Latest news with #TheMagicianofTigerCastle
USA Today
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
This will make you feel like a kid again🤸
Happy Thursday, booklovers! As a books reporter, some of my favorite interviews have been with children's authors whose stories hold special meaning for generations of young readers. There was the time I interviewed graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier ('Smile' meant the world to this orthodontics-prone kid) and had a chance bookstore run-in with Dan Gutman, of the 'My Weird School' series. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Louis Sachar, an author forever cemented into favorite-childhood-book lore with 'Holes,' 'The Wayside School' series and 'There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom.' Sachar has maintained that he'll never write a sequel to 'Holes,' but he does have something new in store for longtime fans – his first adult novel. 'The Magician of Tiger Castle' is part cozy fantasy, part historical fiction, and it reads like a grown-up version of his zany, childhood stories. This magical book is so full of whimsy that I found myself giggling and gasping alongside his adventures like I did with Stanley Yelnats from "Holes" in middle school. Last year, I embarked on a quest to find the best children's book. What is it about the stories that stay with us long after we outgrow playgrounds and bedtime tales? I asked parents, kids, booksellers and authors. While I didn't find a single, clear answer, I came away knowing the best stories are the ones that nurture, not coddle, young minds. 'Holes' tackled injustice, classism and racism, and in writing it, Sachar knew his young readers could handle difficult topics. It trusted us with humor without dumbing down the jokes. While 'The Magician of Tiger Castle' may be for grown-ups, it too reminds you to slow down and be silly, igniting that same feeling you had when you first picked up a great book. What books make you feel nostalgic? Give me your recommendations at cmulroy@ or reach me on Instagram. Thanks for reading USA TODAY Books this week.
USA Today
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Louis Sachar won't write a ‘Holes' sequel, but he just released a new book for grown-ups
Don't expect a "Holes" sequel from Louis Sachar. The bestselling author behind the popular children's novel and its 2003 movie adaptation starring Shia LaBeouf is adamant the world of Stanley Yelnats is closed. But, he has a new story for longtime fans – his first novel for adults. 'The Magician of Tiger Castle' (out now from Penguin Random House) is a cozy fantasy set long ago somewhere south of France that follows a tea-obsessed magician who must save the royal wedding after a princess falls in love with a lowly scribe rather than her betrothed. He didn't originally set out to write an adult novel. Talking with USA TODAY ahead of the release, Sachar shares how "The Magician of Tiger Castle" unfolded naturally and what he thinks of the enduring 'Holes' fandom. 'The Princess Bride' inspired Louis Sachar's first adult novel Sachar took inspiration from 'The Princess Bride' by William Goldman – the book that made him want to be a writer. He wanted to try his hand at a similar story. This was during the early days of the pandemic, and Sachar's COVID hobby of choice was online courses about life during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. He was fascinated by humanity's limited scientific knowledge and the blurred lines between magic and medicine. That's how he created his protagonist, Anatole – kingdom magician, physician and unlikely hero. Once Sachar started writing him, he couldn't stop. 'He'd taken over the story,' Sachar says. 'I liked that. I liked him, but you can't have a 40-year-old man usually be the protagonist of a kid's book. So I said, 'OK, I'll make it an adult book.' Anatole is a sort of 'Miracle Max' type, but more rounded out than Billy Crystal's short movie scenes. He's up to his elbows in quirky, dungeon experiments. He's a tea snob. He's a father figure to both Princess Tullia and Pito, her forbidden love. He's got a plan to save the kingdom, impress his employers, deal with a rather annoying prince and avoid death by tiger. Though Sachar says writing an adult novel wasn't too different from a kid's book ('I wasn't trying to spice it up or anything,' he says), he was able to inhabit a more adult mindset with this protagonist. When he's writing a novel, it becomes his 'reason for getting up every morning,' he says. He found himself becoming Anatole, drinking his daily tea out of a cast-iron pot adorned with dragonflies. On vacation, he spotted a hand-carved mortar and pestle that seemed to jump from the pages. He bought it 'for' Anatole, he says. 