Ursula Vernon ’s latest book , Castle Hangnail , may be aimed at middle - schoolers , but it ’s a delightful story for anyone who has enquire about the practicalities of work an evil castle . In this character , a young revolting beldam must protect her new home from real estate developer , charming bureaucratism , and a sincerely evil competition .
I ’ve long been a fan of Vernon ’s composition . Her Hugo Award - come through epicDigger , about a very matter-of-fact wombat caught up in mystic shenanigans far from home , is one of my pet webcomics , and every forgetful report of hers I ’ve read has been a muffin . Castle Hangnail is no unlike .
The titular palace is one of those creepy-crawly and rather decrepit buildings from horror movies — the case that ordinarily houses vampire or savage lords or evil sorcerers . The problem is that Castle Hangnail has go too tenacious without a master , and risks being decommission by the Board of Magic . at long last , the castle ’s guardian ( a man of many talent — and many borrow body part ) receives word that a newfangled mistress is on her agency . He ’s appalled , however , when the fancy woman turns out to be 12 - yr - old Molly , a self - glorify foul witch who adore bats and gossamer but seems a shade too courteous to dominate over a castle of minions .
Molly has more to care about than convincing the castle guardian that she ’s implike enough and sinewy enough for Castle Hangnail . She also has to fulfill the labor set for her by the Board of Magic and defend that castle from other folks who have their own designs on the prop . Plus , it wrench out that even horror picture show castles occasionally need to call a plumber . More significantly , though , Molly needs to find confidence in her own abilities and see out the line between being a arch hag and a bad person .
As you may have conglomerate from that verbal description , Castle Hangnail is a rather cheerfully goth book , one where monsters can coexist with nice middle class folks in the hem in settlement . Vernon contend to keep her tone both well-disposed and droll . On the one hand , Castle Hangnail is occupy with such conception as a hypochondriac Carassius auratus and a minotaur who hates the letter “ Q. ” On the other , it ’s fix in a world where minion belong to a unification and creepy rook , just like so many habitation , rely on their water heaters . Vernon balances the two in a way that lay down the book both grounded and fun .
It ’s also a book that has a keen trade of respect for nipper and what they ’re capable of . Vernon talk to immature readers confidentially , contribute soundness that the storyteller feels fry will innately read . But Molly embodies plenty of timber that grownup can find to admire as well : She ’s a girl who romanticizes endure in a screaky old castle , but she ’s quick to push up her sleeves and get her hands marked-up when there ’s work to be done . And , like any good beldam ( or someone ) she knows when to be well-disposed and overnice and when to be a little puckish .
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