Role of animals in Castaways

Animals play an important role in all of Jacques' books, but less so in this book. As the primary focus is on human characters, the animals receive less attention. However, Jacques cannot completely get rid on his love for animals. He gives all animals in the book human-like qualities and the ability to communicate with one another telepathically. They also help advance the plot by finding clues and items that human characters cannot.

Role Play: Ned

                     I went down to the village market today and an old lady told me I looked like a bear more than a dog. I snuffled at her and thought "My, my if I were a bear, then you'd be a whale." Then I went over to the almshouse to help Ben and our friends with our search for the royal deeds to Chapelvale. Along the way, I encountered a most unusual smell. I followed it back to the source and found that it was an ice cream from the Evan's shop that a child had left on the group. It produced a most awful smell and I was struggling to understand why anyone would leave that goodness on the ground! I am not ashamed to admit that I liked the remnants off of the ground and then moved onto the almshouse.

If there was a movie....

           If there were ever a movie adaptation of Castaways, I would really like for J. J. Abrams to be the director. He is one of my favorite modern directors and has done great work with the new Star Trek franchise and movies such as Super 8. He is also to be the director of the new Star Wars trilogy. Abrams shows great depth in his movies and goes into great detail with his creations. While he has never done a book to movie adaptation to my knowledge, it would be interesting to see what he could do with it.

Possible Prequels

              Early in Castaways Ned mentions to Ben their experiences at the Battle of Trafalgar and other historical events. I think it would be very interesting to learn more about these stories in another book in this series, maybe a sort of prequel. Jacques has already written two sequels to this book. Unfortunately, Jacques passed away in 2011, so it is unlikely that this will ever happen.

Picture: Royal Deed

This a royal deed. It can be used for many things, from endowing land to giving a monarchy away. In Castaways the characters are focused on finding a royal property deed. They are focused on this because the village of Chapelvale was given to the Winn family by King Edward III of England in a royal deed. If they find the deed they would be able to save the village from the industrialists.

On the Telepathy Between Ben and Ned

              One of the most interesting parts of the book is the ability for Ben and Ned to communicate telepathically. While reading the book, I kept thinking how neat it would be able to do this with my own pet: my cat, Isabella. It would be really interesting to hear what she was saying. Its just a thought and I know it could never happen.

Picture: Almshouse

This is an almshouse. In England. Almshouses were used as a sort of retirement home for well, retirees. In Castaways the almshouse of Chapelvale is significant because of its role in the story. The dilapidated almshouse is occupied by Jon Prescott and the first real clue of the quest is found inside of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alms_House,_Woburn.JPG