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Advantages: Very funny, far more complex than it seems, the characters...
Disadvantages: Not everyone will see its depth, unfortunately

...for writing 101 Dalmations, but I Capture the Castle is simply delightful and I wish I'd had it when I was 12 or so. As the introduction by Valerie Grove acknowledges, this is a book with universal appeal - she's given copies to young girls, men in their sixties and various people in between. It's hard to describe without putting some people off - you could call it a coming of age story, a romance, a family drama and many other things - so suffice ...
...would be easy to dismiss I Capture the Castle as merely a simple story, if it were not for its complex characters, interesting social context and wonderfully entertaining style. It has amazing depth - which I'm sure will become even more apparent when I reread it - which is part of its universal appeal. Older children will view it as a sweet, funny story; adults will appreciate its scope and analysis of the characters and their situations. If you ... Read review

Advantages: Adventure on the high seas, Pirates, Long John Silver, Coming of age
Disadvantages: Understanding Pirate Talk, Realisation you're parents deprived you of a good book

The story and adventure constantly come at you as though waves stretch across the golden sands of 'Treasure Island'. Coaxing you out into the blue horizon and reaching out towards the edge of the earth on the 'Hispaniola' to find out where the next chapter will take you. And you will not be disappointed, each chapter has a new turn of events which constantly keep you wanting more. The great ability of the book is keeping the characters alive in ...
...even hate them or love them. I particularly found the ability in conveying Long John Silver as the chaotically suave 'gentleman' that he is, very effective in generating my illicit need to be a pirate and go on many of his previous adventures of which my imagination takes me. The method of writing, and including the smallest and insignificant of details, is able to spin the image of the grand docks or of the island itself in the centre of your minds ... Read review