This is a children's book and not one that has the depth to stand up to critical reading by an adult, but as a children's book, it was a fun story with enough depth and uncertainty to keep it from being saccharine. If your question is "Should an adult who likes great children's books read this?" the answer is maybe. But if your question is "Should I read this if I am sitting in my child's room and need something to read?" the answer is, "yes, and you'll probably have a pretty good time." ( )

I loved this book the first time I read it. The book is about a book within a book. This is a good book to really get students thinking and to use their imagination. It is very different from most other books. It encouraged me to read more when I first read it, as I'm sure it will do with other students who read it. It is very interesting! ( )

So-so. Sylvie, a character in a book, goes from book, to a child's dreams, to another child's dreams and back to a book. Children grow, people die. The idea is handled better in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. ( )

An interesting idea: the characters in a story live their lives even when the story is not being read. Unexpected adventures happen when the story's heroine connects with a Reader.

This is a fantastic tale of what a story can be to those who love it. The characters must love the story, as it is their universe... or at least the characters must appreciate that this is their world and there are rules to the success of their world.

The readers, for the magic of the story to come alive, must love the story as an escape from their world.

The author, for the length of the life of the book, must be ready for the story to adapt to the changes of time.

The story-book princess who would love adventure other than what has been written for her with the pages of her tale, meeting a generation of women for whom this tale is so important (as readers of the story) is a beautiful exploration of the magic that books can make. ( )