I liked this book. The premise was interesting and I enjoyed the read.

The book "The King In The Window" by Adam Gopnik tells the story about a boy that lives in France with his mother and father. His father is the author of a famous paper in America. It never says much about his mother though mainly that she is a stay at home mom. The boy's name is Oliver and he is a very keep to himself child. He has a friend named Neige and they always fight. I thought the characters in the book each told their own story and where very important. Overall, I thought the book was a interesting novel that is slow at the beginning but hooks you in by the middle and end. This is a book mainly for people who like short stories that are fictional.

Was ok at first except then there were soul stealers....yeah then it got horrible and I quit.

didn't finish, couldn't get into it.

A wonderful fairy tale (I hate to call it fantasy, for that turns so many readers off) for all ages, set in today's Paris ... and also in the Paris/Versailles of the 17th century. The magical elements are unique and beautiful, and the Paris of both eras spledidly drawn (see Paris To the Moon by this author, about living in Paris as Americans w/ a very young child - also enchanting). From the first page, one is drawn into our young hero's life. It could be genuinely frightening for very young readers, but it will also open up a whole world of history and otherness painlessly for them.

Really disappointing. Too long, not enough action, too wordy. This is supposed to be for 9-12 year olds, but I can't imagine too many at that age willing to put up with so much.

I loved how it turned basic elements into complicated riddles you really have to think about. It was really good

Very intelligent fast-paced book. So many ideas and themes are brought into the story to make it more rich and detailed for the reader. Sometimes, the author can jump ahead of himself and make assumptions without connecting the dots. For instance, early in the book Oliver went to the Louve and found a glass sword which resulted lots of meyhem! Then Oliver thinks to himself, no wonder his teacher told him to stay away from the Louve. Well, she actually said to stay away from tthe King's Sword and NOT the Louve. So the author seems to bring about conclusions without letting the reader in on it. The last 1/3 of the book has some heavy concepts like multiple universes which can be difficult to wrap your head around as well as reflections of the world and the twisting of time/space in relation to your reality, etc.

Overall, think this was a very smart book with many great lines and observations about human behavior. Mrs. Pearson was a delight. Charlie's character was a little boring and shallow (of course, he's American, and they bash Americans throughout the book). I enjoyed Oliver's thought process that you followed along with. I did also think the ending was a little too quick. The character relationships seemed to be tied up, but the big conflict at the end in Paris and how they returned the sword to the Louve was never fully explained. So not everything was wrapped up to satisfaction.

Overall, I thought the book had incredible depth, was very engaging, and brought in lots of elements that you would not otherwise think related to create a fun and adventurous story! You do have to pay very close attention though, or you will get lost n the plot. In the end though, I really enjoyed the read and the way it challenged me while reading. This was an ending you could never guess! I loved that you could never guess what would happen next. Very enjoyable.

The King in the Window is a story much like Alice Through the Looking Glass, but it explores the darker things on the other side of the mirror. Oliver Parker, a young American boy living in Paris, finds himself mistakenly crowned King in the Window. He learns that it is the King's duty to protect window wraiths and the souls of the world by defeating the King of Mirrors, the One With None.

This book was pretty well written and very fast paced. Almost too fast paced, I had to go back several times thinking that I had missed something. I didn't like that the story took place in Paris. Despite all of its historical charms, I dont really like Paris, so this made the story less interesting to me.

Gopnik, a first-rate writer, should stick to what he does best: funny, intelligent, pseudo-philosophical observations on French culture. In the best parts of this book, he does just that. But witty sidebars do not a fairy tale make, and unfortunately Gopnik doesn't really know how to tell one.

It's a great fantasy story for kids, but I just couldn't make it through the whole book. It was way too long, and the main character in the story was too wishy-washy. I didn't think the story flowed well, either. Just wasn't for me.

A lovely fantasy/fairy tale for grownups as much as children. I am rereading it.