You've heard about Amala haven't you? No? Well, let me remind you. Amala is that land beyond the sunset, on the other side of nowhere, through mountains higher than the sky, across the fathomless deeps of unsailed seas. Amala is a land where what is strange to us is commonplace, and what is everyday for us would bewilder Amalans. It's a land of wizards in towers, majestic royalty, knights on their horses... and of humble shepherds, hardworking farmers, and merchants, crafty or honest. Can you picture it now? Well, this is a story from Amala. It's a story about a girl and her castle. -- For Parents: I like to tell my children bedtime stories. While they drift off to sleep, these stories are an opportunity to fill their minds and hearts with material for dreaming; to teach them about what is good, true, and beautiful; and to reflect on the events of the day. In imaginative fiction, we can show our children a different way of thinking about the real world; or so I hope. The stories of Amala are sometimes silly, sometimes serious; sometimes magical, sometimes mundane; full of mystery, magic, unexpected turns; they are stories of justice however awful, and mercy beyond hope. Some stories have violence, because children must learn what the world is; this one does not. Some stories are scary, because children must learn to confront fear; this story is not. This story is one of our favorites, one my children have demanded told and retold on many nights.