The Castle School (for troubled girls)

Title:

Author:

Summary:

"When Moira Dreyfuss's parents announce that they're sending her to an all-girls boarding school deep in the Maine woods, Moira isn't fooled. She knows her parents are punishing her; she's been too much trouble since her best friend, Nathan, died―and for a while before that. At the Castle School, isolated from the rest of the world, Moira will be expected to pour her heart out to the odd headmaster, Dr. Prince. But she isn't interested in getting over Nathan's death or befriending her fellow students. On her first night there, Moira hears distant music. On her second, she discovers the lock on her window is broken. On her third, she and her roommate venture outside...and learn that they're not so isolated after all. There's another, very different, Castle School nearby―this one filled with boys whose parents sent them away, too. Moira is convinced that the Castle Schools and the doctors who run them are hiding something. But exploring the schools will force Moira to confront her overwhelming grief―and the real reasons her parents sent her away." -- Amazaon.com.

Audience:

Ages 14. Sourcebooks Fire.

Grades 10-12. Sourcebooks Fire.

General Note:

"Content warning. This book contains depictions of mental illness, including but not limited to addiction, anorexia, self-harm, and trichotillomania." -- page opposite verso.

Physical Description:

390 pages ; 22 cm

Subject Term:

Teenagers -- Substance use -- Fiction.

Self-mutilation -- Fiction.

Compulsive hair pulling -- Fiction.

Boarding school students -- Fiction.

Grief -- Fiction.

Mental illness -- Fiction.

Therapeutic schools -- Fiction.

Boarding schools -- Fiction.

Schools -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Maine -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Sourcebooks Fire,

Publication Date:

2021

ISBN:

9781728220987

Publication Information:

Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks Fire, [2021]

Call Number:

YA SHEINMEL

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003511733	Young Adult	SHEINMEL	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Set in an experimental boarding school for teens dealing with trauma, The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) follows one girl's journey through grief and her eleven classmates, each with their own issues, that help her find a path to healing. Perfect for fans of Kathleen Glasgow, this atmospheric, emotional tear-jerker will leave you speechless.

When Moira Dreyfuss's parents announce that they're sending her to an all-girls boarding school deep in the Maine woods, Moira isn't fooled. She knows her parents are punishing her; she's been too much trouble since her best friend, Nathan, died--and for a while before that. At the Castle School, isolated from the rest of the world, Moira will be expected to pour her heart out to the odd headmaster, Dr. Prince. But she isn't interested in getting over Nathan's death or befriending her fellow students.

On her first night there, Moira hears distant music. On her second, she discovers the lock on her window is broken. On her third, she and her roommate venture outside...and learn that they're not so isolated after all. There's another, very different, Castle School nearby--this one filled with boys whose parents sent them away, too.

Moira is convinced that the Castle Schools and the doctors who run them are hiding something. But exploring the schools will force Moira to confront her overwhelming grief--and the real reasons her parents sent her away.

Praise for The Castle School (for Troubled Girls):

"Achingly beautiful. Moira's story gripped me from the first page and held me fast long after I finished reading."--Gilly Segal, New York Times bestselling co-author of I'm Not Dying with You Tonight

"Hooked me from page one. I couldn't stop reading until I had every single answer."--Francesca Zappia, author of Eliza and Her Monsters

"Beneath the trappings of a fast-paced mystery, this novel holds a heartrending exploration of adolescent grief... Memorable."--Booklist

"Complex and layered... A heartfelt exploration of grief, guilt, and recovery."--School Library Journal

"Mental health awareness wrapped in a captivating storyline."--Kirkus

"An effective exploration of mental illness, and it will share a coveted place on reading lists with Laurie Halse Anderson and Patricia McCormick."--BCCB

Also by Alyssa Sheinmel:

A Danger to Herself and Others

What Kind of Girl

Author Notes

Alyssa Sheinmel is the bestselling author of several novels for young adults including A Danger to Herself and Others and Faceless. Alyssa currently lives and writes in New York. Follow Alyssa on Instagram and Twitter @AlyssaSheinmel or visit her online at alyssasheinmel.com.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

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

Publisher's Weekly Review

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. (Mar.)