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The Door in the Wall
The bells clang above plague-ridden London as Robin lies helpless, cold, and hungry. The great house is empty, his father is fighting the Scots in the north, his mother is traveling with the Queen, and the servants have fled. He calls for help but only the stones hear his cries. Suddenly someone else is in the house, coming towards Robin. It is Brother Luke, a wandering friar, who takes Robin to St. Mark's Monastery, where he will be cared for until his father sends for him.
At last, a message comes--Robin is to meet his father at Castle Lindsay. The journey is dangerous, and the castle is located near the hostile Welsh border. Perched high in the hills, the castle appears invincible. But it is not. Under the cover of a thick fog the Welsh attack the castle. And Robin is the only one who can save it...
At last, a message comes--Robin is to meet his father at Castle Lindsay. The journey is dangerous, and the castle is located near the hostile Welsh border. Perched high in the hills, the castle appears invincible. But it is not. Under the cover of a thick fog the Welsh attack the castle. And Robin is the only one who can save it...
128 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1949
About the author
Marguerite de Angeli
72 books85 followersMarguerite de Angeli was an American writer and illustrator of children's books including the 1950 Newbery Award winning book The Door in the Wall. She wrote and illustrated twenty-eight of her own books, and illustrated more than three dozen books and numerous magazine stories and articles for other authors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,346 reviews
March 23, 2017
Straightforward children's fiction about Medieval life, resilience, and finding ways to cope with loss and overcoming fears. The motto of the book is in the title: if you walk along a wall long enough, you will find a door - to a new life.
The young main character must learn to find new doors to open when he has to face the bitter fact that he is unable to use his legs. His future as a knight is in jeopardy. A kind monk helps him to understand that using his mind and learning to read will carry him even further than his legs ever could.
What I learned from reading this with my children:
Compassion, determination, education and flexibility are great values, and to build a better future for ourselves, we must always remember to put enough doors into our walls to give children with disadvantages a fair chance to find them!
The young main character must learn to find new doors to open when he has to face the bitter fact that he is unable to use his legs. His future as a knight is in jeopardy. A kind monk helps him to understand that using his mind and learning to read will carry him even further than his legs ever could.
What I learned from reading this with my children:
Compassion, determination, education and flexibility are great values, and to build a better future for ourselves, we must always remember to put enough doors into our walls to give children with disadvantages a fair chance to find them!
November 11, 2017
A lovely story, simply yet eloquently written with a beautiful message.
We all have walls in our lives - but the Lord always provides a door.
We all have walls in our lives - but the Lord always provides a door.
April 28, 2022
3.5
“None of us is perfect. It is better to have crooked legs than a crooked spirit. We can only do the best we can with what we have. That, after all, is the measure of success: what we do with what we have. Come, let us go on.” (PG. 76)
YA— John Newbery Medal— 1949
Initially, it was a hard read trying to get into the speech of the characters. Thee, thou, thy is not in my interest. Then, the story just got so much better. It is full of wise little tidbits and so encouraging to the person reading it. I really don’t think kids will be into this but it really is a good read with a little bit of history in the background. (Welsh and English wars)
You can feel the love the author has for kids, as in the quote on top. Robin has become inflicted with sickness and can’t move his legs. His father and mother sent him away to train as a knight. Now the dream is knocked out of him after this strange illness and the plague taking its citizens. Feeling like a disappointment to his family he comes into a depression. Luckily, a monk saves him and teaches him the art of using his hands and his mind, hence “door in the wall.”
Sir Peter kept Robin’s hand in his and spoke directly to him. “Each of us has his place in the world,” he said. If we cannot serve in one way, there is always another. If we do what we are able, a door always opens to something else.” (PG. 71)
I was hooked by the end of it. The author was born in 1889 and wrote more than 25 children’s books. So sad I just got to meet her but I will rectify this.
“None of us is perfect. It is better to have crooked legs than a crooked spirit. We can only do the best we can with what we have. That, after all, is the measure of success: what we do with what we have. Come, let us go on.” (PG. 76)
YA— John Newbery Medal— 1949
Initially, it was a hard read trying to get into the speech of the characters. Thee, thou, thy is not in my interest. Then, the story just got so much better. It is full of wise little tidbits and so encouraging to the person reading it. I really don’t think kids will be into this but it really is a good read with a little bit of history in the background. (Welsh and English wars)
You can feel the love the author has for kids, as in the quote on top. Robin has become inflicted with sickness and can’t move his legs. His father and mother sent him away to train as a knight. Now the dream is knocked out of him after this strange illness and the plague taking its citizens. Feeling like a disappointment to his family he comes into a depression. Luckily, a monk saves him and teaches him the art of using his hands and his mind, hence “door in the wall.”
