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Das Wasserschloss (2013)

by Megan Frazer Blakemore(Favorite Author)

3.84 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

355155644X (ISBN13: 9783551556448)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Carlsen

review 1: This is an ambitious novel that includes many interesting elements (three compelling main characters, a story from 100 years ago interspersed throughout, the quest to find the North Pole echoing the quest for a Fountain of Youth in the town where the book is set). The set-up is great--an ordinary boy coming to live in a very mysterious town because his father can get medical attention there--and the suspense is wonderful. I think this would be an excellent book to read and discuss with middle school students because there are so many opportunities to make inferences and piece together the mysteries. (Selfishly, I wish that Ephraim, Mallory, and Will were in seventh grade instead of sixth, because their story is complex enough to appeal to my seventh and eighth grade studen... morets, but it tends to be tough to get students to read about characters who are younger than they are.) Because of the suspense, the complexity, and the opportunities for discussion, I think this book could make an excellent read aloud...but the detailed, lovely descriptions and gradual pacing might actually mean that it's better for a small group of students to read and then discuss. The ending caught me off guard at first because things are still so up in the air that I assumed there must be a sequel on the way, but the open-ended conclusion does leave room for a lot of fun and generative discussions. I really enjoyed this smart, layered, and unusual novel!
review 2: The Water Castle is an interesting type of book and it's a little hard for me to wrap my brain around what it is exactly supposed to do. I guess I'm not really sure what it is trying to do. It has some good moments and a great and original idea. But for me the book didn't accomplish what it attempted. I think the author probably tied up some loose ends along the way in the story, but then again, I am not sure if she did. Our book club discussion was a lot of fun, but for me something was missing here. Really, I don't need story satisfaction handed to me on a silver platter, but I think a story should come together a little better than this one does. There were just a few too many things that didn't quite connect. less

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