content: I loved this book when I was about eight years old, and looking back on it, it's easy to see why: William, the main character, is a gymnast (just as I was) who's rather shy and reserved (just as I was) but manages, when it's important, to help the people around him. He's immensely sympathetic and compelling, and though the familiar fantasyland and evil-wizard-ruling-a-faux-medieval-kingdom plotline hold few surprises for adult readers familiar with the conventions of the genre, it surprised and excited me as a kid.Re-reading it recently, I found it didn't hold up as well as some of my favorite books from when I was younger (such as Madeleine L'Engle's A Ring of Endless Light), but it holds up better than many; this is a strong book for both children and for adults. I have a hard time imagining a more perfect book for bed-time reading.