This was either a weak ending to the series or I wasn’t in the mood. As the book opens, Jared, Simon and Mallory are returning home after Mallory is rescued from the Dwarves. They discover that their house has been ransacked and their mother has been captured by Mulgarath the Ogre. Jared approaches the Elves who let him talk to Uncle Simon. He finds out that Mulgarath lives in a castle in a junkyard. When they arrive there, Simon and Mallory are captured. Thimbletack the Brownie, who is hiding in Jared’s coat, magically winds chains around Simon and Mallory. Mulgarath throws them out of the castle, but they are kept from falling to their death by the chains. Thimbletack then wraps a chain around Mulgarath that causes him to fall out the window. He turns into a swallow and is swallowed by Hogsqueal the Goblin. Uncle Arthur is given his fairy book and is released by the Elves. He chooses to die (since he’s lived long past his time) instead of living by enchantment.

I read this book in the Arlington Heights Library while my daughter was at church. The series began promisingly, but I was bored with it by the end. I just read this book for the sake of completeness.