Even though this was published over fifty years ago, this title keeps popping up on my radar. I was finally inspired to read it when I found that she had just won the Margaret A. Edwards award for a lifetime achievement of writing for children.
I enjoyed the book, but I was frustrated because I somehow misrepresented it to myself as a fantasy similar to Narnia where it starts in the real world and then journeys into another more fantastical one. Perhaps this is what the Dark is Rising series turns into but having not read the rest yet, I can only speak for this book. From what I've researched after reading it, it seems the other books diverge to different characters and delve more into the Arthurian Legend but then weave back again to the characters from the first one.
Now, while this series is much loved, that bothers me. I hate getting invested in characters to have them change in a series much like the third book in the City of Ember series did. That being said, I would have liked to actually have gone back to the Arthurian times and I kept waiting for that to happen so when it didn't I was disappointed.
Okay, putting all that aside, the book was not bad. There is a quest. There is mystery. There are bad guys. There's a puzzle to be solved. There are kids as main characters and action that leads to a dramatic conclusion. Its got all that you need. It moves slowly at some points the way older classics can compared to our quick paced adventure books of today, but nothing that wouldn't have an avid reader immersed.
Interest Level: Grades 5-8 Reading level: Grade 6
Genre: Fantasy
First in Series of five.
Comparable Titles: Chronicles of Narnia, Mysterious Benedict Society, Fablehaven
Book Connections: Legend of King Arthur, Cornwall, Carnival Days
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