The King in the Window

The King in the Window	Hyperion Books for Children
Written by Adam Gopnik	2005
Fantasy	410 pages
	Reading Level grade 5-9

Summary

Oliver is an American living in Paris. He kicks a stone home after school, at the end kicking it to the river, but it bounces out. On Epiphany holiday, he finds the prize in his cake, a key. He wears the paper crown and declares himself king. His reflection in his window morphs into a boy in a blue doublet and waves to him. He is puzzled but goes to sleep. The next day he tries to talk to his friend but she gives him a riddle of a king in the window and a glass sword. At school he is warned to not got to the Hall of Mirrors. He goes to the Louvre to look for a glass sword, when he finds it all the windows shatter and a great hum echoes the hallways. He grabs the sword as it falls, and the humming stops. He runs off with the sword, escaping the pursuing guards. He takes the sword to Versailles and finds the wraiths in the windows, including Duc de Richelieu, Moliere, and Racine. They explain that the king must defeat the Master of the Mirrors. The Master has been stealing the souls of people who looked too long through mirrors. They proclaim Oliver as King, and tell him to find the witty woman for more explanations. He requests as interview with Mrs. Pearson, a notorious critic. She explains more of the story and his part in it. He returns home to find his friend Charlie came to visit from America. They set out to find a true mirror that will help them enter the mirror world and defeat the Master. Charlie is abducted and Oliver explains to his neighbor Neige what he is looking for to save Charlie and all that the wraiths told him. Neige shows him the true mirror that she has been protecting, for she is a crystal mage. Together the two of them enter the mirror realm and rescue Charlie. The true mirror is broken and Oliver has open the realm through the stain glass windows in a cathedral. While in the mirror realm, they overhear minions of the Master talking about the quantum equipment that had been attached to the Eifel Tower. Oliver figures out that the Master has been trying to steal souls from computer users, and succeeding. The quantum equipment would allow him to travel across the universe! He must find a way to set the window wraiths free to fight the minions of the Master before the equipment was turned on. He solves a riddle about the right medium between the mirrors and windows. He manipulates the weather to snow, the perfect medium. The wraiths and the watchers that are shadows, all converge on the Eifel Tower. The Master is defeated and captured in the wine spoon of Mrs. Pearson. Oliver returns to live in America and no one really believes what happened a few years ago.

Reaction

I enjoyed reading the book, but felt that there was too much going on. There was too may twists that it was hard to follow the storyline at some parts. I liked that there were metaphors and similes that the wraiths spoke in. I did like the different types of lies described, but didn’t think them appropriate in a children’s level reading.

Possible Problems

There was a villain that was stealing the souls through mirrors which might be too intense for younger audience. There also adult drinking, stealing and lying. Oliver lied to his mother in order to go to Versailles and the Louvre, and stole the glass sword once there.

Recommendations

I think this would be good for older boys to read that have low self esteem. Also, those who like battling a villain and coming out victorious.