Article contributed by Raathi Chota
From the get-go, readers are drawn into the lives of Castle School students and their journey to recovery. As the book cover states, it’s for troubled girls but not in the way you’d first look at it. The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) touches on sensitive topics, mental health, and relationships teenagers have and go through in their youthful years.
The plot focused on Moira, the new girl at Castle School, which her parents sent her to as she assumes it’s because she got a tattoo and became out of hand after her best friend’s death. There are also chapters on the other girls and how they all ended up at Castle School, and thus making it a breeze to read as we’re not only getting the school from one perspective.
Castle School took a unique approach into dealing with teenagers and what they’re going through. The school takes on only twelve students, no cell phones or other technology (yet you could reach a computer privilege once you’ve shown improvement), and it’s situated remotely away from distractions. It wasn’t the cliche boarding school with strict teachers, uniforms, and an eerie atmosphere. Doctor Prince, the so-called headmaster and therapist, created an independent and safe environment for his students to get comfortable and reflect on what they’re going through.
Our protagonist Moira has lost her best friend, Nathan, and acts out by sneaking out to his grave at night, ditching school, and getting a tattoo. Moira looks at the school as an institution since there’s a therapist and she isn’t used to their different methods of learning. It only becomes worse in Moira’s life when the lock on her window breaks and she sneaks off with Eleanor—her roommate—and they find another Castle School like theirs, but filled with boys. They have a Doctor Prince too and Moira is convinced they’re working together on an experiment and the students are their test subjects.
Moira is so convinced on this ideology that she doesn’t realise she’s building it to distract her from facing her best friend’s death and accepting what happened. Once the other girls get involved and they head off to the boy’s castle at night, Moira realises what she has done. With the help of Randy, Doctor Prince’s son who lives in the castle, he gives her insight to the other castle but also makes her realise that it’s okay to grieve about a person’s death who was so close to you.
In a way, the author showed how escaping from our normal lives can create a new perspective for us. The other castle school wasn’t the only one that helped the girls but Dr. Prince too and his ways of teaching, even if it wasn’t directly, but through having therapy sessions where he doesn’t ask all the questions. It took some time for Moira to open up about Nathan because she was so paranoid and constantly drank water to keep that lump in her throat at bay. The bonding of the girls helped, as well as breakfast discussions and independent learning. Not a lot of traditional methods were used because it gave the girls time to focus on other things.
Realising the character development Moira goes through is unforgettable. From not even mentioning Nathan’s name, to openly talking about him and accepting what happened which wasn’t her fault. She doesn’t get over his death and he’s constantly mentioned throughout the story, but she does come to terms with what happened and moves forward.
This book must be read with caution as it may be confronting to some readers. However, it’s a beautiful story written about the serious challenges that teenagers go through in their daily lives. Another amazing read which gladly receives all of the stars for its indulging writing and focusing on topics that should be crucial to have knowledge about in society.
The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
