Do you remember reading Sideway Stories from Wayside School in elementary school? Or maybe you were more of the age of the Newberry Award winning Holes and the unlucky Stanley Yelnats? Both of these were written by Louis Sachar, the witty author who has drawn so many kids to reading. In The Magician of Tiger Castle he delves into the world of adult literature for the first time, but it was just as magical as reading those stories as a child. The story is told from the first person point of view by the magician himself. Anatole’s main task in Esquavita during the Middle Ages is to use spells and alchemy to create gold to help the financially struggling country. However, when the curious Princess Tullia is promised to the prince of the far wealthier kingdom of Oxatania and Princess Tullia is in love with another man, his job changes. The prince of Oxatania finds out that Tullia is not his alone, and his father orders the love interest to be murdered by Tiger at the wedding feast. Of course, Tullia’s parents don’t want to hurt their daughter, so Anatole’s job is to create a potion to make Tullia forget her love, Pito. The anti-fairy tale that unwinds is one that magically draws you into castle intrigue and lies mixed with the complications of magic and the hilarious preposterousness that childhood lovers of Sachar will relish in. I really did feel like a kid again reading the book and giggling at Anatole’s remarks on life in the castle. The magic of reading books on my own as a kid was alive once again.

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