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Title: Tillie Winslow and the Castle of Courage
Author: S. E. Sledden
Narrator: S. E. Sledden
Format: Unabridged
Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
Language: English
Release date: 09-21-11
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7
Publisher's Summary:
Tillie Winslow has plans for her life, and they do not include serving creepy Steramon, Lord of the Manor. He's sneaky, evil, and always up to no good. Tillie believes running away will help, but when she finds herself in a strange, magical land, her troubles only get worse. Join Tillie as she escapes from horrible Lord Steramon and finds odd creatures, long-lost heroes, and ancient magic. Find out if Tillie will ever escape her terrible fate and discover what lies in store for her in S.E. Sledden's Tillie Winslow and the Castle of Courage.
Members Reviews:
Fantastic Writing and a Great Fantasy Tale
Tillie makes for a fabulous fantasy adventure heroine, and YA readers will love following her saga as she bravely and wisely fights for her own freedom and safety. The stakes are high, but Tillie doesn't wait to be saved, and I really loved that about her character. She faces the unknown, many betrayals and twists and turns with tenderness, by acknowledging her fears and persevering, and by helping others. All of these qualities make her a great character who readers will root for. Tillie is not only brave, but she's smart too. For example being able to solve a riddle at an opportune time was heroic in its own way. I like, too, how her father grows through facing his own shortcomings, and the evil characters are delightful evil.
The story is gripping, with lots of fantasy and magical elements keeping things interesting. The writing sets this book far above others. Lots of great details and vocabulary, and the descriptions are fabulous. One scene, for example, has Tillie underwater, fearful and confused, and then experiencing what might be magic, and all of this is written so well that the scene jumps off the page, making perfect sense and feeling like something you've never thought of all at the same time. Similarly, a reunion scene is incredibly moving. Writing like this is such a real pleasure for readers of all ages, and combined with a great story and a winning character makes Tillie Winslow and the Castle of Courage a winner of a book.
Well written, engaging and fresh.
Let's face it, getting kids to sit down and read a book today is no small feat. My daughter hasn't read a book in ages and she's not really big on the 'fantasy/adventure genre. Luckily however, I am.
This is a book geared towards teens or, as they say today 'young adults' / YA. With that in mind I wasn't expecting the kind of thoughts and ideas that author SE Sledden presented, and I say that in a very good way. She doesn't talk down to her audience in any way and the main character, Tillie, is a firecracker of a girl in the mold of Merida from Brave, the recent Disney/Pixar film.
She's contemptuous of all things 'adult', as you might guess, and wants nothing more than to escape to 'something better', even though she has no idea what that might be.
It's standard teen angst fare, to be sure, but told in a charming way that really held me in sway for a few solid hours. I wish my daughter would read this, I really do. I think she would appreciate the similarities that this fictional character has with her own real life. Maybe I can convince her...
In any case, if your daughter is an avid reader this is a wonderful, charming and thought provoking book, no question.