Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I adore Piers Torday's writing and had been so much looking forward to reading this!

Written in the great tradition of fantasy adventures like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and E. Nesbit's books, this is set at the end of World War II and follows Simon, Patricia, Evie and Larry as they are sent to the mysterious Barfield Hall. In the attic they discover an even more mysterious library - whose door is not always there - which contains shelves for the Reads, Unreads and Never Reads.

It appears that the final showdown between Fact and Fiction is in full swing, and that the children are drawn into this. Larry has chosen the Reads - stories, while Evie prefers hard facts and chooses the Unreads, tempted by the vision of the future shown to her by their leader in much the same way that Edmund is under the spell of the White Witch. However, this battle pales into insignificance in the face of the greater threat of the Never Reads - those who know nothing - and Simon and Patricia's search for The Librarian.

This book was filled with so many quotable lines, and some enchanting characters - I particularly enjoyed Roderick, the maths-loving, rainbow-hued, flying unicorn.

As well as being a great adventure, there is much wisdom about reading here, although it is so subtly and skilfully woven in that the messages are delivered almost invisibly. The power of the Reader in books, for instance, is such a great idea, and I also loved that although Simon is dyslexic, he has an important role and cannot be excluded from this book-based adventure.

A charming read, which I greatly enjoyed, and which fans of 'There May be a Castle' won't want to miss.