Castle of Books tells the story of an imaginative boy named Ben who lives with his father, a writer, in a house filled with books. What could be a better choice for my first review?
Actually, the boy's name is Benjamin and his father is a poet, but I nevertheless felt very close to this story from the first time I read it with Ben. Also, my own father loved words and wrote poetry constantly in his later years. The book was originally published in France and remains rather hard to find, but hopefully you can track down a copy.
In the book, Benjamin wants desperately to live in a castle and decides to build himself one out of the thousands of books that fill his house. His father is intensely focused on his latest poem, so he doesn't notice as more and more of his books go missing. The two continue their projects separately, building the castle and the poem bit by bit, until things take a turn and the father and son discover the joy of shared pursuits.
The book is a bit different than the typical tale, but it celebrates creativity, even in failure, and is a pleasure to read.
Love this idea. Glad you joined the reviewing elite, Brian.
Posted by: Read Scott | Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 10:03 AM