The Very Last Castle by Travis Jonker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review of ARC | Book Releases 10/9/18
There are instances when curiosity requires bravery. Considering that the townspeople thought the lone castle in the center of town held monsters, giants, and snakes, Ibb should have been incredibly frightened. While everyone else thought there was something terrible inside, Ibb thought, “maybe it’s something else.” When she is summoned to the castle, she gets the chance to find out just who or what is inside. Until that very moment, no one had ever tried to go in.
The townspeople’s fears had caused their imaginations to run wild and as a result, they’d never had the pleasure of meeting the seemingly recluse castle dweller. His name was William. His was the very last castle. He was hoping to have someone brave enough to take his place one day. Someone just like Ibb, who just so happened to have a great idea of her own.
Ibb knew what it meant to have the love and care of family and friends and she was compassionate enough to care whether or not someone else got the chance to experience this feeling too. She proved herself to be just as brave as William had hoped AND thoughtful too.
As we begin another school year and consider the lessons we want to teach and the ways we want our school community to grow not just in knowledge but in character, this is the sort of book you’ll want to read with your students. Ibb is a good example of what it means to be kind to someone you don’t even know. She could have chosen to follow the majority and let her fears get the best of her but she chose kindness and that was very brave indeed.
Shout-Outs
Travis Jonker on 100 Scope Notes, a Children’s Literature Blog Hosted by the School Library Journal | http://100scopenotes.com/
Travis Jonker, Co-Creator of The Yarn podcast | Follow on Twitter
Mark Pett | http://www.markpett.com/authorstrator/
Book Excursion | PLN Group of Rockstar Reading Educators| #BookExcursion
CeCeLibrarian’s Book Blog 