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The Perilous Gard

Elizabeth Marie Pope

Why we're reading this: 11/18/24 nominated by Susan
[close] 11/18/24 nominated by Susan

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Nov 26, 2021 Cheryl rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Dec. 2021 Children's Books group Newbery club.
(on openlibrary.org)

The Perilous Gard is an old but remodeled castle, and the setting is Derbyshire, England, in the mid 16th century.

At first I thought it was going to be court intrigue/historical fiction, but at about 1/4 in it seems to be more of a mystery with some vibes of the supernatural (though our heroine is very logical and thinks of the superstitions as nonsense).

I'm still not sure that I'll finish, but I will read further.
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Well. Done. ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Jun 10, 2013 Mary Catelli rated it really liked it

Shelves: children-s-book, fantasy-classics, fantasy-other, fairy-tale-and-other-retellings, of-the-fair-folk, moderately-old-books

It opens with Alicia assuring her sister Kate that the Queen won't be angry with her for writing her a letter telling her that things are horrible at the castle where she keeps Princess Elizabeth. And to be sure, she's right.

The Queen's angry with Kate, instead, because Alicia is too innocent to think of writing such a letter, and obviously Kate put her up to it. So she packs her off to the Elvenwood, because she knows the lord there can be trust to keep Kate in bounds. (Alicia's distraught stat ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 22, 2015 Susan Chapek rated it really liked it

Shelves: fairy-tales-and-classics-retold, favorites, ya-or-mg-fantasy, historical-fiction, ya-fantasy

In my humble, this book puts most of the recent crop of young adult "sweet" fairy tale retellings in the shade. Yeah, Tam Lin is strictly speaking a legendary Scottish ballad, not a fairy tale. But it's a tale about faeries, and it's been retold many times by such wonderful writers as Pamela Dean, Jane Yolen, Diana Wynne Jones, and Patricia A. McKillip. This version (set in England just before Elizabeth I takes the throne) more than holds its own, and will please readers who seek retellings with ...more

1 like · Like · see review