Enjoyed this book as a kid and got it to read aloud to my 8 year old. Definitely holds its own as an introductory book to fantasy literature.
I enjoyed this book. I am prompted to write a review because it is also unusual. Most children's adventure fantasy books show the hero growing and learning personally. This one - in a manner I find really unique- hones in on how the hero uses his own mind and thoughts to inculcate his happiness by the end. It has the flavor of a parable or wisdom story. I am an adult reader, and think my five-year-old and seven-year-old nieces are a little young for it. (Partly because it starts off with the hero's parents both dying in a plague, which might be too much for them...) But if I were reading it aloud, as the previous reviewer did, and could talk about it as we went along it could prompt some interesting conversation and might be fine. An interesting little book.
