"You're saying that stories are real?"
"Well ... of course they are!"
It's post-World War II and siblings Simon, Patricia, Evelyn and Larry are sent to stay with Professor Diana Kelly in Salisbury after their home is damaged during a bombing raid. They are given the freedom to explore the house ... except for the top floor which is out of bounds. However, Larry wanders up there and discovers a rather wonderful and magical library which is divided into three categories: Read, Unread & Never Read. Venturing towards the 'Reads' he also discovers that he has entered Folio, a world inhabited by the fictional characters in the books. Shortly after he returns to the house, his sister, Evelyn, discovers the library and comes across the world of the Unreads who also inhabit Folio; however, they believe that the world should be dominated by facts and the future.
Back in Salisbury, the house is raided by the military police. Fearing the gun-shots, the children make for the top floor and head into Folio for safety and to search for the founder of the library, the one person they think can help them. However, they soon discover that the Reads and the Unreads are at war with each other and then their adventure really begins.
K's Opinion:
From the very first page, this book had me spellbound. The writing flows effortlessly and the story unwinds with a gentle elegance that allows you to feel that you're being cocooned in a comforting blanket. The idea of the Reads and the Unreads, fiction and non-fiction, being at war with each other is clever, yet makes complete sense to me (I often have children in the classroom who will have a preference for one or the other), yet even in the midst of the action, I have never read war described so beautifully!
This book has a real feel of classic children's literature and I guarantee that the story will stay with you long after you've read the final page. This is a rather delicious book that you will want to both gobble up in one go and savour at the same time!
O's Opinion:
The first thing I loved about this book is how well it is written; from the description to the plot, I found the style of writing absolutely stunning.
My favourite character is Larry because he is the youngest so people don't always believe him. He is the one who discovers Folio yet nobody thinks he's telling the truth; however, his stubborn nature means he refuses to back down and this is the thing I like about him, for without that discovery, the adventure would never have begun - and what a spellbinding adventure it is! He is my favourite by far because it's not the adventure that's beckoning him, it's the thought of a friend in danger, a friend that he could lose.
This novel is now one of my favourites in the world and I would recommend it to anybody craving an adventure.
'"Why would people never want to read?"
I have no idea!'
After reading this book, neither do we!
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