Paying Piper & Castles in the Air by Ilana Waters

The Pied Piper of Hamelin was never my favourite story. I
thought it was rather odd as a child, and when I learn that the piper
symbolized plague, I thought it was horrible. So, I was really looking forward
to reading a retelling of the story by Ilana Waters, whose Diana Wynne
Jones-esque novel The Adventures of Stanley Delacourt made me wish I was a kid
again! Needless to say, I loved Paying Piper (or What Happened in Hamelin
Town.)

I’m sure many people who are, like me, just children at heart will love this
story just as much as I did. The quirky, conversational tone of writing reminded
me of my childhood favourites, Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl! The story has the
kind of playful humour a child may like with the talking rats and the
constantly irritated people and a subtler wit that makes it a lot more than
just another children’s story. Ilana has a way of describing things so well
that you wonder if you’re actually watching the story, in this case a Disney
cartoon; very apt and very imaginative. She has given the story a pleasing
twist, making it about kindness and second chances. What I loved is how it
never seems like a retelling, but a tale that she came up with herself! The
people in the story have so much character and so do the rats, which must have
been hard to do, because most of the Grimm stories that I ever read were full of
stock characters; here, even the stout miserly mayor seemed more than just
that!

Among other things, this story will also be your chance to try a new author
before you move on to her longer works. And I’m certain, as soon as you’ve
finished this, you will find yourself rushing off to buy The Adventures of
Stanley Delacourt! Read this great little story here. 

Castles in the Air – A Novella of Hartlandia

Do you see that cover? I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I could spend pages describing just how amazingly beautiful, magical, fun it looks, but I think you can see that yourself. Interestingly, the novella itself is just as innovative, magical and fun!


Summary: Ten-year-old Wikkley McStag and his family are born farmers,
happy to work the land. But then they – and other royal subjects – are forced to
buy strange, useless machines. Money starts running out. Now the McStags have
two days before they lose their farm. As the eldest child, Wikkley must journey
to the palace and ask for the king’s help. His loved ones only hope his
reckless nature won’t get him in trouble once he’s there!

When Wikkley arrives at the palace, he finds an unnecessary castle being built
right into the sky. The same thing is happening in a neighboring kingdom. When
royal foolishness leads to disaster, it’s up to Wikkley to save several lives.
Will his recklessness finally come in handy? Or will it mean the end of his
family, his farm, and possibly… his life?


My thoughts: Castles in the Air is a pleasure to read. It is written in a conversational manner, like someone is actually reading you a story and you can feel the voice and tone in the words. It’s fabulous. There’s also a lot of adventure and whole new ideas introduced in every chapter. The world Ilana has created is magical and just absurd enough!

Being a novella, it is swift paced and you could easily gulp it down within hours! Wikkley is very adorable and makes a perfect hero for a middle grade fantasy – he is kind and caring, bold and a little reckless, not to mention, very funny! I think most readers will find it very easy to relate to him and his way of looking at things adds much of the humour to the tale. The story, like any children’s book, has a moral; it teaches about family and being brave and doing what it takes. However, though meant for children, the novella could ideally be enjoyed by anyone. At least, everyone who has a little child somewhere in them, who would appreciate such a playful story as this one!

You can buy the book right here. If middle grade fantasy isn’t really your genre, you can certainly try this paranormal romance by the same author.