This brief chapter book from the author of the classic Green Knowe Chronicles follows a young boy as he explores an enchanted garden. "You can go anywhere you want, if you really want to," the little old lady with the beautiful, young voice tells Joseph, and sure enough, he finds himself transformed...

While not one of Boston's more memorable books, The Castle of Yew provides an enjoyable read, and is a far more intelligent story for this age level than many of the chapter books currently being published. There is nothing cutesy here, and the author never speaks down to her audience.

It is worth noting that this book is exceptional, among Boston's work, for being one of her only titles not illustrated by her son, Peter Boston. The many black and white drawings here are provided by the marvelous Margery Gill, whose illustrations have graced the works of Ruth M. Arthur, Susan Cooper, and Rosalie Fry. ( )