Customer Reviews
A Hundred Years Later, it Still Rocks 
2008-07-02
I can't believe this book was written over a hundred years ago! Wow. It's still sooo good. Some kids may take a bit of time getting used to, and understanding, the English as spoken at the time, but after 30 or so pages, it won't be a big deal. But note, there are some pretty old-fashioned and bizarre turns of the phrase; for today's American kids anyway. Strong characters, funny situations, good story, nice resolution and really great writing make this a must-read. Cheerio.
So much better than Harry Potter 2008-05-30
A wonderful, wonderful book. One of the best things about it is that it creates a true, multi-dimensional, believable moral universe. This book steers clear both of the syrupy too-goodness of the Little Lord Fauntleroy and the moral blah-ness of Harry Potter. HP's world (and I've read all of them except for the last politically-correct one) is morally flat; villains do terrible things simply because they are villains, and while racism is appropriately execrated, lying does not even register as a moral choice: everyone does it, including figures of authority like Dumbledore, without a moment's thought. In contrast, in The Enchanted Castle things like lying, stealing, courage vs. cowardice, kindness vs. meanness to others are not assumed away but processed, reflected on: was this lying and when is it OK to lie, was he kind to her just then, etc. And the quality of the writing is outstanding, the language is a delight. This is Literature... HP is mere fiction.
A memorable treasure 2008-02-27
I read this book more than fifty years ago when I was a child and have never forgotten it. How wonderful it is to see that it is available at Amazon! It has everything...humor, mystery, a little bit of romance, but best of all...MAGIC!
Delightful 2007-12-30
This is a really enjoyable work, truly magical. I just wish we had more children's books like this one and more writers like Edith Nesbit. The children discover a magic ring but their wishes come true in a way they never wanted or expected. One of the best children's books I have read.
This children's classic enchanted me ... Brilliant! 2007-11-05
I've always been enraptured by children's books with magic in them, especially when the author writes about ordinary children, weaving magic into the plot with such ease that it's entirely believable.
I found this book in a collection of my granddaughter's childhood books, was out of reading material, so picked it up just for a quick glance. Well, that "quick glance" turned into several hours of pure reading pleasure as I followed elder brother Gerald, his sister Kathleen, and younger brother Jimmy through a cave that ends in a magical garden surrounding an enchanted castle.
When they meet a "sleeping princess" who is not really a princess, but the niece of ... well, that would be a spoiler if I told you more, so I'll refrain from temptation.
Who is this mysterious girl named Mable who leads them on a tour of the castle, showing them some of its mysteries? Are the jewels she conjures real or figments of their imagination? What does a magical ring have to do with it? And how do they become invisible? And just where is the elusive owner of the castle and what connection does he have with the French mistress of Kathleen's school who is in charge of the children for the summer?
Those questions and more are answered by this fantastic author, Edith Nesbitt, in the most charming, believable way. Her writing style is impeccable.
This children's classic was written almost a century before the great HARRY POTTER books, with the adventures being just as original and exciting. THE ENCHANTED CASTLE has everything, including a heart-breaking, old-fashioned love story.
This book held me captive from beginning to end and is written in the style of Edith Nesbit's most popular book, FIVE CHILDREN AND IT!
A must read for all kids ... and kids at heart, like you and me!
Wonderfully Enchanting 2007-07-20
When Jerry, Jimmy and Cathy discover a tunnel that leads to a castle, they pretend that it is enchanted. But when they discover a Sleeping Princess at the centre of a maze, astonishing things begin to happen. Amongst a horde of jewels they discover a ring that grants wishes. But wishes granted are not always wishes wanted, so the children find themselves grappling with invisibility, dinosaurs, a ghost and the fearsome Ugli-Wuglies before it is all resolved. This edition of The Enchanted Castle has forty-seven evocative illustrations by H.R. Millar
THE PRICE OF MAGIC 
2007-06-03
This turn-of-the century children's classic proves a gentle fantasy in the style of her FIVE CHILDREN AND IT. Typical of her fantasy stories these children learn the hard way that wishes are not really free--that sooner or later there is a price to be paid. In this tale three siblings and a neighbor girl (who pretends to be a princess) find themselves relatively free of adult supervision one summer in the English countryside. Obviously the lack of parents and guardians is a critical element for the juvenile protagonists to have the freedom to explore both the physical and magical realms; they quickly realize that no sane adult will take seriously their explanations or narrations of fantastic events.
Gerald, the eldest and a born commander (who imagines himself the hero of a novel which he is writing aloud) leads his sister Kathleen and little brother, Jimmy, on quests of exploration into surreal realms. But it is the acquaintance of Mable, the niece of a housekeeper at a nearby castle, who proves the catalyst for a summer of magic, since it was She who discovered a magic ring amid a secret horde of undreamed of treasure--at least she Claims the ring is magic. Inevitably during the
course of this novel each child Must have a turn to try on the magic ring--with curious, amusing, awkward and even dangerous results. Gerald's
resourcefulness and courage are tested often during 12 long chapters.
