100 Cupboards: 04/10/12

100 Cupboards by ND Wilson was recommended to me by the Greaet Books for Kids and Teens blog. It was a short mention of the book after they had just started it but it was enough to get my interest.

The book begins with a lovely homage to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum with a description of Henry Kansas. While it's not described as being gray, it is called small and slow. The excitement for the town is the rare arrival of a bus and on that bus is the main character, Henry York.

Henry's not sure what to think of his Aunty Dotty or Uncle Frank who are so different than his own parents. Throughout the book he comments on all the things they are letting him do that they his parents never did (like ride in the back of a truck, drink soda, play baseball).

What he's not expecting though, is to have a mystery surface in the wall of his attic room. Ninety-nine cupboards are behind the plaster wall and he and cousin Henrietta sort out the basics of how the cabinets work. They also uncover the truth behind them and unleash a long forgotten danger.

For Doctor Who fans, this book is a lot like "The Girl in the Fireplace" episode. The world building is lovely but there are times when the book uses an awkward turn of phrase. Sometimes the plot jumps scenes without much of a segue. I had to go back and re-read a dozen or so passages.

Four stars

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