Jessica Day George Returns to Celie’s Castle for Holidays at the Castle

Holidays at the Castle brings Jessica Day George’s series back to the place that first won over its reviewer: a castle with a personality of its own. Set around the Longest Night festivities, the new book reunites Celie with familiar characters, then stirs the celebration with misbehaving griffins and a dangerous winter search. For readers who have missed the castle’s particular magic, the return looks like a welcome one.

A return to the series’ first great delight

The reviewer first encountered Celie and her castle in Tuesdays at the Castle, which she read in October 2011. That opening book left a lasting impression: she called it “the best castle I have ever met in my whole life.” As the series continued, its adventures carried the action to distant lands and seas. She enjoyed those later journeys, though they didn’t give her the same warm fondness as the first book.

That response makes the setting of Holidays at the Castle part of its appeal. The story brings the festivities back to Celie’s home, gathering a large number of characters from earlier books there for the Longest Night. Revisiting a familiar setting can give a series a different kind of pleasure from sending its characters somewhere new: readers get to see how its established relationships and rhythms feel when everyone comes together. Here, the reviewer’s pleasure lies in returning to the castle and its winter celebration.

The reunion does come with a practical reading consideration. The reviewer initially found the large cast overwhelming, since almost everyone encountered in the earlier books has come to the castle. Celie remains at the center of the action, however, and gives the reviewer a point of connection amid the crowded gathering. Readers who already know the series will have the pleasure of seeing familiar faces meet again; those arriving with this installment may need a little time to sort through the company.

Griffins interrupt the celebration

The festivities don’t proceed in uninterrupted cheer. The castle’s griffins begin acting with alarming aggression, while Celie’s own griffin and one other are exceptions. The source review doesn’t explain what causes the behavior, so that mystery is best left for readers to discover. It does establish that the trouble grows before the reason can be found, giving the gathering an urgent problem alongside its holiday preparations.

Celie’s next challenge sends her out into a blizzard to rescue a friend lost in the snow. That peril puts the winter setting to work: the weather is more than a backdrop to the celebration, and Celie has to leave the warmth of the castle to help someone in danger. The reviewer offers no further details about the rescue, but the episode gives the story a clear change of pace from a crowded festive gathering to an exposed journey through a storm.

For younger readers, that mix may be a central part of the book’s appeal. Familiar characters and seasonal traditions provide the comfort of a reunion, while the griffins’ aggression and the blizzard create suspense. The review’s account suggests a story that moves between lively commotion and the dangers Celie has to face, then returns to the pleasure of being together.

Warmth after the storm

The reviewer says the castle ultimately saves the day and helps make the winter festivities “the best ever.” The celebration brings together warmth, community, gifts, good food and magic—the qualities that make this return especially suited to a winter holiday read. That ending note also connects the new book with what the reviewer valued in the series’ first installment: not simply a sequence of magical adventures, but the fondness built around Celie and her home.

Holidays at the Castle is scheduled for September 22, 2026, from Bloomsbury Children’s Books. The reviewer recommends starting young readers with Tuesdays at the Castle if they haven’t met Celie and her castle, then suggests giving this installment as a holiday gift. That’s a natural entry point for families who want to begin at the start of the series, and a seasonal return for readers already attached to its central character and setting.

The reviewer received a review copy from the publisher. Her account points to a book whose pleasures depend on both familiarity and festive bustle: the castle is back, the wider cast fills its rooms, and Celie has another problem to solve before the celebration can take hold. For readers who have been waiting to spend more time at home with her, the Longest Night offers a reason to return.