According to Goodreads, Knight’s Castle is the second book of this series. I don’t believe it makes any difference in which order you read these first few books. However, I enjoyed reading Half Magic first and would have preferred to read Magic by the Lake afterwards just because the characters are the same. If you don’t mind a change of characters back and forth than I would just read them in the order Goodreads has listed. The only detail you miss if you skip this book is that Martha and Katherine are the mothers of the children in this book.I thought Knight’s Castle was an okay book. I liked others in this series much more, but it would be a great book for anyone who really likes castles and the medieval era. I didn’t much enjoy the medieval speech much either and their was a lot of it. I’m not sure if younger children would even be able to understand the speech very well.I really enjoyed the characters and thought they were well described right away, especially Roger and Ann. If you ever read Half Magic their mother is Martha. Also, their cousins, Jack and Eliza were well described and they are the children of Martha’s sister Katherine. It was very interesting to know that they are the children of the characters from the first Tales of Magic book. However, their parents don’t play much of a role in this novel. I was looking forward to hearing more about the adventures of Martha, Katherine, Jane, and Mark, but I wasn’t entirely disappointed. I just get so familiar with a set of characters that I enjoy reading about them again, and it is harder to start over with new characters.The plot was pretty interesting and I will say that I believe this novel is written more for younger boys than girls, whereas Half Magic was pretty gender neutral. There are a lot of battle scenes (not too gruesome, but a part did mention heads being chopped off) and discussions about witches, magic, relationships, and marriage. Nothing that should be too inappropriate for younger children. Always reading the book yourself before giving or reading it to your child is always a good idea.One of the great things about the story are all the literary references that Eager throws into his novel. In this book Ivanhoe and Robin Hood are part of the story. If a child likes these particular characters or wants to know more about them it’s a great way to get them to read more books.Overall, it was a good book and I did enjoy it, but it’s not my favorite. I believe that it would be a great book for a younger boy, or anyone who enjoys great adventures and loves castles and knights!
Hey, like magic? Pick up a copy of Knight’s Castle by Edward Eager. But, even if you don’t like magic, I recommend picking up a copy. You’ll still love this terrific book. The magic begins when Roger and Ann must go to Baltimore to stay with their cousins when their father gets sick and, on the train, Roger’s toy soldier (who he calls ‘The Old One’) suddenly speaks to him. There is a present of a toy castle and knights waiting for him there, which he realizes are also magic when he is teleported back to medieval times when he goes to sleep after playing with it. But, Roger messes up history during his visit by telling The Black Knight what is going to happen next in history, which changes the sequence of time and leads to an age where the bad guys rule instead of a happy ending. Roger, Ann and their cousins (with advice from ‘The Old One’) must save this twisted medieval times in order to save history and earn their wish to save their father. But, every time they try to go back in time to before the mistake happened, they are only able to return to where they last left off. I like the way the medieval people think that Roger, Ann, Jack and Eliza are wielders of ‘elvish’ magic. I think that’s funny. I also like that a toy castle can cause all of this commotion about going back in time. I wish I could give this book six stars, but it only lets me give five. Read this book, I definitely recommend it.
What do You think about Knight's Castle (1999)?
I read this book aloud to my daughter in the hope that I'd be able to capture some of the magic it made me believe in when I read it as a child. It's extremely well written. Eager is a master storyteller. It's hopelessly out of date, though, and that would make it difficult to recommend to a young reader. While they'd get swept away in the stories within the story, it's hard to not imagine having to explain some of the slang and some of the mannerisms of the characters to readers. It's even harder imagining readers empathizing with the characters in their normal settings. It isn't until they're caught up in the magic that you can suspend disbelief enough to enjoy the story.
—Caren Johnson Estesen
When Roger and Ann’s father finds out he is ill, the family must travel with him to Baltimore while he receives medical treatment. Roger and Ann move in with their cousins, Jack and Eliza, and spend their days playing with a knight’s castle and toy soldiers. Roger’s older toy soldier comes alive and with a bit of magic he sends Roger into an unknown land. The children soon all travel into the world they’ve built with their toys and they must learn to navigate the territory which holds Robin Hood and Ivanhoe. I was strongly reminded of the Narnia book, Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Eager’s series is fun because each book holds adventure and life lessons for the kids. Start with Half Magic and then keep reading!
—Melissa
I just read this one recently, but when D started reading me "The Castle in the Attic", I couldn't help remarking on the similarities between the plots. However, Edward Eager did it first and (I think we can both agree) better. Four cousins visiting for the summer become involved in a magical adventure centered around and marvelous toy castle and a mysterious old toy soldier. They learn that, despite their differences in age, gender, and interests, they can all learn to get along, and wind up having a marvelous time. In the course of their adventures, they meet Robin Hood, King Richard I, and Prince John, and end up re-writing the plot of Ivanhoe, much to their satisfaction. Highly recommended for ages 8+ and grownups, too.
—Rowan
