Scan barcode
kailey_luminouslibro's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Dinah and her mother move into a dilapidated old house, where Dinah discovers a small griffin statue. She names the house the Griffin's Castle, and hopes that they will be able to stay forever. But her mother is not exactly reliable, and the landlord can't stand children. Dinah notices animal statues in the city, wishing that they could protect her new home. The misty spirit of a lioness statue follows Dinah home, and Dinah can see and feel the lioness even though no one else can. Soon, more of the animals statues begin to follow Dinah home, and they become so real that others can feel their presence. Dinah's friends at school are worried about her. Are the animals really protecting the house, or are they imprisoning Dinah within the crumbling walls?
I liked how the real and the mystical were blended in this story. At first, you can't really tell if Dinah is just imagining the animals, or if they are really there. She has a very active imagination, but somehow the things she dreams of seem to come true for other people as well. She can draw other characters into her world of daydreams where anything seems possible.
There are some really deep themes explored in this book. Dinah is searching for permanence in her living situation, and she looks to her family heritage for the stability that her mother can't provide. The animals are like the embodiment of her fears and desires, but they get out of control, leading her down dangerous paths.
Dinah has dealt with some difficult times because her mother bounces them around between homes, staying with friends, or sleeping in shelters. Dinah has had terrible experiences that she stuffs down inside, but they come out in her fears and her weird little habits. There is an awful memory she has of babysitting a friend's baby, but the apartment they lived in had broken windows and no heating. The baby died from hunger and cold while the adults were out partying. When Dinah meets another family with a baby, she is very worried about the baby's well-being. These scenes are heartbreaking and disturbing.
I love this author's writing style! She really brings emotional weight into the story with the little details of the setting. However, I did not like that the POV keeps changing between Dinah and her two friends at school. That's a pet peeve of mine when the POV changes.
I liked how the real and the mystical were blended in this story. At first, you can't really tell if Dinah is just imagining the animals, or if they are really there. She has a very active imagination, but somehow the things she dreams of seem to come true for other people as well. She can draw other characters into her world of daydreams where anything seems possible.
There are some really deep themes explored in this book. Dinah is searching for permanence in her living situation, and she looks to her family heritage for the stability that her mother can't provide. The animals are like the embodiment of her fears and desires, but they get out of control, leading her down dangerous paths.
Dinah has dealt with some difficult times because her mother bounces them around between homes, staying with friends, or sleeping in shelters. Dinah has had terrible experiences that she stuffs down inside, but they come out in her fears and her weird little habits. There is an awful memory she has of babysitting a friend's baby, but the apartment they lived in had broken windows and no heating. The baby died from hunger and cold while the adults were out partying. When Dinah meets another family with a baby, she is very worried about the baby's well-being. These scenes are heartbreaking and disturbing.
I love this author's writing style! She really brings emotional weight into the story with the little details of the setting. However, I did not like that the POV keeps changing between Dinah and her two friends at school. That's a pet peeve of mine when the POV changes.
rukistarsailor's review
3.0
I had read this book as a child, but I don't remember it being so dark. Don't let the mention of magic and the illustration of three children on the cover deceive you into thinking this book is akin to Charlie Bone or Harry Potter. It's not.
While I didn't love this book, I did like that the main character, Dinah, is quite flawed. On the other hand, it was driving me crazy that nobody noticed that Dinah was in serious need of psychological help. That made me feel bad for her.
Anyway, I'm not sure this really a book for kids because it deals (and not very well or appropriately at that) with kind of heavy emotional issues.
In conclusion, this book with written well enough and was intriguing to me, but ultimately failed to gain high marks from me because it took on more than it could handle.
While I didn't love this book, I did like that the main character, Dinah, is quite flawed. On the other hand, it was driving me crazy that nobody noticed that Dinah was in serious need of psychological help. That made me feel bad for her.
Anyway, I'm not sure this really a book for kids because it deals (and not very well or appropriately at that) with kind of heavy emotional issues.
In conclusion, this book with written well enough and was intriguing to me, but ultimately failed to gain high marks from me because it took on more than it could handle.
skyzinnia's review
2.0
It wasn't quite what I was expecting based on the back. It makes it sound like the animals will play a large role, but they are more or less just there existing for the most part.
The story doesn't go into enough detail for everything to come together and make sense and the main character never grows as a person. It never explains how things come to be, why she wants to do certain things, how the animals work, or why they are coming to her.
Overall, it wasn't terrible but it's not as good or as interesting as the back/concept makes it seem.
The story doesn't go into enough detail for everything to come together and make sense and the main character never grows as a person. It never explains how things come to be, why she wants to do certain things, how the animals work, or why they are coming to her.
