Name: The King in the Window
ISBN: 9780786838943

Adam Gopnik

Eleven-year-old Oliver, an American boy residing in Paris, discovers, much to his astonishment, that phantoms live within the windowpanes and have selected Oliver to lead a war against the "soul-stealers" that inhabit mirrors.

The King in the Window

The King in the Window is an amazing book. It's been really long since I've read a Children's fantasy as good as this!

Oliver Parker is a lonely ten year old boy in gray and cold Paris. Through his young eyes, the stark contrasts between life in Paris and life in the States. Moreover, his mother is unhappy and his dad is too caught up in his work to be a dad. Olly was kind of wise beyond his years as he was able to observe these things very well, and his naivety only painted the picture more clearly.

I realized the audience bracket for this book is quite young, but it came off as somewhat mature for me. Historical references, physics, rhetorics and metaphors are simply a few of the topics explored. Although these concepts were explained as simply as possible, I imagine some kids would have a hard time relating to Oliver. Also, the writing style was also very classical, sort of like Lewis Caroll's style. Adam Gopnik portrayed Oliver as a technologically distant boy, but he defeats the enemy through his reading skills. I totally adore that concept.

The story in its entirety was very delightful and charming. Fast paced and playful, Im sure readers of all ages will enjoy this. Shoutout for the wonderful book cover (which I rarely find these days) and the beautiful illustrations.