Book Reviews of The Door in the Wall (Yearling Newbery)

My favorite passage sums up this book nicely:

"Fret not, my son. None of us is perfect. It is better to have crooked legs than a crooked spirit. We can only do the best we can with what we have. That, after all, is the measure of success: what we do with what we have."

Robin is a boy whose father expects him to be a knight. When his father goes off to war, Robin is left alone and falls ill. His legs are slightly crippled afterward. Some monks come to his aid and he learns to "do the best with what he has." Recommended.

Keeps you glued to your seat while Mom reads it to you. Really great book.

Excellent book! Unfortunately, my kids refuse to read books I've previewed, so it is almost new after sitting on the shelf for over a year.

The main character almost dies, and is left with unusable legs. A kind monk begins teaching him to swim. He overcomes his paralysis - this story is about his journey. Very good. Kind of historic novel.

This book is hard to understand.

Fine fast read about a crippled boy who learns that he is greater than the sum of his parts. Lots of Christian ideals, but it didn't feel too preachy to me or my daughter. It supported moral behavior without making it medicinal tasting.

I am not sure of this book yet since we haven't read much of it. My kids weren't too into it a few weeks ago but we'll try again.

A lovely romantic book, focusing on how a loving parent would react to disability, instead of how real medieval nobles would have likely reacted... BUT - it is marvelously well done. I loved _The Door in the Wall_ as a child, and I still love it now.

Pounced on a replacement copy immediately upon seeing it, two weeks ago. My original copy has been lost for nearly a decade. I read this first probably in the late 70s.

'And she will say, "I'll bake thee a bannock,"' has always been one of my most favorite parts. Falling from directions - how to get to the house - into a very motherly response to a guest. -grin-

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

ISBN 0440402832 - A Newbery Award Medal Winner and winner of the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, The Door in the Wall is an excellent book about finding your own way.

Robin's father is off fighting for the king, his mother is lady-in-waiting to the queen and the plague is sweeping through London. Robin finds himself alone and unable to use his legs; he tries to be brave as a knight should be, but he's scared and feeling bad for himself. When Brother Luke finds him and brings him to the hospice, he tells Robin that if he comes to a wall, and follows the wall far enough, he will find a door. Robin doesn't understand what this means, but he trusts the friar and learns from him.

Robin's wall is that he's unable to walk alone and his worries that he'll let his father down because he cannot become a knight. With the help of the friars, he finds his door in that wall and becomes stronger, just in time. The castle of Lindsay is under seige and Robin is the only one who can save them all.

The language is old-fashioned and there's a sentence or two that were difficult for me to make sense of, so that might be a barrier for the young reader. Still, more than worth the time it took to read, even for adults!

- AnnaLovesBooks

This is a great book if you are studying the middle ages.

wonderful story set in the Middle Ages.

Has become a children's classic. Excellent, award winning story. Interesting to read, and is good for reading to others.

easy reader, used in TOG.

Beautifully written Newberry Award winner about overcoming disability