngheatherm11's review
3.0
This book has an interesting concept but I didn't throughly love the follow through. I kept getting confused when I was reading the story about who some of the characters were. The end seemed a little slapped together/rushed and there were just too many elements going on at a surface level throughout the story (I would have prefered fewer ideas more fleshed out).
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