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Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon
Oct. 18th, 2015 11:43 amCastle Hangnail
4/5. Kidlit, or whatever we're calling the books just a step younger than YA. Castle Hangnail needs a master, or the Board of Magic will shut it down and all the minions will be homeless. They think they want an evil sorceress. They get Molly instead. Molly is twelve and round and likes to garden. She has great stompy boots, though.
Aw, this is -- I believe the technical term would be -- totes adorbs. I haven't read Vernon before; I was vaguely aware of her as a children's author, but was surprised when my wife immediately identified her as the author of the Digger webcomic. So I suspect that Castle Hangnail has adorbs drawings to go with the adorbs story. Drawings of Edward the suit of armor, or the minotaurs, or of Pins the animate sewing doll and his goldfish, or Molly talking to moles, or – or whatever the heck we should call Major Domo.
This is sweet and warm, with that feel of a motley family slowly – in some cases reluctantly – forming around someone. It has a distinctly Diana Wynne Jones feel to it; it is, around the edges, about the self you are in contrast to your foils – the good twin and the bad twin – versus the self you are just as yourself.
Aw.
4/5. Kidlit, or whatever we're calling the books just a step younger than YA. Castle Hangnail needs a master, or the Board of Magic will shut it down and all the minions will be homeless. They think they want an evil sorceress. They get Molly instead. Molly is twelve and round and likes to garden. She has great stompy boots, though.
Aw, this is -- I believe the technical term would be -- totes adorbs. I haven't read Vernon before; I was vaguely aware of her as a children's author, but was surprised when my wife immediately identified her as the author of the Digger webcomic. So I suspect that Castle Hangnail has adorbs drawings to go with the adorbs story. Drawings of Edward the suit of armor, or the minotaurs, or of Pins the animate sewing doll and his goldfish, or Molly talking to moles, or – or whatever the heck we should call Major Domo.
This is sweet and warm, with that feel of a motley family slowly – in some cases reluctantly – forming around someone. It has a distinctly Diana Wynne Jones feel to it; it is, around the edges, about the self you are in contrast to your foils – the good twin and the bad twin – versus the self you are just as yourself.
Aw.