As in other Nesbit's fantasies the children soon learn the pitfalls of making thoughtless or unintentional wishes. But all literary children seem destined to learn the price of magic the hard way. Despite the absence of the parents and Mable's aunt there are some adults of interest in the story, adults who have a Past and whose star-crossed paths finally cross in the magic gardens, where stone statues come alive in the moonlight--to be witnessed by special folks only. Related with dainty digs at current affairs and social behavior THE ENCHANTED CASTLE provides is a modest stage for the author to express her personal positions and observations of women's and children's roles in a male-dominated world. Despite the typically Victorian attempts to instill Manners into her young readers E. Nesbit's resulting work offers many moments of unexpected humor. With its homespun quaintness it is arguable how much this book will appeal to 21 century young adults. The entire story is enhanced by the delightful pen-and-ink sketches of H. R. Miller in this Puffin Classics edition.
The best book I've come across in some time 2007-01-04
I found this book in a thrift store last week, and thougt it looked interesting, so I bought. I cannot think of any time I have gotten more for my 75 cents. I was truly amazed at the quality of this book. Mrs. Nesbit has the same magical writing ability as C. S. Lewis. I would not be very surprised if I were to learn that Lewis got some of his ideas for the Narnian Chronicles from this book, as there are many similarities.
This book seemed very much like a book Lewis would have written, though it is lacking his Christian ideas and themes. The characters are amazingly good, as each of the four children has a very unique personality, and it is very interesting to see how each person responds to the situations that arise. I must say that Gerald is one of the best characters in fiction in a very long time. He ranks up there with Mr. Bennet of Pride and Prejudice.
I have encountered very few writers that write truly magical stories. By this I mean that they write stories that somehow feel real. They make an adult feel like a child again while the story lasts. Such authers would be C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Susan Cooper, and newly arrived into my elite group, Edith Nesbit. I am very eager to find more of her work in the hopes that it will be just as good.
Overall grade: A+
Excellent introduction to the world of fantasy 2006-11-13
A wonderful, fairly innocent adventure involving four children and fantastic imagination. Builds on classics, but reading those first certainly isn't necessary.
This is definitely a read-aloud book for kids with longer attention spans and more extensive vocabulary. Since the book was written in the "proper voice" of a woman of the turn of the 20th Century, the language can get a bit weighty and the vocabulary is certainly more advanced than that used by most of us these days, but we got over it by reading with a bit of a "stuffy attitude." We pretended to be "propah" (imagine an accent there) ladies when we read this aloud.
I read much of it aloud...when I could peel it out of the hands of our 6 year old precocious reader.
The 4-year-old (precocious verbalist) was less enthralled due in large part, I believe, to the vocabulary and style of writing.
"The Ring is the Heart of the Magic..." 
2005-06-22
Like most children's fantasy adventures, this one begins with several displaced children, removed from their usual situation due to unfortunate events, and finding their independence in new surroundings. In this case, Gerald, Jimmy and Kathleen find themselves staying at Kathleen's school over the summer holidays in the care of her French teacher. But adventure is on the way, as soon they find a secret path into a beautiful garden where a young princess lies asleep in the centre of a hedge maze.
Of course, it's not real princess, only the housekeeper's niece, but soon her games of make-believe come astonishingly real as the children discover that her ring is really magical and capable of granting any wish they desire! Of course, being children their wishes usually lead them to trouble; and in a book full of living statues, dinosaurs, headless ghosts, burglars, embodied clothing, accelerated growth, invisibility, and reunited lovers, there is plenty for the children to handle and for readers to discover.
Edith Nesbit is one of the masters of children's literature, and is therefore virtually unknown. Published nearly one hundred years ago, E. Nesbit was a Bohemian liberal and philanthropist with a wicked sense of humour and a respect for children that shines in her thoughtful, realistic portrayal of them in her novels. Though some of the language is a bit dated (yet for me, phrases like "jolly good!" and "what a brick!" are part of the charm), the main appeal found within her books is the humour and wit with which the children behave and react to the magical events. Here it is Gerald's habit of narrating the situation, Jimmy's subversive comments concerning his siblings, Kathleen's worrywart nature and Mabel's insistence that she's brave though she speaks: "with the tone of the truly terror-stricken."
Almost secondary to this portrayal of children's habits is the magical components of the ring that Mabel finds in the secret treasury of Yaldhurst Towers. Making several wayward wishes, the children gradually discover some of the rudimentary rules surrounding the ring and its powers whilst attempting to rectify the problems that they get themselves into. Nesbit's melding of normal life and magic is the defining feature of her work, and for the first few chapters the reader is kept in suspense of what's real and what's not. As we get into the more magical components of the story, Nesbit moves from terror-filled scares to comedic escapades to beautiful moments of mysticism, written in a dreamy poetic prose. At all times Nesbit writes in a conversationalist tone, with an ongoing commentary on the nature of facts and magic.
There are some things that could have used some more work, such as a more detailed background story on the ring and its properties. Nesbit has the children realise some fundamental facts about it; such as the time limit on its wishes, the way it removes fear from the wearer and the behavioural changes it creates in the wearer's loved ones, but never explains how and why the ring has these particular traits or where it originally comes from. The golden rule of any fantasy book is for its magical components to have a basic set of rules - if not the book runs the risk of feeling random. In this case the children help to balance the more surreal magical elements, but a few more details on the ring and its origins would have help make the magical storyline a bit more stable.
E. Nesbit is one of the finest children's authors out there. If you haven't already, then give her a go as she's published plenty of great books. "The Enchanted Castle" is a great place to start.
