Merlin's Castle

Teya Rosenberg is an assistant professor of English specializing in
children’s literature at Southwest Texas State University.

Ralphy (Raphaella) narrates her adventure with her brother Marco and his
lizard Donatello. Dinosaurs fascinate Marco, and he longs for Donatello
to grow large and terrible. On Christmas Eve, Ralphy, Marco, and
Donatello discover a paper castle in a book; inside that castle, they
meet Merlin. Since all three wish for Donatello to grow large, Merlin
sends them to find the place where giant lizards live. Once there, they
will be able to transform Donatello with the magic words Merlin gives
them. With some trial and error, they find that place. But after
becoming large and terrible, Donatello realizes that he values his
friendship with Marco more, so all three return home, where Donatello is
once more a small lizard, albeit somewhat transformed by their
adventure.

Gбl has beautifully illustrated Merlin’s Castle with his trademark
use of lovely color and tone. The story itself has something for
everyone: dinosaurs, a wizard, a journey in a flying balloon, a hint of
danger, the true love of a pet, male and female protagonists. All the
pieces, however, do not entirely pull together. The magical elements are
convoluted and convenient rather than consistent and convincing. Ralphy
and Marco’s father illustrates children’s books; this detail plus a
great variety of references and allusions makes this story seem written
chiefly for the Gбl family rather than being an esthetic whole in its
own right. There are fun details, but those details overwhelm the story.
Recommended with reservations.