The Palace Library

This book was a rather fun read.

Anyone who has ever read the Narnia books or seen any of the movies will notice right away that there are a lot of similarities in The Palace Library. This was a little troublesome at first because I had some difficulty separating the two, but as I read further I started to enjoy the story more.

The thing that I liked the most was the setting. The library was everything that one could want in a library and it was so lovely that I wish I could open a secret door and find myself there.

The writing has some ups and downs, I'll grant you, and there were parts that dragged a bit. I think some of it was the fact that there was a lot of overly descriptive parts, particularly dealing with feelings. Adults don't seem to care for those parts as much as a younger reader might, which is who this book is aimed towards.

I would recommend this to any child that enjoys books and their parents as well, especially one that might need reminding that magic exists, especially between the pages of a story.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the description. I was sure a story that combined magical books, adventure, time travel, dragons and traitors would be a a delight to read, and I was right.

The main characters in this story: Harry, Eleanor, and Grace, are sent back in time, through a special door in the palace library to help create the Sword of the State. The original one was tossed into the sea by a traitor. Along the way, they meet some interesting characters and have quite a few encounters that kept me on the edge of my seat.

While the suggested age is 8-12, I had found so much enjoyment in children's books, when my sons were younger, that I often like to read books like this myself.

Highly recommend for the young and the young at heart.

Magical books from a secret hidden library, dragons to find and trick, and of course a cryptic poetic prophecy to solve. All these things and more in this fast paced (adults might not think so) book about three heroic children who go back in time to save a country.

A great addition to any middle grade collection (Grades 4-7). This is a nice bridge for those who are beyond Magic Treehouse but not yet ready for the darker phases of Harry Potter.

this will post on 2/24

Hott Review of The Palace Library:

Loved it!
What I liked: I enjoyed The Palace Library so much that I bought copies for my middle-grade readers before I was even finished!
I loved that The Palace Library is about a brother, sister, and their cousin. It starts at their uncle’s home in the country. It almost feels like a more comfortable and peaceful Narnian beginning. They do jump right into the adventure though and there aren’t any slow or drawn out areas that will bore reluctant readers.
While it’s not a Christian book, they do discuss how prayer helps to put away fears.
All in all, The Palace Library is one of the best middle-grade books I’ve read that will appeal to both boys and girls.
What I didn’t like: The only sections that may offend are that Harry needed to smoke the dragons to sleep. Though he then talks about how disgusting it is. They also discuss having mead for their meal.
There is only one “battle” and it’s very minor only about two paragraphs. To me, the most concerning thing in The Palace Library was that one of the people tried to take their own life. It was a sentence and the person was stopped though so it probably won’t make much of an impact.

Love this book. Loved Grace and Sophie the best. It makes me thing of narnia with doors transporting them to the palace library. A really addictive page-turner

Three children come across a mysterious library in the place where they are living. They soon meet the librarian and learn about a prophecy. Armed with books and few instructions, the children exit the library through one of the doors and embark on an adventure. Their mission is to replace the Great Sword of State. Of course to do that they must face dragons, peril at sea, and a traitor.

So...my opinion. What I liked was the prophecy and how it was revealed bit by bit. I wish though that the characters names were a bit different (too many E's). It made it a bit difficult to tell some of them apart. Overall I liked it but I wish it had a bit more mph to it.

for this particular book, i decided to let my 11 year old daughter do the review as it is perfect for her age and she has done a few book reviews for my blog. Here is Gaby's review: The story is about a girl named Grace. She finds a mysterious door that leads to the Palace Library. Eventually, she finds out that all the books there are magic. When she goes inside, she meets a librarian named Edgar.
When she returns, her Great Uncle Jasper sends her and her cousins, Eleanor and Harry, with her to the library. There, Edgar gives them each a magic book. Grace gets a book with star charts that magically pop out of the pages; Eleanor gets a book about healing and plants/herbs that you can scratch-and-sniff; and Harry gets a book that can answer any question of his, but is very cryptic.
They go to Clarendon Palace, January 1164 through a portal called the Great West Door. They are accompanied by a dog named Sophie. When they get there, they meet a man named Master John. He brings them to the queen.
When they meet Queen Eleanor, they also meet a very suspicious knight named Sir Guy of Caen and, the queen's personal handmaiden, Eloise. The queen tells them that what they are supposed to do is reforge the Sword of State, which was thrown overboard during a storm by a traitor, and find out the identity of the traitor who threw the Sword overboard. They leave immediately to find the blacksmith who will reforge the Sword. They are accompanied by Eloise. During the ride to the port, where the blacksmith's house and the ships are, Harry asks about a prophecy from his book. The prophecy is about the cousins. The blacksmith's name is Edwin and he's a dwarf. They ride on the king's ship and go to an island called Hell's Bay. There they are supposed to reforge the Sword. Will they finish their quest before the door to their home closes?
I like this book because it is about a library, and I am a bookworm so books are my favorite pastime. And I also like this book because it has plenty of twists.
I like how Eloise is so mysterious and I think that makes readers want to read more and find out more about her. And I like how Grace is so enthusiastic and happy most of the time. But, my favorite character is honestly Eleanor because she can be calm when she wants to and she has a pretty good memory. When Mr. Loveridge wrote this, I think he gave a lot of thought about the characters because they are described really well. I am happy I read the Palace Library and am looking forward to reading the next book of the series, Guardians of the Scroll.

Any book with palace or library in the title will always catch my attention. This book was so magical and enchanting, with notes like Narnia! Children, magical books, and a magical land with a queen. What more could you want? I love fantasy and even though I'm an adult, I love children's fantasy stories just like this one. I absolutely love The Land of Stories series and after reading this book, I would say I enjoyed it just as much. I would recommend this not only to children I know, but also teens and even adults who like fantasy.

"Charming and compelling, this magical adventure story will entertain and enchant in equal measure." Santa Montefiore

For children aged eight to early teens.

Three children stumble upon an extraordinary library in an old house. Armed with magical books, and accompanied by an enchanting deerhound, they leave through a door that takes them to a world in the past.

Beyond the door, a kingdom is in crisis. The Great Sword of State has been stolen and destroyed. The Queen reveals an ancient prophecy that says only children can replace the Sword and she sends them on a journey that takes them beyond the world's end.

The children must unlock the secrets in their books as they face storms, fight traitors and tackle dragons. Without knowing who they can n trust, can they succeed?

This was a great little read, perfect book for children that enjoy adventures and mystery. Written beautifully and with characters that you can emphasise with, a wonderful adventure.