The Children of Castle Rock

I was really looking forward to reading The Children of Castle Rock, partly because I had really enjoyed Natasha Farrant's Bluebell Gadsby series, and partly because the story seemed right up my alley- a boarding school story about friendships and misfit underdogs and mystery and adventure. While it IS all this and more, there were quite a few things that made me not like the book as much as I thought I would.The Pros:I loved the school and everything about it: its setting in a lonely, wild and beautiful valley by a stormy loch, and its wonderfully unconventional rules and culture and teachers that allow individual personalities of the children to emerge and shine.Natasha Farrant's writing does full justice to the glorious untamed beauty of the Scottish Islands. I felt as though I was right there!And I really liked and could relate to two of the three protagonists- Jesse and Fergus. They are real children with real insecurities and emotions and I would love to have friends like them.The Cons:I am ambivalent about the second person narrative- it interrupts the flow of the narration when author takes a break to quickly address the reader and then go back to the story. The author also appears like some kind of Grand Puppeteer who pulls all the strings when she warns the reader about the perils that lie ahead. I much rather prefer the third person narrative for such stories.There are some plot loopholes, the biggest of which is- will any school or teacher let 12-year olds hike in open country without any adult supervision for three days, in small groups of three? This seemed possible in the 1940's when Enid Blyton wrote the adventures of the Famous Five when the kids would routinely take off on 'hols' alone- hiking or camping or caravanning. But in the noughties, I doubt if this is done anymore.Last and most important- I just couldn't relate to Alice, the main protagonist. I know the facts of her young life and could feel for her- but she came across as too self-absorbed at times. Being 'dreamy' does not condone being thoughtless. For example, in the climax of the book, while Jesse and Fergus are trying to get them out the massive pickle they are in, Alice sits back and dreams of a story. Agreed, its the story of her life, but still! There is a time and ppace for dreaming, and it is not the action-packed dangerous finale of an adventure. Sniff!In short, read the book for glorious descriptions of the Scottish wilderness and for a good dose of adventure. Do not expect too much by of lovable characters or heart-warming friendships or feel-good fuzzy feels.

Just in time for Christmas

Yes, it is a page turning adventure, but there is so much more to this story than a boarding school romp. Farrant captures the yearning and misery of a lost home, it is beautifully described ( ... the cherry trees, the rose bush) even better than a Noel Streatfield who used the dream-of-a-home emotion in every novel; and then Farrant has a 'meeting on a train' scene that has all the detail and charm of Harry Potter and Ron's first encounter; and then there are lakes and mountains and Scotland in wonderful landscape ... it never gets in the way of the story, but touches the heart.Best of all is a continual theme of how totally crap parents are, and how much their children love them despite their uselessness. If only it were true.More please.

Very interesting plot and good characters

I have just finished The Children of Castle Rock. It made me long for Scotland and sleeper trains, of course, and I was delighted to see the children out in wild countryside, coping with weather. A lovely cast. But what I enjoyed most was the narrative voice- so E Nesbit- I can't think of any other modern writer who has done that. It works so well, just like being told a story aloud. Completely enjoyed it!

I think this book is really good because it is like the Famous Five made modern with phones, etc. I love adventure books and usually I take my time and read books very slow but I just couldn't put this book down and I ended up finishing it within three days. I don't think I will ever love a different book again like I did with this one. IT IS SO AMAZING!!Alex age 10