Note: When this website began (a few years ago), my book thoughts consisted of very minimal information–just specific things to point out to parents who didn’t have time to pre-read. This review has now been updated to reflect more particulars.
- a boy discovers hidden cupboards in the wall of his new bedroom, then learns they are portals into alternative worlds
- when his cousin disappears through one of them, he must figure out how to get her back
- convo: smoking, kidnapping, death of parents, some seriously creepy sections with a witch, a girl teases her sister about liking a boy
- mostly clean language – an occasional “stupid”
Type: chapter book
Ages: 10-12
Author: N.D. Wilson
Since reading 100 Cupboards, I have read several more books of N.D. Wilson’s, and, for my personal opinion, he’s written better ones than this. The plot is not as cohesive as most readers might care for, and the creepy parts are sandwiched with rather uninteresting scenes.
I was surprised to discover the publishers recommending this to ages 8-12, so I dove deeper and sought out what their thinking was. This eventually led me to a podcast episode in which the author responded to the fact that this story causes nightmares (apparently a parental comment not uncommon!). It was disappointing how he responded, but that is obviously subjective. That said, unless your child has already had a good dose of desensitization with evil fantasy jargon and media, I’d recommend age 10+.
It is very easy to read with short sentences and basic vocabulary. I’d love to hear if you’ve read further into the series and what you thought! Drop me a line. ♥︎