The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum

Starred review from February 4, 2008
Italian artist Ceccoli's (The Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales
) previous illustrations were dreamy paintings; for this tall-format book, she uses clay models and digital media to create images of eerie immediacy. Each scene has its own quirky depth of field; the porcelain-doll faces of the children jump out with breathtaking clarity. Walls and drapes or the breeches of a rabbit violinist are similarly crisp; the other parts of a composition seem lightly misted. The surreal atmosphere is true to fairy-tale scholar Bernheimer's vision of a girl imprisoned in a marvelous world. The castle inhabited by the girl is inside a glass globe, which is in a museum full of old toys; children who visit the museum crowd around the globe to see the girl. She is lonely; her only visitors come in dreams. “Sometimes,” the narrator adds provocatively, “the girl in the castle even dreams about you.” The narrator suggests that readers ease the girl's loneliness by pasting a photo of themselves in a gold frame by her bed. Closing the book with a bang-up twist, the author inverts her this-inside-that motif to enshrine the audience's place in the story: “Now in her room and in her dreams, inside the castle inside the museum, inside this book you hold in your hands, you keep her company.... Do you see her? She sees you.” Young fans of fantasy will be spellbound. Ages 8-up.

February 1, 2008
PreS-Gr 3-"Getting lost in a good book" takes on a whole new meaning in this intriguing and captivating title. In an eclectic toy museum, children are drawn to a snow globe where it is said that, if they look hard enough, they can see the little girl who lives in the castle therein. To their delight, she is visible, as is her entire enchanted world. The girl is lonely when the museum empties, and she dreams of other children visiting her. She awakes with an idea of asking her visitors to leave a photo behind and, as if readers obeyed, the text asks, "Do you see her? She sees you." Using media as varied as clay sculpture and photography, Ceccoli has created a world that beckons young readers inside. The aerial ballet of objects and the playful use of perspective all contribute to the wondrous nature of the place. Children will eagerly enter this special world, pore over the amazing toys, and secretly wish they lived there themselves. This unusual book will jump-start the imaginations of all who are lucky enough to enter it."Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2008
The title may be rather unwieldy but its certainly accurate. Inside a large snow globe, inside a toy museum, isa castle, and children who press their faces against the glass can spot atiny girl in the tower. The castle is lovely, and the girl has her own toys inside, but shes lonely when the children leave. Her dreams take her to visit a boy in the deep woods orin search ofa friend waiting to play: Sometimes she even dreams about you. The story, which on its own seems thin and even odd, is elevated by the breathtaking illustrations executed in acrylic, featuring clay models that give the artwork depth and weight. Digital nhancementsprovidethe pictures with an airbrushed smoothness that is expecially effectivein the close-ups of the children, and the use of unusual perspectives adds to the feelings of mystery andlonging in the book. Enticedby the art to enter this dreamy world, children will contemplate the nature of reality evoked by the girls life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2008
A girl lives in a small castle exhibit in a museum, and children peer into the windows trying to catch sight of her. She dreams of friends, and at the end readers are invited to "leave a picture of yourself here for me." The self-consciously ethereal tone and misty mixed-media illustrations won't appeal to everyone, but dreamers will enjoy the fantasy.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)