Three siblings - Gerald, Jimmy and Kathleen - are staying with their French governess, Mademoiselle. On one of their exploratory walks they come across a castle, replete with gardens and marble statues. It's an idyllic place. Walking through the rose garden they discover a young princess reclining on a bench. She is in possession of a magic ring that can make one invisible, although the true power of the ring has been misunderstood, and using the correct charms will make it perform any manner of wonders.
It soon turns out that the princess in the garden is no princess at all, but a girl named Mabel, the niece of the housekeeper. The four children quickly become friends and experience many adventures and magical happenings.
E. Nesbit published The Enchanted Castle in 1907. The book is a masterclass in children's writing. Nesbit mixes humour, magic and a touch of the absurd into a story that is both surreal and beautifully imagined. Although it must be said there's no real plot to speak of, but rather a series of strange and baffling happenings, presenting challenges that the plucky children all rise to. There's also a touch of Shakespeare's Midsummer's Night Dream in the final sequences that see lovers reunited in the castle's gardens at night.
As near perfect as a children's book can be.
The Enchanted Castle, by E. Nesbit. Published by Vintage Classics. ISBN: 9781784873073
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