Overall, it wasn't terrible but it's not as good or as interesting as the back/concept makes it seem.
livlosiewicz's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Pros:
·this book starts off compelling and is an easy read (I guess because it’s a children’s book, but it would be easy for a child to read, too)
·I liked the supporting characters Jacob and Barry and their budding friendship
Cons:
·This book feels incomplete. The stone animals coming to life was never explained and not really central to the plot. Then the plot related to this gimmick sped up at the end and (sort of?) resolved itself quickly without much explanation. The relationships between Dinah and her friends also felt incomplete, and the conflict between Dinah and Gomer/Rosalie was never resolved (unless we count the ending as resolving that part? But the ending came out of nowhere and related to basically nothing else from the book)
·Most of the characters were annoying and unrealistic. Dinah annoyed me a lot, though I suppose the trauma she’s experienced accounts for a lot of personality traits. It also bothered me that the adults kept saying she “wasn’t like other kids” when she absolutely was.
·Okay small exception is when Dinah casually wants a stone animal to KILL Gomer? That felt out of left field to me and disproportionate to the evil stepparent vibe that was happening prior
Recommendation: Ehh. I am at least 15 years older than the target audience and not always a fantasy fan, but I didn’t love this one. The plot was lacking and the characters were annoying, which doesn’t leave much to love. I suppose I recommend for kids who like fantasy books and animals. I strongly preferred the Charlie Bone series over this one.
aotora's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Oh man I wanted to love this book because the description sounded like something I'd enjoy and it's a super short book so I thought that I would love it. Don't be fooled by the description though because that's just a small part of the story.
I didn't like any of the characters- Rosalie, the mother meets a new guy who lets her rent his old house that is falling down - she is constantly going to "work" at night - as in going out with this guy leaving her 11 year old home alone - I mean she has downstairs neighbors who look after her but they leave in the middle of the story, they move to Canada and the dude is a really nice guy - he hates Dinah, the child, is constantly trying to make her mother ditch her or ignore her and he makes that other family live in the basement without heating and proper electricity. What a lovely guy - he is a walking red flag yet the mother is so blind- he is constantly trying to make her go on Christmas vacation with him, Dinah tells her mom that she would go to her aunt for Christmas, mother goes with herto train station .... and doesn't even wait to see her child go on train before she zooms off to the airport so she can be with the love of her ife - Dinah goes home, the house breaks down and she nearly freezes to death but luckily she just happens to meet her great grandpa at the graveyard and he takes her with him to his house - she just trusts that he is indeed her grandpa though and she never says where she went and the book ends before her mother finds out.
Her two friends were so generic...I thought that they'd play a bigger role since they were closer to the stone bear and wolf - I really thought that they will form a team or something and that those animals would be their guardians since it's constantly mentioned that they bond with a wolf and a bear and the girl bonds with the lioness.
The old lady, the mother of the creepy step dad is just there... she adds nothing to the story and I really thought that she would be more important than she was.
The magic is never explained properly- why or how do the animals come to life? Why do they suddenly turn against her and they try to keep her at the house? Why can only the kids see them but adults cannot even though they can feel them? What was with that cat? I thought that it was her great grandmother's spirit or something - and how or why dothe animals change their minds and run back to the wall? It just felt so confusing and the ending felt so rushed - it had so much potential but the pacing was off and the characters were so unlikeable.
I didn't like any of the characters- Rosalie, the mother meets a new guy who lets her rent his old house that is falling down - she is constantly going to "work" at night - as in going out with this guy leaving her 11 year old home alone - I mean she has downstairs neighbors who look after her but they leave in the middle of the story, they move to Canada and the dude is a really nice guy - he hates Dinah, the child, is constantly trying to make her mother ditch her or ignore her and he makes that other family live in the basement without heating and proper electricity. What a lovely guy - he is a walking red flag yet the mother is so blind- he is constantly trying to make her go on Christmas vacation with him, Dinah tells her mom that she would go to her aunt for Christmas, mother goes with herto train station .... and doesn't even wait to see her child go on train before she zooms off to the airport so she can be with the love of her ife - Dinah goes home, the house breaks down and she nearly freezes to death but luckily she just happens to meet her great grandpa at the graveyard and he takes her with him to his house - she just trusts that he is indeed her grandpa though and she never says where she went and the book ends before her mother finds out.
Her two friends were so generic...I thought that they'd play a bigger role since they were closer to the stone bear and wolf - I really thought that they will form a team or something and that those animals would be their guardians since it's constantly mentioned that they bond with a wolf and a bear and the girl bonds with the lioness.
The old lady, the mother of the creepy step dad is just there... she adds nothing to the story and I really thought that she would be more important than she was.
The magic is never explained properly- why or how do the animals come to life? Why do they suddenly turn against her and they try to keep her at the house? Why can only the kids see them but adults cannot even though they can feel them? What was with that cat? I thought that it was her great grandmother's spirit or something - and how or why dothe animals change their minds and run back to the wall? It just felt so confusing and the ending felt so rushed - it had so much potential but the pacing was off and the characters were so unlikeable.
kellymfitzgerald's review
2.0
I found this story mostly depressing and quite confusing and poorly written at many points. A unique idea, but not well expressed. The ending seemed hurriedly wrapped up, like the author got tired and called it quits.
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.