'It just seemed like something he would like,' Sachar says. Anatole and the world of Esquaveta, a fictional 16th-century European kingdom, is Sachar to a tee – he likes books that teach him something (in this case, Medieval living), and he's not a fan of high fantasy with intense world-building and battle-hardened heroes. 'I get bored with stories about wars and superheroes,' Sachar says. 'I think it's more suspenseful to actually have someone who's kind of a klutz and kind of a coward have to suddenly be brave, because then you don't know how it's going to come out.' Louis Sachar thanks 'Holes' fans, but still won't write a sequel The magic of a novel like 'Tiger Castle' lies in the cozy afterglow – this feel-good fairytale is packed with whimsy and humor that reads like the grown-up version of 'Holes' or the 'Wayside School' series. Sachar is hoping that nostalgia brings in fans of those books, both of which remain beloved. 'Holes,' especially, has enjoyed long-lasting acclaim. On BookTok, readers rave about it as their favorite book as a kid or encourage a reread as an adult. Sachar says he feels 'more famous' now than he did when he first wrote 'Holes' because of that enduring fandom. But though readers keep asking whether he'll write a 'Holes' sequel, he's confident that world is finished: 'I'm not sure I can get into Stanley's head anymore,' he says. 'I wrote my first children's book when … I was 22 or 23 years old. I worked with kids while I was going to college, I wasn't that far removed from being a kid myself,' Sachar says. 'And now I'm 71 and I'm not sure how well I can relate to kids anymore, so I'd much rather relate to those same kids who grew up reading my books.' Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
San Francisco Chronicle
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Book Review: Louis Sachar's debut adult novel is a zany adventure of science and magic
Anatole isn't just any magician. He's the magician of Tiger Castle, whom the king of Esquaveta once declared to be the greatest magician in all the land. "The Magician of Tiger Castle' is Anatole's chance to set the record straight. Not about his greatness — he fully accepts the title the king bestowed on him — but about what really happened in 1523 with the princess of Esquaveta, the apprentice scribe she fell in love with, the prince she was betrothed to, and the prisoner who was kept in the dungeon for 100 years. It's the debut adult novel from Louis Sachar, author of the Newbery Medal-winning middle-grade novel, 'Holes,' and the 'Wayside School' series of memorably wacky vignettes. 'The Magician of Tiger Castle,' out Tuesday from Ace Hardcover, is every bit as creative and endearing as Sachar's dozens of children's and young adult books that enamoured kids and teachers alike for decades. The novel is told like a memoir, first-person from the magician himself. Only, he's never been a true magician; we quickly see that he's more of a misunderstood pioneer of medicine and modern science. Calling attention to the thin, hazy line between science and magic, Anatole also dips into miniature medical history lessons. So, while you're following the story of this bald magician, hypersmart scribe and headstrong princess, you're also learning about why old-timey physicians wore beaked masks or how leeches are still sometimes used in medicine today. Though it's classified as an adult novel, 'The Magician of Tiger Castle' is fairly clean, with only one or two curse words, a handful of innuendoes and some light violence, but nothing explicit. You can read the surface-level story and have a great time, but Sachar also brings literary elements to the modern fantasy-adventure table. Chess games reveal the protagonists' strengths while mirroring their evolving relationships, as well as their increasingly complicated schemes. 'The Magician' is self-aware and fourth-wall breaking, stepping outside the narrative to explain a word choice or cultural context for the fictional kingdom set somewhere near modern France. The plot is like a zany Dungeons & Dragons campaign played with friends; the storyline is meandering but with a definite aim and purpose, and the characters are lovably boisterous (or hateful, in the case of the antagonists). It's funny, surprising, smart and weird, and fully lives up to the high bar you'd expect from a great like Sachar. ___
Winnipeg Free Press
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Book Review: Louis Sachar's debut adult novel is a zany adventure of science and magic
