The Legend of the Irish Castle

by Gertrude Chandler Warner (Created by)

Overview

The Aldens visit Ireland and stay in a beautiful castle that’s now a hotel! But the caretaker seems very superstitious, and at night they see a mysterious figure who walks the halls carrying a lantern. Could it be one of the banshees of ancient legend? The Boxcar Children must discover the secret that Duncarraig castle is hiding!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807507056
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	02/01/2016
Series:	Boxcar Children Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Gertrude Chandler Warner was born in 1890 in Putnam, Connecticut, where she taught school and wrote The Boxcar Children because she had often imagined how delightful it would be to live in a caboose or freight car. Encouraged by its success, she went on to write eighteen more stories about the Alden Children.

Editorial Reviews

In this installment of the “Boxcar Children” series, the four Alden siblings and their grandfather vacation at Duncairraig Castle in Ireland. Twelve-year-old Jessie has brought along Irish Fairy Legends, a book that fascinates her, and she talks about supernatural creatures with her siblings, fourteen-year-old Henry, ten-year-old Violet, six-year-old Benny, their grandfather, and Erin, their host. Erin mentions that lots of Irish believe in banshees, hooded female spirits who bring bad luck and whose cries sound like wailing women. The flickering candles and dark tapestries in the entrance hall add to the spooky atmosphere. In the night Benny and Violet hear a wailing sound, and Jessie has to reassure them that it’s just the wind. But when they look out, they see a hooded woman near the woods. Erin’s Uncle Fergus, who handles maintenance for the castle, is oddly unfriendly when he sees Jessie’s book and becomes more so when the children ask who might have been walking outside the night before. Jessie’s book then disappears after she left it in the castle library where she was reading; and Erin, who talks as if she believes in the banshee and fears its bad luck, seems to grow more nervous and unhappy. The mysteries of the castle are resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, and the children and their grandfather talk of visiting the castle again next year. Five pages of further facts about Ireland, including a map, follow the story. There is also information about joining The Boxcar Children Fan Club, promotions about Boxcar Children merchandise, announcements of three more book titles in the series plus the first eleven pages of The Celebrity Cat Caper, and a page of information about Gertrude Chandler Warner. Reviewer: Judy DaPolito; Ages 8 to 12.

Children's Literature - Judy DaPolito