“Beyond the Castle” surprised me in many ways.  To start, I didn’t have high expectations of the book.  I thought it would be a cute, fluffy, but essentially useless book of platitudes, and “happy thoughts” that don’t really work on the bad days.  To sum up how the real content of the book compares to my expectations, three words are most fitting: I was wrong.  

I can’t really describe the nature of this book, except by saying that it really does seem to possess a touch of Disney magic.  Jody Jean Dreyer guides us to find the sparkle that is already in our lives, already in our part of the world, and most of all, already in us, without ever making that sparkle feel “make-believe”.  Instead she shows us that that sparkle is very real, and very possible to give to the world in our own unique way.  While that in itself may sound a bit cliche, there is something about Jody Jean’s perspective that makes it fresh again, puts a new spin on it.  Perhaps it’s the ability to apply that message to everyday life in ways such as:
– How to recognize the roles that the people in our lives play, and how all of them, whether they be the sidekick or the villain, help us to tell our stories.
– Why we should celebrate the small things that add joy to our lives, not just by recognizing them, but by truly appreciating the depth and richness they add to our everyday.
– And, perhaps my personal favourite, finding “Easter eggs” not just in the movies, but in our own lives as a wink from God in the path that He has placed us on.

Additionally, you will learn a few secrets of the Disney company that you might not find in another resource, such as:
– The criteria of a Disney princess – what makes Mulan a princess and Tinker Bell not.
– And why the opening of Disneyland (of all things!) was once called “Walt’s Nightmare.”

All in all “Beyond the Castle” is a book sure to benefit “kids of all ages” as Walt himself would put it.   It will show you how to recognize the magic that God gives to everyone who is willing to look.  Not the make-believe kind, but the better-than-make-believe, real-life kind of magic.  And when it comes to magic, who better to speak on the subject than Disney?

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.