Funny & a page-turner. It left me wanting more, for example of how a young boy can 'be' a library, and why a young girl is a caculator when they have computers. When I was a child I would probably have loved this, and I do rrecommend it to boys and girls ages 7-10. A reader can't be too cynical if s/he is going to be able to just let go and have fun with this adventure. Don't expect real science-fiction, or real adventure - it's more an homage to tropes than it is literature (but no prior knowledge of the tropes is necessary).

Most fans of [a:Daniel Pinkwater|4490798|Daniel Pinkwater|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1309175606p2/4490798.jpg] would probably like it, though it's a bit tamer. It'd be fun for a 4th-grade teacher to read aloud, because the chapters are short and there's no sexism or racism. ( )

Typical Mahy nonsense. Her books for younger children are fun, but don't have the re-read value of her teen books. ( )

Old Children's Book. Liked it as a kid, but haven't read it in years. ( )