A story about magic and evil through the eyes of a group of children during the peak of World War II, The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox is made of the stuff of classic middle grade literature.
Something is not right at Rookskill Castle, a rundown Scottish manor shrouded in mystery. The castle is a temporary boarding school for children escaping the Blitz, but soon it’s clear there is something terribly wrong. There are clues hinting that a spy is in the house, and there are undeniable signs of a sinister magic. When the children in the castle’s temporary boarding school begin disappearing one by one, it’s a race against the clock for twelve-year-old Kat Bateson, her two younger siblings, and their new best friend.
The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle is filled with the perfect, eerie mood — a creepy castle in the isolated Scottish countryside, dreary weather, and a legitimate terror after their literal souls. Fox sets the mood perfectly, with her evocative descriptions of the castle, its surrounding area, and the handful of people Kat and her siblings encounter. Her writing truly transports the reader to the dreary castle and its creepy goings-on. Read this book after dark at your own risk … it definitely has its creepy moments!
But there’s a really lovely quality at the heart of this book that I find so special. It reminds me so much of the classic middle grade books I read growing up. Books like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and the books that inspired Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
With magic and evil, and a group of clever, determined children, The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle is the type of book that young readers will surely cherish for generations to come.
Look for it in stores March 15th.
Novel Novice 
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