The Castle School (for Troubled Girls)

January 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-When Moira, who is white and Jewish, gets a tattoo, it's the last straw. Her parents can no longer cope with her depression, skipping school, and crossing NYC at midnight to visit her best friend's grave. They send her to The Castle School in Maine, which enrolls 12 girls who cope with issues including cutting, kleptomania, and anorexia. Moira finds it strange, without technology or classes, and with regular therapy sessions with Dr. Prince. Is this a psychological experiment? Even so, Moira knows she deserves the punishment for how her friend Nathan died...doesn't she? Interstitial chapters explore the other girls' stories as well. Sheinmel delves deep into the complexities of Moira's mind: her obsessive friendship with Nathan, and her guilt, crushing grief, and failure to understand the motivations of those seeking to help. Through the year Moira starts thinking more about her life, as well as those of her diverse and unexpected new friends. The book's main message is: "Maybe there is...no right thing. Maybe there's only the effort of trying to get it right." All character development is complex and layered, and sensory details create a strong sense of the place that plays a significant role in Moira's growth. Hand this to readers who need to know there's no right way to grieve-or to move forward after grief. VERDICT This boarding school story offers a heartfelt exploration of grief, guilt, and recovery. The complex, distinct characters and strong sense of place will give it wide appeal.-Rebecca Moore, The Overlake Sch., Redmond, WA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 25, 2021
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. Agent: Mollie Glick, Creative Artists Agency.

January 15, 2021
High school senior Moira Dreyfuss is sent to a remote boarding school known as the Castle. After the death of her best friend, Moira's dismal school attendance and late-night graveside visits coupled with a new tattoo push her worried Jewish parents over the edge. Moira is banished to the Castle, a school for troubled girls where psychiatrist Dr. Prince believes removing young people from their current environments will help them confront their problems. A day at the Castle for the 12 girls in attendance begins with breakfast and group therapy followed by low-effort classes and individual therapy. Moira isn't happy about being sent away and knows she's disappointed her parents, but she also senses that the Castle is not what it seems. When she notices her window's broken padlock, she and her roommate, Eleanor, begin to sneak out and unravel the secrets of the institution and its leader, the enigmatic Dr. Prince. Moira's character growth unfolds gradually and is satisfying to read; her fellow classmates prove that they're far more than their diagnoses. Told with an air of mystery and populated with raw, struggling girls, this novel encapsulates themes such as grief, mental illness, addiction, and the value of friendship in times of suffering. It offers a haunting portrayal of the real mental, physical, and emotional challenges that adolescents struggle with. Characters are diverse in ethnicity, family background, and sexuality. Mental health awareness wrapped in a captivating storyline. (Fiction. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 Beneath the trappings of a fast-paced mystery, this novel holds a heartrending exploration of adolescent grief. Readers will delight in the angsty, endearingly sarcastic voice of Moira, whose story--from her days skipping class to be with her now-dead best friend, Nathan, to her present in the cold, dreary halls of Castle, an isolated "reform school" run by the mysterious Dr. Prince--anchors the events. Sheinmel alternates between exciting, plotty chapters and memorable vignettes of the 12 students at Castle, all girls with their own "troubled" pasts. With no phones or Wi-Fi, they're forced to reflect upon their traumas, accept new friendships, and learn from past mistakes, even as they discover a second, neighboring Castle that is very different from their own. As Moira continues to grieve, she finds that all types of love can be found in unexpected places. And as the echoes of Nathan's memory haunt her, she must learn to heal and move forward through the power of found family.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.