The Castle School (for Troubled Girls)
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4.3 • 9 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Set in an experimental boarding school for teens dealing with trauma, The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) follows one girl's journey through grief and her eleven classmates, each with their own issues, that help her find a path to healing. Perfect for fans of Kathleen Glasgow, this atmospheric, emotional tear-jerker will leave you speechless.
When Moira Dreyfuss's parents announce that they're sending her to an all-girls boarding school deep in the Maine woods, Moira isn't fooled. She knows her parents are punishing her; she's been too much trouble since her best friend, Nathan, died—and for a while before that. At the Castle School, isolated from the rest of the world, Moira will be expected to pour her heart out to the odd headmaster, Dr. Prince. But she isn't interested in getting over Nathan's death or befriending her fellow students.
On her first night there, Moira hears distant music. On her second, she discovers the lock on her window is broken. On her third, she and her roommate venture outside…and learn that they're not so isolated after all. There's another, very different, Castle School nearby—this one filled with boys whose parents sent them away, too.
Moira is convinced that the Castle Schools and the doctors who run them are hiding something. But exploring the schools will force Moira to confront her overwhelming grief—and the real reasons her parents sent her away.
Praise for The Castle School (for Troubled Girls):
"Achingly beautiful. Moira's story gripped me from the first page and held me fast long after I finished reading."—Gilly Segal, New York Times bestselling co-author of I'm Not Dying with You Tonight
"Hooked me from page one. I couldn't stop reading until I had every single answer."—Francesca Zappia, author of Eliza and Her Monsters
"Beneath the trappings of a fast-paced mystery, this novel holds a heartrending exploration of adolescent grief... Memorable."—Booklist
"Complex and layered... A heartfelt exploration of grief, guilt, and recovery."—School Library Journal
"Mental health awareness wrapped in a captivating storyline."—Kirkus
"An effective exploration of mental illness, and it will share a coveted place on reading lists with Laurie Halse Anderson and Patricia McCormick."—BCCB
Also by Alyssa Sheinmel:
A Danger to Herself and Others
What Kind of Girl
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Following the death of her best friend, high school senior Moira Dreyfuss skips school, sneaks out at night, and gets a tattoo. Frustrated, her parents send Moira to the Castle School in Maine, a talk therapy program that provides new circumstances to "troubled" girls. Moira's distrust of therapist Dr. Prince is heightened by his rules, including a strict curfew and no phones or junk food. As the semester progresses, Moira becomes friendly with the 11 other girls at the school, and with roommate Eleanor, she uncovers a mystery—a second castle housing 12 boys also in treatment but living with little supervision. While Moira's viewpoint guides the novel, Sheinmel (What Kind of Girl) sensitively explores the reasons that brought each girl to Castle School, including addiction and kleptomania, emphasizing conversations between the healing schoolmates and between Moira and Dr. Prince. Despite a lengthy wrap-up, Sheinmel's introspective story skillfully illustrates the weight of grief, the difference between adaptive and nonadaptive reactions to trauma, and the healing power of radical acceptance. Ages 14–up.
Customer Reviews
So so good
This book is amazing, I highly recommend it. For teen girls and boys or young adults, I think a wide variety of people could very well enjoy this novel.
It is filled with suspense, action, and keeps you reading page after page until you’ve finished it.
It’s so personal, and I felt so seen in this book. The representation is amazing, I can assure you you won’t be disappointed, and the excerpts are so ingenious.
Buy this book, you won’t be able to put it down.
Topics to expect (not a warning, just a readers overview): Parental problems, trauma (of many kinds), mental illness (of many kinds), psychology, medicine, health studies, romance, friendship, friendship between girls, high school, inadequacy, self acceptance