Beth Cato's Reviews > The Kingdom of Carbonel

This is the second volume in the middle grade-level Carbonel series. I last read it was a library copy about 15 years ago.[return][return]A year after setting Carbonel free from a witch's spell, teenagers Rosemary and John reunite to spend the summer together. To their delight, King Carbonel returns. After going to a pharmacist for a special prescription, the two drink an elixir and can hear Carbonel again--and all the other animals and insects around. Carbonel has a special request. He must leave for a meeting of kings, and he's concerned about the well-being of his two young kittens. Rosemary and John agree to tend them, but soon enough trouble merges. Carbonel's old witch is up to mischief again, this time plotting with the ambitious cat-queen of a neighboring city. The two children must do everything they can to save the kittens and keep Cat Country from falling into outright war.[return][return]This book is as charming as I remembered. It's so delightfully British, full of eccentric characters with magic revealing itself in unexpected ways. I'm so grateful that these books were finally reprinted! Mind you, it does feel dated in some ways (this second book was published in 1960) but that's all part of its charm.