  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 04/01/2015 Gr 3–6—A sequel 23 years in the making! William, from 1992's Goblins in the Castle (Aladdin), is back, and is now revered as "The William," because he freed the goblins from an imprisonment spell. He and his friend, Fauna, a girl who lives alone in the woods to hide her own terrible secret, have been invited to a party at Toad-in-a-Cage Castle to celebrate the anniversary of this momentous event. Unfortunately, the stone toad, (for whom the aforementioned castle is named) turns out to have a spell on it, too. When the pair unwittingly releases the magical toad from the spell, it springs to life and captures William, taking him deep into the forest. An unlikely crew sets out to help Fauna save him, including a ghost, an Igor (no one is quite sure what he is), and Bwoonhiwda, the Queen's strong-arm with an unfortunate speech impediment. This wildly imaginative tale stands alone, but will likely send many new fans on the hunt for the first book. With a fast pace and so many fun characters, it absolutely begs to be read aloud in an upper elementary classroom. VERDICT Fauna is a heroine with heart; fantasy-adventure fans will be biting their nails and chuckling out loud with every twist and turn.—Mandy Laferriere, Fowler Middle School, Frisco, TX - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 05/15/2015 Coville returns to Toad-in-a-Cage Castle in this giggle-worthy sequel to his 1992 novel Goblins in the Castle. Fauna is invited to the castle, where her friend William lives, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the day they freed the goblins from their magical prison. The party goes well until she and William accidentally free a creature they shouldn’t: the giant stone toad that gives the castle its name. Unbeknownst to them, the statue protected a powerful magic and imprisoned a wizard, and, with the spell broken, the stone toad takes off—with William in its mouth. As Fauna tracks William across the land and underground, she learns that the goblins are in trouble again, too. Coville’s adventure crackles with comic timing, mostly due to the quirky cast, like Bwoonhiwda, the warrior woman with a speech impediment, and Igor, the gentle giant who wields a teddy bear like a weapon. Though the story is more silly than suspenseful, the characters nonetheless end up confronting their fears and earning their happy resolution. - Copyright 2015 Booklist. Loading...
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