Books

There May Be a Castle

Piers Torday, Author

Paperback

Imprint: Quercus Children's Books

Publication date: October 5, 2017

Category: Death & bereavement

ISBN: 9781784292744

Buy Now

A remarkable story about love, loss and the power of the imagination, from an award-winning, celebrated writer for children.

On a frozen Christmas Eve, Mouse Mallory and his family set off across a snow-white valley to visit his grandparents.

They never arrive.

As the wheels skid off the icy road, Mouse is thrown from the car. When he wakes, he finds himself in a magical landscape, with only a talkative sheep and a very bossy horse for company.

And they tell him: this is your story now.

So begins Mouse’s extraordinary quest through a world of wonder. A world of monsters, minstrels, dangerous knights and mysterious wizards; a world of terrifying danger but also more excitement than Mouse has ever known.

All to find a castle, somewhere, beyond.

But why is Mouse looking for a castle? As thoughts of his family back at the car begin to surface, Mouse realises this might be the most important journey he will ever make …

This is a novel about love and death. It’s about the power of stories to change the way we view the world – and it’s about the power of a child to change their own world. Emotionally arresting but ultimately uplifting, this is a remarkable novel for our times.

Reviews

If you were to dislike this book, I would not be your friend!

Not many books change readers' views of the world, this might be one of them.

LoveReading4Kids

The narrative is skillfully strung together and the ending deeply surprising, challenging the norms of what might be expected in a children's novel, which is all to the good.

Literary Review

A magical new adventure from the winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction prize.

WRD About Books

A gripping, memorable adventure which celebrates the power and scope of our imagination

The School Run

A remarkable story of about love and loss from the winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

Hexham Courant

Original in its accurate representation of the actual experience of children and its satirical approach to the fantastical ... this novel works emotional truth and tension into its adventure and comedy

The Sunday Times

A fantastical and surprising allegory, There May Be A Castle is unlike any other book for children dealing with the subjects of death, family and the power to shape your own stories. Heart-warming, heart-wrenching and, at times, quite bizarre, this is another fantastical tale from Piers Torday and not one to miss

Carousel

Piers Torday...is the new master of books for children who like magic and modernity with their lust for adventure.

The Times

Heartbreaking, surprising, uplifting - Mouse's snowbound journey is one you'll remember for a long, long time. There May Be a Castle proves that stories matter. They really do

The Bookbag

Piers Torday continues to demonstrate that he is one of the best writers for children working today

The Guardian

Original, ingenious and bold ... I am still reeling.

The Sunday Times

Brimming with humour and excitement ... beautifully described and the tension never breaks

Scoop

Heart-warming and heart-wrenching ... another fantastic tale from Piers Torday and one not to miss.

Carousel

An outstanding book and a future classic

Mesmerising and overwhelming with emotion.

Booktrust

Full marks ... for a story not afraid to take on some of the fundamentals of life while still managing to preserve the lightest of touches

Books For Keeps

Piers Torday is the new master of books for children who like magic and modernity with their lust for adventure ... Torday understands the lot of the younger sibling, the power of the imagination to heal and the strong, irregular rhythms of grief

The Times

Piers Torday

Piers Torday began his career in theatre and then television as a producer and writer. His first book for children, The Last Wild, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Award and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. His second book, The Dark Wild, won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. There May Be A Castle was a People’s Book Award finalist and a Times Children’s Book of the Year. The Lost Magician was a Book of the Year in six national newspapers and won the Teach Primary Book Award. The follow up, The Frozen Sea, was published in 2019. Piers has also completed an unfinished novel by his late father Paul (author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Death of an Owl) and adapted The Box of Delights and A Christmas Carol for the stage.

To get in touch about booking an event, please visit my website.

Photo credit: James Betts