Castle Hangnail
#1294.25 adjusted 4.18 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2015 Reading commitment Low Ursula Vernon Last reviewed 2026-10-25
Overview
Ursula Vernon's Castle Hangnail is a standalone comic fantasy of witches, minions and one fantastic castle. When twelve-year-old Molly arrives to fill the vacancy for a wicked witch, Majordomo, the castle's guardian, and its minions are understandably dubious; but the castle needs a master or the Board of Magic will decommission it, and Molly must complete wicked tasks of smiting and blighting while hiding a secret of her own. Illustrated by the author, it won the 2016 Mythopoeic Award for Children's Literature.
Comic fantasy, Cozy fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Castle Hangnail Ursula Vernon
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Castle Hangnail | 2015 | 1 | core | 4.25 (3,332 ratings) |
Ursula Vernon's standalone.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Castle Hangnail? Castle Hangnail's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Castle Hangnail finished? Complete (2015).
- How much reading does Castle Hangnail take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is Castle Hangnail ranked? #129 in this site's official ranking, based on 3,332 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #129?
Ranked #129 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.25 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (3,332 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #128, Jon Shannow (Stones of Power) (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 1 book · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #129 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment comic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award (Children's Literature), 2016: won: Castle Hangnail
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- Howl's Moving Castle Fairy-tale retelling / Comic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.21
- The Little Grey Men Cozy fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.15
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.25 across 3,332 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: Castle Hangnail (Ursula Vernon) accepted 2026-10-25
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Reader list on the rating platform (rating with title) Tier 2
- Mythopoeic Society (final ballots) Tier 2
- School Library Journal (review with edition details) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-25
Rule: Core Canon = Castle Hangnail (2015), a standalone.