Sir Peter kept Robin’s hand in his and spoke directly to him. “Each of us has his place in the world,” he said. If we cannot serve in one way, there is always another. If we do what we are able, a door always opens to something else.” (PG. 71)
I was hooked by the end of it. The author was born in 1889 and wrote more than 25 children’s books. So sad I just got to meet her but I will rectify this.
January 1, 2023
A child’s story set in the 14th century, about a boy who is separated from his parents by wars and plagues and who then loses the use of his legs, leaving him alone in the world and helpless. I’m a little embarrassed to admit how much it moved me, much like the way the boy is too embarrassed to let himself cry when he is finally reunited with his mother in the end. What I love most is the way there is always a friendly monk or two nearby, to feed the boy when he is hungry, or to bathe him, or to carry the boy whenever he needs to go up some stairs. Wouldn’t it be grand to live in a world where someone is always right there to help us when we need them.
August 10, 2011
I love a story with a wealth of meaning behind its words. This one is exemplary. Within, young Robyn’s father has left for the Scottish wars, his mother has gone to wait on the ailing queen, and Robyn awaits John-the-Fletcher who will escort him to the manor of Sir Peter where Robyn will serve as squire. But Robyn takes ill and loses the use of his legs, John-the-Fletcher never arrives, and the servants flee for fear of the plague that rages through London.
A monk named Brother Luke carries Robyn to the abbey where he cares for him. “Thou hast only to follow the wall far enough and there will be a door in it,” the monk encourages him. But who would look for such a thing in illness?
At the abbey, Robyn recovers, but his legs remain crippled. “We must teach thy hands to be skillful in many ways, and we must teach thy mind to go about whether thy legs will carry thee or no,” Brother Luke tells Robyn. “For reading is another door in the wall, dost understand, my son?”
Robyn grows strong, and eventually receives word from his father to continue to Sir Peter’s, which he does with the aid of the monk. It is there, when danger threatens the castle, that Robyn truly comes to understand Brother Luke’s words. For it is there he finds his own door in the wall.
Written in 1949 and capturing the Newbery the following year, The Door in the Wall has become an American classic. Its sweet story and positive message are still as relevant today as they were sixty years ago. It is chuck full of gentle lessons, like: “Each of us has his place in the world…If we cannot serve in one way, there is always another.” Or, “None of us is perfect. It is better to have crooked legs than a crooked spirit. We can only do the best we can with what we have.” And, “He had found out that the harder it was to do something, the more comfortable he felt after he had done it.”
The Door in the Wall also provides a textbook of fascinating medieval context. Ms. deAngeli had a special talent for detail that adds such richness to her settings. And her formal language style aids this illusion of stepping back in time. She doesn’t apologize for tough vocabulary, either. This makes the book more challenging to read, but sixth graders should handle it with ease.
A monk named Brother Luke carries Robyn to the abbey where he cares for him. “Thou hast only to follow the wall far enough and there will be a door in it,” the monk encourages him. But who would look for such a thing in illness?
At the abbey, Robyn recovers, but his legs remain crippled. “We must teach thy hands to be skillful in many ways, and we must teach thy mind to go about whether thy legs will carry thee or no,” Brother Luke tells Robyn. “For reading is another door in the wall, dost understand, my son?”
Robyn grows strong, and eventually receives word from his father to continue to Sir Peter’s, which he does with the aid of the monk. It is there, when danger threatens the castle, that Robyn truly comes to understand Brother Luke’s words. For it is there he finds his own door in the wall.
Written in 1949 and capturing the Newbery the following year, The Door in the Wall has become an American classic. Its sweet story and positive message are still as relevant today as they were sixty years ago. It is chuck full of gentle lessons, like: “Each of us has his place in the world…If we cannot serve in one way, there is always another.” Or, “None of us is perfect. It is better to have crooked legs than a crooked spirit. We can only do the best we can with what we have.” And, “He had found out that the harder it was to do something, the more comfortable he felt after he had done it.”
