If your house sometimes seems to have a mind of its own – hiding your car keys, tripping you with a new wrinkle in the rug, running cold water instead of hot, Jessica Day George’s Tuesdays at the Castle may confirm your suspicions.

With Harry Potter-like shenanigans, the Castle can create new passageways, discard unwanted guests, furnish rooms sparingly or lavishly – depending on the occupant’s standing with the Castle, and play politics to anoint a new king.  On Tuesdays, the Castle always adds a new part to the castle – a room, a window, a wing – and the youngest occupant, Princess Celie, the Castle’s favorite,  records each new piece as she continues to revise her map.

When the royal parents are suddenly missing and then declared dead, outsiders try to take over the Castle and the kingdom.  Although the royal children work to solve the mystery of their missing parents and older brother, the Castle is the main character of this delightful escapade.

The children’s clever outwitting of adults, with the help of the Castle, is as enchanting as the magical diversions –  the “night of manure mayhem” may have you checking your shoes.

With an exciting and satisfying ending – Tuesdays at the Castle is a fun fantasy. Hopefully, George will continue the adventures of Princess Celie and her Castle.