Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon

Molly Utterback is my new hero. This twelve-year-old girl has persistence and the power of her convictions—not to mention her witchy powers—and she'll need every bit of it to rescue the semi-abandoned gothic Castle Hangnail and its resident minions.

Molly arrives on the doorstep of the castle with an invitation to become its Master/Mistress. Her problem is, the invitation wasn't addressed to her, but to "Eudemonia." Nevertheless, she talks her way into the hall, and sets about to meet the list of "Wicked Witch" tasks needed to qualify as the castle's resident owner. Some of these tasks, like fixing the plumbing, are ordinary (though perhaps not usually in the repertoire of a preteen girl), but smiting and blighting are decidedly wicked.

Molly will succeed—if she does—by studying diligently in the well-stocked library, relying on the help of her minions, and being clever about meeting the requirements listed in her Tasks scroll. And by being too stubborn to quit when it gets really difficult.

This is a delicious story with plenty of twists and turns, and marvelous supporting characters. They try to be evil minions, but fail in the end due to an over-supply of empathy and love for the castle they have infested for so long. Yes, infested; among Molly's assistants are bats and moles. And a donkey.

Castle Hangnail has clever twists to delight the adult reader, and a happy ending to please the middle-school reader—plus lots of gothic details and snide asides to satisfy the young adults in between.

You'll enjoy it.