The Door in the Wall also provides a textbook of fascinating medieval context. Ms. deAngeli had a special talent for detail that adds such richness to her settings. And her formal language style aids this illusion of stepping back in time. She doesn’t apologize for tough vocabulary, either. This makes the book more challenging to read, but sixth graders should handle it with ease.
March 21, 2022
So as a story in and of itself and as a tale set in Mediaeval England, I very much have enjoyed Marguerite de Angeli's 1949 The Door in the Wall and also very much celebrate and am in absolute agreement with de Angeli being awarded the 1950 Newbery Award for The Door in the Wall.
Because yes, I have most definitely totally and sweetly enjoyed reading (both as an older adult and equally with regard to my so-called inner child) about how in The Door in the Wall main protagonist Robin slowly but surely comes to accept himself, how he comes to notice (and is taught by Brother Luke and others) that even with his physical challenges and his resulting frustrations (and yes, I am also rather glad that even though The Door in the Wall is set during the time when the Black Death Death, when the bubonic plague is first raging in England, Robin's health issues in fact have nothing at all to do with the plague), there are actually multiple opportunities available to him, to Robin, aside from knighthood, and indeed that I in particular appreciate how there is much adventure, excitement and a mostly wonderful and realistic sense of time and place presented by Marguerite de Angeli and also and especially so that de Angeli has in The Door in the Wall Robin show his mettle without treasure seeking, without religious fantasy but instead by Robin warning of an attack and a siege by the Welsh. And even though part of me, even though my older adult self does feel a bit that Marguerite de Angeli's words, that her storyline for The Door in the Wall could maybe do with a trifle more textual substance, for a middle grade novel, for a shorter (and delightfully illustrated) story that is clearly geared towards child readers from about the age of nine to twelve, The Door in the Wall features (in my humble opinion) just enough verbal information and details to lastingly retain reading interest without the danger of getting potentially bogged down with too much superfluous details, with over descriptiveness and the like (something which I might of course very well enjoy as an adult but which a younger reader with a shorter attention span might possibly find a bit distracting and dragging).
Therefore and for me, The Door in the Wall is a solid and enjoyable four star novel and also one which I might even consider rereading in the near future. And indeed, the only reason why my rating for Marguerite de Angeli's text is not yet five stars is the following. For although I am for the most part totally textually enamoured of Marguerite de Angeli's sense of time and place, I am also left thinking that there probably needs to be a bit more with regard to historical specifics being added (and in particular near the beginning of The Door in the Wall, where the Black Death is alluded to and that it is just starting to become a serious pandemic). And thus, I for one am going to assume that The Door in the Wall is likely set in 1348 even though there are no dates ever mentioned (which was the first year the bubonic plague became an actual and dangerous issue in England) and that this would of course also mean that The Door in the Wall is taking place during the reign of King Edward III (and while I as an adult reader reader who has taken multiple courses on British history both at school and at university am easily enough able to make these connections from what is textually presented by Marguerite de Angeli, I do wonder if the intended audience, if ten or twelve year old readers would be able to figure out the likely calendar year when The Door in the Wall takes place and that the king of England at that tie was Edward III).
Because yes, I have most definitely totally and sweetly enjoyed reading (both as an older adult and equally with regard to my so-called inner child) about how in The Door in the Wall main protagonist Robin slowly but surely comes to accept himself, how he comes to notice (and is taught by Brother Luke and others) that even with his physical challenges and his resulting frustrations (and yes, I am also rather glad that even though The Door in the Wall is set during the time when the Black Death Death, when the bubonic plague is first raging in England, Robin's health issues in fact have nothing at all to do with the plague), there are actually multiple opportunities available to him, to Robin, aside from knighthood, and indeed that I in particular appreciate how there is much adventure, excitement and a mostly wonderful and realistic sense of time and place presented by Marguerite de Angeli and also and especially so that de Angeli has in The Door in the Wall Robin show his mettle without treasure seeking, without religious fantasy but instead by Robin warning of an attack and a siege by the Welsh. And even though part of me, even though my older adult self does feel a bit that Marguerite de Angeli's words, that her storyline for The Door in the Wall could maybe do with a trifle more textual substance, for a middle grade novel, for a shorter (and delightfully illustrated) story that is clearly geared towards child readers from about the age of nine to twelve, The Door in the Wall features (in my humble opinion) just enough verbal information and details to lastingly retain reading interest without the danger of getting potentially bogged down with too much superfluous details, with over descriptiveness and the like (something which I might of course very well enjoy as an adult but which a younger reader with a shorter attention span might possibly find a bit distracting and dragging).
