The Water Castle

By: Megan Frazer Blakemore

Narrated by: Chris Henry Coffey

Ephraim Appledore-Smith is an ordinary boy, and up until his father's stroke he lived an ordinary life. But all that changes when his family moves to the Water Castle - their ancestral home in the small town of Crystal Springs. Mallory Green's family has always been the caretakers of the Water Castle - and the guardians of its secrets. She has been raised to protect the legendary Fountain of Youth, hidden on the estate grounds. But ever since her mom left, she's stopped believing in magic. Will Wylie's family has been at war with the Applegates for generations, all because of the Water Castle's powerful secrets. But Will has rejected legend and magic, putting all his faith in science. When Ephraim learns of the Fountain, he's sure finding it can cure his dad. With Mallory and Will's help, the trio embarks on a mission that brings them deep into their families' shared history, through every secret room in the Water Castle, and on a quest that will blur the lines of magic and science, creativity and discovery, leaving listeners left to wonder: Do you believe in the unbelievable?

©2013 Megan Frazer Blakemore (P)2013 Recorded Books

Great book that mixes history and science with suspense and mystery

I love this book! We listened to it on a family road trip and the narration was great too. I had previously read the book and wanted my kids to hear it so I purchased the audiobook when I knew I would have them as a captive audience. It didn’t take long for them to love the story too!

The story is about a family who moves to a home in Maine that they inherited many years ago but never made time to go to it. Now that their father has just had a stroke, they go there to meet with a specialist and hope he can recover. The house though, is surrounded with mystery. At first the kids think it is haunted but quickly learn that "magic" can be easily explained by science. The story follows the kids who are on a quest to learn the truth of the history of the house and hopefully find a way to help their father while they are at it.

I loved that the author mixed history, science with suspense and mystery. I also loved that the kids are good kids. They love their parents, they try hard in school, they use their imagination and aren't sassy and obnoxious the way some kids are today. They are the type of kids I want my kids reading about and fantasizing about being like in their own adventures.