Arthur suffers from debilitating asthma that causes him to end up in hospital on a regular basis. On his first day at his new school, he suffers an asthma attack that kills him. Or would have killed him, had he not had the minute key from The House thrust upon him. Thrown into a new, exciting and utterly terrified world, Arthur needs to learn things fast – before all the people he loves get sick.
This series (The Keys to the Kingdom) was one of the best that I had read when I was younger. This first novel still holds that appeal for me. It’s a new landscape, it’s relatively unique as the concept of a ‘magic house’ goes, and Arthur is endearing in his naivety.
I do feel somewhat frustrated with Arthur. He should have cluded on on the days of the week thing already! It’s no good sitting back. And plus, he’s able to change time outside ‘The House’, so he should do that.
The frog is inspired! Heh, sharing frogs in throats. The Will does seem a bit sneaky though, and I don’t like it all that much. I guess who at all likes Wills in general?
This is a plot driven novel. Arthur doesn’t get any smarter or sneakier, but he does begin to understand how things work. But he’s a bit of a blank slate – you can project yourself into him. The journey is the exciting part.
This novel is the one I compared The Book of Days to, but I guess this one is significantly older. And in addition, this is set in the modern world. It’s just The House that is behind. I’m glad I’ve come back to reading these again though, as my girlfriend’s brother is also reading them.