Therefore and for me, The Door in the Wall is a solid and enjoyable four star novel and also one which I might even consider rereading in the near future. And indeed, the only reason why my rating for Marguerite de Angeli's text is not yet five stars is the following. For although I am for the most part totally textually enamoured of Marguerite de Angeli's sense of time and place, I am also left thinking that there probably needs to be a bit more with regard to historical specifics being added (and in particular near the beginning of The Door in the Wall, where the Black Death is alluded to and that it is just starting to become a serious pandemic). And thus, I for one am going to assume that The Door in the Wall is likely set in 1348 even though there are no dates ever mentioned (which was the first year the bubonic plague became an actual and dangerous issue in England) and that this would of course also mean that The Door in the Wall is taking place during the reign of King Edward III (and while I as an adult reader reader who has taken multiple courses on British history both at school and at university am easily enough able to make these connections from what is textually presented by Marguerite de Angeli, I do wonder if the intended audience, if ten or twelve year old readers would be able to figure out the likely calendar year when The Door in the Wall takes place and that the king of England at that tie was Edward III).
August 7, 2011
HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! To clarify...HATED IT! Ok so I was willing...totally willing to give this dumb book a chance, what do I get? THIS! The kid got sick and because in that time there were very little cures for anything, especially serious illnesses, the kid is now a cripple. He is a brat. The book clearly states that. I can't remember whether directly or indirectly. But ANYHOW he is such a brat that he scares away anybody and everybody willing to help him or care for him...Oh yha and his parents are important people so their off helping with a war effort. Oh did I mention there was a war? I'm pretty sure there was a war. The kid wanted so bad to fight in the same war his daddy was figting in so he was REALLY frustrated at being bed-ridden. After everybody had fled the house in terror he realized he coudn't do anything. OOPS! He's helpless. What does he do now? Why he waits for a creepy monk named John to take pity on him. A bunch of stuff happens and the kid is now at the monistary and is learning how to read, carve, write, and best of all, hobble. Yup. Our poor little cripple is now on crutches. AND swimming. So after all this happens the kid wants to see his dad since he's been writing letters and his dad says it's ok for him to come up. John 'go in the wynd' (I'm not kidding) and some crazy dude that plays a harp go on a trip. So after all their scary adventures and avoiding being killed on the way to their destination they FINALLY get there. So then there is a ambush. AFTER their in the castle type place. Everybody's going crazy. Theirs fog and no one knows where their coming from. So the kid takes it UPON HIMSELF (Brave kid you got sir...also slightly stupid) to go to his friend about 5 miles away and tell him about the attack so they can save the day. So this little 10 year old is waling around in crutches in the fog...maybe heading straight towards a attack. No matter. He avoids all THAT and gets there safe and sound. He saves the day. Says a friendly hi to his parents. And gets congratalations from the King. What a couple months! "Kid, you must me tired. What can I get you? Oh... your fine? Oh you already got a medal. Well ok then. Let me know if you need anything." *Quietly walks away from the house while "accidently" dropping a lit cigerette.* So basically this book has everything. Bad writing, a stupid character, boring plot, creepy characters. What more could you ask for. The moral of this review: DON'T BOTHER!
- Sentiments brought to you by your friendly neighborhood book worm
- Sentiments brought to you by your friendly neighborhood book worm
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2016
I had to read this and do a book report on it in 5th grade (approximately). I remember it being the most dry, torturous book I'd read up to that point. I wonder what I'd think of it now?
February 16, 2023
A lovely book. I will leave my earlier review. :-)
This book is delightful, wonderful, enchanting... I could go on! I finished reading it to my sons, age 5 and 7, today and we all gave a happy, contented sigh at the end. My 7 yo said he could read it again right away. :-) What a lovely book.
This book is delightful, wonderful, enchanting... I could go on! I finished reading it to my sons, age 5 and 7, today and we all gave a happy, contented sigh at the end. My 7 yo said he could read it again right away. :-) What a lovely book.
