Very Last Castle

Author Travis Jonker and illustrator Mark Pett’s The Very Last Castle is “a lovely story about courage and community with a darling protagonist” (Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review). A curious little girl watches the man who guards the last castle in town. Every time she passes by him, she tries to catch his eye. While the other townspeople fear what may be locked up inside the mysterious castle, the girl finally gets up the courage to knock on the door and find out what’s really behind the gate. A story about overcoming fear of the unknown, trying new things, and reaching out to make new friends, The Very Last Castle shows that bravery comes in packages both big and small.“Minimal, unadorned text mixes with watercolor and pen-and-ink pictures to create an appealing protagonist who has an admirable, self-possessed curiousness and always wears big yellow boots—readers can almost hear her clomping confidently through the pages.” —Publishers Weekly