Anatole isn't just any magician. He's the magician of Tiger Castle, whom the king of Esquaveta once declared to be the greatest magician in all the land. 'The Magician of Tiger Castle' is Anatole's chance to set the record straight. Not about his greatness — he fully accepts the title the king bestowed on him — but about what really happened in 1523 with the princess of Esquaveta, the apprentice scribe she fell in love with, the prince she was betrothed to, and the prisoner who was kept in the dungeon for 100 years. It's the debut adult novel from Louis Sachar, author of the Newbery Medal-winning middle-grade novel, 'Holes,' and the 'Wayside School' series of memorably wacky vignettes. 'The Magician of Tiger Castle,' out Tuesday from Ace Hardcover, is every bit as creative and endearing as Sachar's dozens of children's and young adult books that enamoured kids and teachers alike for decades. The novel is told like a memoir, first-person from the magician himself. Only, he's never been a true magician; we quickly see that he's more of a misunderstood pioneer of medicine and modern science. Calling attention to the thin, hazy line between science and magic, Anatole also dips into miniature medical history lessons. So, while you're following the story of this bald magician, hypersmart scribe and headstrong princess, you're also learning about why old-timey physicians wore beaked masks or how leeches are still sometimes used in medicine today. Though it's classified as an adult novel, 'The Magician of Tiger Castle' is fairly clean, with only one or two curse words, a handful of innuendoes and some light violence, but nothing explicit. You can read the surface-level story and have a great time, but Sachar also brings literary elements to the modern fantasy-adventure table. Chess games reveal the protagonists' strengths while mirroring their evolving relationships, as well as their increasingly complicated schemes. 'The Magician' is self-aware and fourth-wall breaking, stepping outside the narrative to explain a word choice or cultural context for the fictional kingdom set somewhere near modern France. The plot is like a zany Dungeons & Dragons campaign played with friends; the storyline is meandering but with a definite aim and purpose, and the characters are lovably boisterous (or hateful, in the case of the antagonists). It's funny, surprising, smart and weird, and fully lives up to the high bar you'd expect from a great like Sachar. ___ AP book reviews:
Hindustan Times
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Book Review: Louis Sachar's debut adult novel is a zany adventure of science and magic
Anatole isn't just any magician. He's the magician of Tiger Castle, whom the king of Esquaveta once declared to be the greatest magician in all the land. Book Review: Louis Sachar's debut adult novel is a zany adventure of science and magic "The Magician of Tiger Castle' is Anatole's chance to set the record straight. Not about his greatness — he fully accepts the title the king bestowed on him — but about what really happened in 1523 with the princess of Esquaveta, the apprentice scribe she fell in love with, the prince she was betrothed to, and the prisoner who was kept in the dungeon for 100 years. It's the debut adult novel from Louis Sachar, author of the Newbery Medal-winning middle-grade novel, 'Holes,' and the 'Wayside School' series of memorably wacky vignettes. 'The Magician of Tiger Castle,' out Tuesday from Ace Hardcover, is every bit as creative and endearing as Sachar's dozens of children's and young adult books that enamoured kids and teachers alike for decades. The novel is told like a memoir, first-person from the magician himself. Only, he's never been a true magician; we quickly see that he's more of a misunderstood pioneer of medicine and modern science. Calling attention to the thin, hazy line between science and magic, Anatole also dips into miniature medical history lessons. So, while you're following the story of this bald magician, hypersmart scribe and headstrong princess, you're also learning about why old-timey physicians wore beaked masks or how leeches are still sometimes used in medicine today. Though it's classified as an adult novel, 'The Magician of Tiger Castle' is fairly clean, with only one or two curse words, a handful of innuendoes and some light violence, but nothing explicit. You can read the surface-level story and have a great time, but Sachar also brings literary elements to the modern fantasy-adventure table. Chess games reveal the protagonists' strengths while mirroring their evolving relationships, as well as their increasingly complicated schemes. 'The Magician' is self-aware and fourth-wall breaking, stepping outside the narrative to explain a word choice or cultural context for the fictional kingdom set somewhere near modern France. The plot is like a zany Dungeons & Dragons campaign played with friends; the storyline is meandering but with a definite aim and purpose, and the characters are lovably boisterous . It's funny, surprising, smart and weird, and fully lives up to the high bar you'd expect from a great like Sachar. book reviews: /hub/book-reviews This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