April 25, 2017
I just picked this up to reread for the first time since childhood, and found it didn't live up to my memories (for one thing, I found it quite stilted this time around) but I'm keeping it at four stars for how much I liked it at the time. Back then, I thought the book was lovely and wise. I also thought that pretty much anything with a Medieval setting was inherently good, and even this time around I enjoyed the parts about the monastery, and learning to read, whittle and swim against a background of the daily offices of monastic life. That was the part I remembered from childhood; the "exciting" part in the second half about the besieged castle I'd completely forgotten. The book is also an interesting take on disability,
February 6, 2019
How... have I never read this before? IT'S ABSOLUTELY DARLING. Also, my edition is gorgeous. (and the illustrations ! !! !!!)
(yeth, I am becoming very cover-judgy, also yeth literally everything I've read this year has been from my library haul so I CAN AFFORD TO BE.)
(yeth, I am becoming very cover-judgy, also yeth literally everything I've read this year has been from my library haul so I CAN AFFORD TO BE.)
October 23, 2008
This is a sweet and simple story of triumph over adversity in a time when answers to illness were rare, wars were plenty and commitment to duty often meant great sacrifice. Lots of hard lessons for a ten year old to learn in any time period and in any culture, but Robin learns his lessons well and in believable ways. The author is almost prosaic in her use of language as the story flows with a lovely rhythm and meter throughout Robin’s adventures. Her mastery of the medieval language structure and use of vocabulary isn’t cumbersome at all, and after the first few pages, the flow of the entire piece helps the reader over some of the unfamiliar terms. Both Robin’s voice and the voice of Brother Luke are consistent throughout. We see Robin grow and mature through his use of words and how he handles each new wall he’s presented with. A quick read for the most part, while a challenge to quickly get a handle on the time period and the culture. Wonderful lessons throughout.
December 17, 2022
Uplifting story of a young boy just on the edge of manhood who is left alone when his father has to go off to war and his mother to serve the Queen. About the same time, he suffers a crippling bout of some unknown paralysis which sounds something like polio. The story concerns his journey from his home to stay with friends of his parents as he regains strength, learns various skills within the parameters of his disability and in time goes on to prove his valor despite all odds. Wonderful!
January 21, 2021
This book frankly is not the best book. In my opinion, it had a really tiny exposition and a really long rising action. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone unless they desperately need a book. This book was just about Robin, the main character, who had problems with his weak legs and his adventure. This book also had old words in it like "thy" or "thou" and I. hesitated a lot to understand the sentence which wasn't so enjoyable. Overall, the book was okay. Not the best.
March 19, 2023
Fun medieval story of a young boy who is struck with a crippling illness at the beginning of the book. He wallows for a bit, but is challenged by a priest/monk who takes him under his wing. Through the book he learns to look for "the door in the wall" or the opportunity that will show up even when it seems life is a wall. Good metaphor for kids to think about. I enjoyed this.
August 16, 2008
I wanted to like this more than I did, but found I just couldn't click the 3-star button. The characters were all right, but I didn't find the story very engaging, there were hardly any female characters, and it was a bit message-heavy. As far as boy-in-medieval-times-Newbery-winners go... I preferred ADAM OF THE ROAD.
October 20, 2018
I needed some heart medicine today, and looked, as I am wont to do, for a children's book to fill the prescription. This was just the thing -- good and true and right.
July 10, 2015
Huh. Most old award-winners are different from modern books, but interesting anyway. This one, I can see why it didn't fly with those kids today. A somewhat wooden set of characters, lots of moral lessons, and odd (perhaps inaccurate) historical detail (never let anyone tell you history doesn't change!). I spent most of the read trying to decide what was really wrong with Robin (polio?) and enjoying the illustrations. I have liked other books by deAngeli but I'm not sure what made this deserve the 1950 Newbery Award.
ETA: I see it won because of the portrayal of a child unbeaten by a disability. And I am right, the derivation of "window" is not from the English words "wind hole" but instead that is a meaning of the word that turned into the English window. Phew.
ETA: I see it won because of the portrayal of a child unbeaten by a disability. And I am right, the derivation of "window" is not from the English words "wind hole" but instead that is a meaning of the word that turned into the English window. Phew.
April 9, 2017
The kids and I read this very slowly over several months as part of one of our homeschool co-ops group read-alouds. Yes, I'll admit it, I cried at the end and the kids all laughed at me! BUT---I did see one of my boys wiping away some tears too!
