Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Tales

Probably closer to 3.5, but ended on a good set of stories. Wasn't a fan of The Carpet People, but I loved the one about egg dancing, abominable snowpeople, the Town of Blackberry, and some others.

Terry Pratchett sits fairly high up on my list of must-read authors. His brand of writing, with its wit and whimsy, never fails to delight me. That meant, of course, that I wanted to read his Middle Grade short story compilation the minute I knew it existed. I was thrilled by the fact that these were all stories Pratchett wrote as a boy and, awesomely enough, were the launchpad for a lot of his writing now.

First off, I want to praise Mark Beech for his illustrations. They perfectly compliment the stories inside this book! I was actually so enamored with them that I had to go and look his portfolio up online. There's something whimsical about his illustrations which, as I mentioned above, matches the whimsy in Pratchett's stories. I can absolutely see sitting next to a young reader and sharing these stories with them before bed!

As to the stories themselves, I really believe that these will appeal to a lot of readers. I wasn't a huge fan of all of them, I felt like some were a little unfinished, but of course I couldn't help but remember that a young Pratchett's wonderful mind created these. That same fun, romping pace I've come to love winds its way through all the stories, and most of them have their own little lessons built in. Best of all, there are giggle-worthy parts thrown in at the most unexpected moments.

Final verdict? Definitely a fun compilation for both Terry Pratchett fans, and those looking for a set of short stories to share with their kids! I don't like to compare books, but I'll be honest in saying that these reminded me a lot of Roald Dahl. Trust me, that's a huge compliment. Enjoy!