The Castle Corona offers a good-hearted, gently comic fairy tale set in feudal Italy. Using parallel stories that eventually join, Creech first introduces the Castle Corona’s sheltered, slightly ridiculous royal family. Next, in contrast, Creech introduces Pia and Enzio, orphaned peasant children from the nearby village.
Brief, cleverly paced episodes reveal several fixtures of the castle have a secret plan. The king and queen’s respective hermit advisers and the court storyteller are up to no good. They subtly engineer Pia and Enzio’s appointment as royal food tasters.
They hope to link Pia and Enzio to a stolen pouch. The engaging, puzzle-like plot will attract readers, as the novel’s heady themes, from wisdom to empathy to the fate-changing power of story, prompt them to deeper thought.