Written in 1949, this sweet story tells the tale of Robin, son of nobleman Sir John de Bureford. From Amazon: "Ever since he can remember, has been told what is expected of him as the son of a nobleman. He must learn the ways of knighthood. But Robin's destiny is changed in one stroke: He falls ill and loses the use of his legs. Fearing a plague, his servants abandon him and Robin is left alone. A monk named Brother Luke rescues Robin and takes him to the hospice of St. Mark's where he is taught woodcarving and--much harder--patience and strength. Says Brother Luke, 'Thou hast only to follow the wall far enough and there will be a door in it.'"
We had several great discussions about this book---mainly what "the door in the wall" really means. We decided it referred to an opportunity---the chance to change one's course, simply by walking through an available door.
Some of the kids are already asking to reread it, so I'm thinking a second copy is in order. I know our family will cherish this story for years to come!
Written in 1949, this sweet story tells the tale of Robin, son of nobleman Sir John de Bureford. From Amazon: "Ever since he can remember, has been told what is expected of him as the son of a nobleman. He must learn the ways of knighthood. But Robin's destiny is changed in one stroke: He falls ill and loses the use of his legs. Fearing a plague, his servants abandon him and Robin is left alone. A monk named Brother Luke rescues Robin and takes him to the hospice of St. Mark's where he is taught woodcarving and--much harder--patience and strength. Says Brother Luke, 'Thou hast only to follow the wall far enough and there will be a door in it.'"
We had several great discussions about this book---mainly what "the door in the wall" really means. We decided it referred to an opportunity---the chance to change one's course, simply by walking through an available door.
Some of the kids are already asking to reread it, so I'm thinking a second copy is in order. I know our family will cherish this story for years to come!
December 2, 2022
Excellent on audio! This was a book club book for our essentials curriculum and it’s a great length for upper elementary/middle school. Fun discussion as a group too!
Edit: my 9 year old son says this should be rated a “full five stars. It’s one of my favorite audio books!” 😍
Edit: my 9 year old son says this should be rated a “full five stars. It’s one of my favorite audio books!” 😍
November 16, 2018
I read this by myself several years ago and did not develop an appreciation for it. It was required reading for several of my kids and so I opted for a read aloud experience this go 'round and I'm so glad to have had the chance to re-read it. Our family recently traveled to Scotland and this book discusses the Scottish Wars and details the life of one young boy who lives in England and whose father has gone off to fight. The black plague has also swept through London spreading destruction in its wake. If you're looking for a book to read aloud to kids or assign during studies of the Middle Ages, this is a great read. Filled with adventure, despair, and a great deal of hope, this book is a winner!
March 27, 2024
Although I had seen this book on Newbery award lists for years, I had never read it. Now I know how it won that prestigious award - it is an excellent story! Back in 1950, the Newbery award meant good literature, although today, its merit is more questionable.
The author does an outstanding job of creating the setting of medieval life. She places a young boy, Robin, in the midst of a plague in London. His father has gone off to the wars and his mother to be a waiting maid for the Queen, when Robin is stricken with an illness that weakens his back and causes paralysis in his legs. The servants either die or desert because of the plague and Robin is left alone until some monks rescue him and take him back to the monastery to recover.
Robin has much to learn, but the monks are patient teachers, who advise Robin that no matter how high and how strong a wall is, there is always a door in the wall that allows one to find a way out of difficulty. And indeed, Robin not only finds a way out of his disability, but uses his weakness to become a strength and save the castle from attack.
The author does an outstanding job of creating the setting of medieval life. She places a young boy, Robin, in the midst of a plague in London. His father has gone off to the wars and his mother to be a waiting maid for the Queen, when Robin is stricken with an illness that weakens his back and causes paralysis in his legs. The servants either die or desert because of the plague and Robin is left alone until some monks rescue him and take him back to the monastery to recover.
Robin has much to learn, but the monks are patient teachers, who advise Robin that no matter how high and how strong a wall is, there is always a door in the wall that allows one to find a way out of difficulty. And indeed, Robin not only finds a way out of his disability, but uses his weakness to become a strength and save the castle from attack.
