From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Donalyn
Wonderful audio production of a fabulous book!
Dest
May 05, 2016 rated it liked it
Set during WWII when many children were transplanted from London to the countryside to escape the Blitz (this seems to be a popular setting, no?). There are some very familiar elements here (e.g. the villain is a creepy witch who preys on children) but it's got some unexpected twists. It's a good page-turner, but thematically it felt a bit shallow to me. Katherine isn't a super interesting hero and indeed most of the characters felt a bit flat. Except, I will say, I always appreciate a villain w ...more
Hannah
The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle is a wonderfully spooky historical fantasy that will appeal to readers who love their stories cloaked in misty mystery and full of hidden passages and ghostly secrets. Fox’s skillfully builds tension as the chapters switch between the distant past and WWII-era present, twist and turn together, intertwining in a dance, revealing flashes of hints and clues to the puzzle that clever readers will relish putting together. Add in a protagonist who will warm you ...more
Susan  Dunn
Jul 17, 2017 rated it really liked it
When Kat and her siblings are sent away from their London home to a boarding school in Scotland, Kat has a bad feeling right from the start. It might be safer in at Rookskill Castle in terms of the German bombs being dropped on London during WWII, but there's plenty of unsettling stuff. Lady Eleanor, the mistress of the manor, is cold and unsympathetic. The children are told to ignore th strange sounds coming from the older part of the castle, and worse yet are locked in their rooms at night. So ...more
Jeanette
Aug 19, 2021 rated it liked it
Shelves: childrens
I picked this one up because it is a novel about evacuees during the Second World War. Turns out this was not exactly what I was expecting but I enjoyed it none the less. The evacuee/war storyline really took second place to the magic and mystery happening at the castle the children have been sent to. There were some anachronisms that could have been fixed and things were a bit repetitive at times but overall I really enjoyed this. Enough so that I am going to read the companion novel that was r ...more
Shelley
Sep 03, 2016 rated it really liked it
Gothic, creepy, a haunted castle and a witch, set during the blitz of ww ii. for kids who like a good scare. Grades 4th-8th
Rachel
Feb 04, 2015 marked it as to-read
Jenna
Aug 06, 2015 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: horror, middle-grade
Mrs. Chatel
Dec 08, 2015 marked it as to-read
Shelves: troybery-2017
J.j.
Dec 22, 2015 marked it as to-read
Tina
Dec 31, 2015 marked it as to-read
Megan
Jan 18, 2016 marked it as to-read
Shelves: order-now
Erin Moulton
Feb 11, 2016 marked it as to-read
Bekah
Feb 20, 2016 marked it as to-read
Molly
Mar 05, 2016 marked it as to-read
CLM
Mar 15, 2016 marked it as to-read
Shelves: nephews
Wendy
Mar 19, 2016 marked it as to-read
Amanda
Nov 07, 2016 rated it liked it
Jess
May 31, 2016 rated it really liked it
Deanna
May 31, 2016 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2016-copyright
Ramona
Jun 08, 2016 marked it as to-read
Parry Rigney
Oct 11, 2016 marked it as to-read
Stephanie
Nov 12, 2017 rated it really liked it
Shelves: fantasy, middle-grade
Meagan
Apr 14, 2018 marked it as to-read
« previous 1 3