No Castles Here
by A.C.E. Bauer
Augie Boretski spends a lot of time trying not to get noticed. He doesn't want to be noticed by his scary teacher.
He doesn't want to be noticed by the bullies at school or the neighborhood gangs. And he definitely doesn't want
to be noticed when he ducks into a strange bookstore to get out of the heat. Then Augie accidentally steals a book
of fairy tales and it seems a lot of people are beginning to notice him. Augie isn't a perfect kid - sometimes he
lies, he doesn't always mind his Mama - but he has a good heart and more people on his side than he thinks. I
didn't expect to like this book. I expected it to be depressing and grim. It wasn't. It has surprising magic
from the fairytale book, and from the bookstore lady - magic that mirrors the changes in Augie's life. I liked
being reminded of how much each person matters - even in situations that seem hopeless. The characterization was
particularly good in the situation with the bully - the bullies undergo believable change rather than the easy
change we see in too many bully stories. Not everything in Augie's world turns out perfect, but Bauer takes
readers on a wonderful trip through one young man's life from fear to hope - and I enjoyed the trip tremendously. |
The Book |
Random House Kids |
October 2007 |
Hardcover |
0375839216 / 978-0375839214 |
Fiction / Children, Ages 9 - 12 |
More at Amazon.com |
Excerpt |
NOTE: |
The Reviewer |
Jan Fields |
Reviewed 2008 |
NOTE: Reviewer Jan
Fields is the editor of Kid Magazine Writers emagazine and has written dozens of
stories and articles for the children's magazine market. |
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