April 2, 2018
This is a story about a Knight's son that knows he must leave his household and be sent to another knight's house to become a page, promoted to squire and lastly a Knight. He become ill with the pest and is taken in a monastery by brother Luke where he befriends friars and learns skills such as swimming, fishing, whittling, reading and writing, astronomy, the ways of the world, and moral teachings.
I really like this book because it teaches many lessons in life. He learnt that it is fulfilling to make things with his own hands and to his liking and not always have someone else do things for him. He also learnt that one must learn to walk before running by having patience when he was carving the cross for his boat and throughout the book as he copes with his disability. Brother Luke teaches him to fish which again teaches him to have patience and skill. And also, it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish. He learns to read and write by taking it one day at a time as the friar said, "We shall divide the days into teaching thy mind and teaching thy hands, then weariness shall not give thee excuse for discouragement." It teaches people that there is always a skill to learn with your hands and mind that betters you in life.
When the castle Lindsay that Robin is staying at as a page is surrounded by the enemy Welsh, he must find a door in the wall.
I believe that the moral to this book is that everyone has an important role to play if they find it instead of wallow in the things that they are not able to attain. The allegory of the book is the door in the wall and each door leads to something different and new in one's life. Life is like a big wall but it has doors that one can open and go through (different stages in life).
This book was published 129 years ago and it remains one of the most respected and beautifully written books of it's time till this day, truly a classic.
February 19, 2014
A decent story, I suppose. But it is so torturously slow-paced that my mind wandered off so many times that I can't keep track of them all. I was left with many questions at the end. What sickness did Robin have? Why did he of all people go out to get help for the war? Why did it have to have such a cutesy-wrapped, unrealistic ending? The medieval language is terrifyingly accurate, and the pencil illustrations are gorgeous. But unless you really love slow-paced stories or medieval history, I wouldn't recommend it.
March 2, 2019
This book felt so authentically English, that I was surprised to find that the author is American and never lived in Britain. It's a simple tale and much more could have been done with it, but its value lies more in the vocabulary and ambiance, than the plot and characters. Worthy having on the shelf, but not a favorite. Also, some of the covers of certain editions look rather ridiculous, more farcical than anything, so don't let those deceive you into thinking this is anything other than a genuine English story about battles and knights.
Newbery Medal winner in 1950.
Newbery Medal winner in 1950.
March 2, 2010
I didn't quite understand why this merited a Newbery Medal, but maybe the pickings were slim that year. The story, about a young boy living in medieval England who loses the use of his legs and is helped by monks until his parents come back from their courtly duties, reminded me of this comic strip:
July 7, 2015
I read this aloud with my son Andrew for his summer reading list. The language took some getting used to, but we loved the themes of this book. Knowing and loving someone with a physical disability made the message even more pertinent. Highly recommend!
When you come up against a impenetrable wall, you only need search for the door that will enable you to pass through it.
When you come up against a impenetrable wall, you only need search for the door that will enable you to pass through it.
July 9, 2019
Beautiful, beautifully written story! Worth reading once a year!
May 10, 2024
*inhale*
CAN I PLEASE SAY THAT THIS WAS SO BORING EVEN THOUGH IT WAS WELL WRITTEN AND GOOD PLOT BLAH BLAH BLAH
You just.... He could've....
See I can't even but it in words Timmy, it was that bad.
My darling reader, I had to read this.
Had too.
Because of SCHOOL.
Im sorry if I'm being mean, but. What. The. Heck.
Robin, the little brat. I mean I would be ticked off if my legs stopped working but he made my happiness stop working.
I feel like I need to say something nice so.
Brother Luke was cool I guess.
Sincerely, me.
CAN I PLEASE SAY THAT THIS WAS SO BORING EVEN THOUGH IT WAS WELL WRITTEN AND GOOD PLOT BLAH BLAH BLAH
You just.... He could've....
See I can't even but it in words Timmy, it was that bad.
My darling reader, I had to read this.
Had too.
Because of SCHOOL.
Im sorry if I'm being mean, but. What. The. Heck.
Robin, the little brat. I mean I would be ticked off if my legs stopped working but he made my happiness stop working.
I feel like I need to say something nice so.
Brother Luke was cool I guess.
Sincerely, me.
February 13, 2024
We really enjoyed this. The writing, story, and characters are simple, but the lessons of hard work, perserverence, and hope are so good and greatly impacted my son. It would also make a wonderful supplement to a study of medieval history!
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