Goblins in the Castle

February 1, 1993
Gr. 5-7. Found tucked in a basket on the drawbridge of Toad-in-a-Cage Castle on a cold December night, young William, now 11, has grown up pretty much on his own in the castle, which is inhabited by only the Baron, Hulda the cook, and Karl, the young man who tends the library. Since William can go anywhere in the castle that he wants to, except into the North Tower, which is always locked, he knows the rest of the castle, including many of its secret passageways, very well. Unable to sleep one night, he discovers a heretofore undetected sliding panel that opens onto a stairway that goes down 500 steps, surely below the dungeons, where he meets humpbacked Igor, who says he's lived in the castle for more than 600 years. Though Igor and William become friends, William finds himself worrying about the strange noises that pervade the castle halls and about the secret that Igor seems to be hiding. A shivery treat for readers, who will identify with the stalwart William as he ferrets out the castle's scary secrets and rights a long-existing wrong. ((Reviewed Feb. 1, 1993))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1993, American Library Association.)