Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Wacky, gripping sequel has slapstick, swordplay, sweetness.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
A year has passed since the adventures described in The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, and our heroes -- fashionable Frederic, brawny Gustav, swashbuckling Liam and geeky Duncan -- have been finding things a little flat. Scheming Briar Rose soon blackmails them into another quest -- in search of a legendary jeweled sword that was carried off by the Bandit King in the first book. The Bandit King and a fearsome warlord, meanwhile, are scheming against each other, Briar Rose, and our heroes, while Rapunzel, Snow White, and Cinderella, not to mention Liam's formidable little sister Lila, pitch in to help out. Many wacky encounters ensue.
Is It Any Good?
Weighing in at nearly 500 pages, THE HERO'S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE is more frothy fun than hefty tome, with lots of illustrations by Todd Harris adding to the appeal. Kids will zip through this tale faster than the messenger Smimf in his seven-league boots, pausing mainly for interludes of the giggles. While there's plenty of cartoonish silliness in the story's pacing and development, some of the characters are dealing with issues -- coping with difficult family members, discovering the value of friends, trying to be a better person -- that have a lot in common with real life. And like the first book in the series, this one leaves plenty of perils and unresolved issues for the next installment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the two books in this series. Did you read The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom? Do you like ...Storming the Castle more, or less? Why?
Why do you think new stories based on fairy tales continue to be so popular? What others do you like?
How are the characters and their lives different at the end of the book than they were at the beginning, and what do you think will happen next?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Todd Harris
- Genre : Fairy Tale
- Topics : Adventures , Book Characters , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Fantasy ( Fairy Tales , Magic ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Walden Pond Press
- Publication date : April 30, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 496
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : January 6, 2026
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