The Castle in the Attic

William ventures deep into an unknown land that hides a great prize of power that he must bring with him back to his home. His adventure thus takes the form of a hero’s journey, where the protagonist enters a strange realm, faces difficult tests and feelings of hopelessness, but emerges triumphant with new abilities—in William’s case, the medallion that can put things right again for Mrs. Phillips. In the book’s acknowledgments, the author mentions Joseph Campbell, whose works on the hero’s journey greatly influenced her.

During such a journey, the hero learns from wise teachers or mentors. William’s journey contains three: Mrs. Phillips, gym coach Robert, and Sir Simon. Part of what makes The Castle in the Attic an unusual story is that William causes harm to his own teacher, and his quest involves undoing that damage.

Assisting a hero along the way are one or more helpers. William receives important aid from a young boy who alerts the Silver Knight that William has made it through the forest. Later, William retrieves an apple that breaks an evil spell, and the spell’s victim, the young boy’s father, rewards William with critical information that enables him to get into the wizard’s castle.

The hero also must learn a great lesson about life. This lesson usually occurs during the darkest part of the journey; the revelation enables the hero to complete the quest. For his part, William discovers that his attempt to keep Mrs. Phillips with him hurts, not only her, but himself as well. The first hint comes from Coach Robert, who tells the boy that, if he’s not honest in other parts of his life, his gymnastic floor routine will become distorted. William’s plot against his own caregiver thus reveals itself by the glitch in his floor routine. It’s not until he kidnaps Mrs. Phillips, though, that the lesson strikes home, and he realizes fully how he’s damaged both her life and his own.

In an unusual twist, William learns this lesson, not when he’s amid the abyss of doubt that he confronts in Sir Simon’s hopelessly ruined kingdom, but earlier, when he recognizes his mistake in kidnapping Mrs. Phillips. The full power of his realization comes to the fore later, when William finally confronts Alastor and defeats the wizard’s truth mirror because he already knows the worst that the mirror can show him about himself.

The mirror thus has no power over William, but it helps to teach him a hidden, second lesson: that all along he’s had the strength to overcome any challenge he confronts. Thus empowered, the boy returns to Mrs. Phillips, frees her, and thereby frees himself from dependency and self-doubt. His hero’s journey is complete.