A TOS Review: The Glass Castle by Trisha White Priebe and Jerry B. Jenkins

I adore books. 

We recently had a chance to review The Glass Castle byTrisha White Priebe and Jerry B. Jenkins from Shiloh Run Press. It is the very first book in a new series called the Thirteen Series. The book is recommended for ages 10-14.

As you might know, Josiah is Dyslexic and reading isn’t is favorite pastime. That being said, we still do a lot of reading in our house. I rely on audio books, read alouds and choosing books that Josiah can easily manage in small doses

The Glass Castle has a little bit of everything…action, adventure, mystery…it even has a little romance thrown in.

Our protagonist is Avery.  On the day of her 13^th birthday, she had her little brother, Henry, encounter danger is the woods.  Avery is kidnapped and finds herself as a prisoner in the castle. Her little brother has been captured as well, but Avery must promise to cooperate to ensure his safety.

From the get go, we are presented with mystery after mystery. For one, Avery isn’t the only prisoner in the castle. All the other prisoners (and there are a lot) are 13. However, all the other kids are orphans. Avery’s father is still alive. Another mystery involves Avery’s mother. She used to tell Avery stories about the castle, but mysteriously disappeared years ago.

The King has a new bride and needs an heir, His first wife gave birth to a boy 13-years-ago, but they both died. Rumors are floating around that the baby boy didn’t after all and that is why the King’s new wife has ordered all the 13-year-old orphans in the kingdom to be killed.  

And the intrigue continues!

What I Thought

I love mysteries and suspense. You throw in a castle and I’m all over it. Basically, what I found most impressive about the book is that I CAN’T figure out the end of the story. I have my theories, but every page brings new questions. I like that I couldn’t have written it myself after the first chapter. You know those kinds of books. The ones where it is obvious about who ‘done it’ after the first few paragraphs.

I like twists and turns.

This book also touches on important Spiritual issues. The ideas of family, friend, worship, and forgiveness all thread their way through the story.

I mentioned the idea of a “little romance.” Avery finds herself attracted to the leader of the orphans, Tuck. Nothing inappropriate happens, but I just wanted you to be aware. As a veracious reader myself, this would have been appealing to me as a young teen. I think back to the books that defined me as a young tween…Anne (with an e) was only 11 when she found her home at Green Gables. Her romance with Gilbert was young and innocent and took years to mature. The heroes in some of my favorite books by Grace Livingston Hill were always honorable, hardworking, and wise. I like that Tuck possesses some of those same qualities. Here we have no brooding vampire or troubled werewolf.

The only drawback I can see to going right now and ordering the book is that the second won’t be out until October!

What?

If the authors need a book-loving homeschool mom to do any early reads…I’m available.

I suggest you go check it out for yourself. You can read the first 5 Chapters on the website.  The Ruby Moon (Thirteen Book 2) is set to release October 1.

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