Review - The Wall in the Middle of the Book

The Wall in the Middle of the Book
by Jon Agee
Date: 2018
Publisher: Dial Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: library

A foolish knight is certain that his side of the wall is the safe side in this clever, amusingly meta picture book by the acclaimed creator of It's Only Stanley

There's a wall in the middle of the book, and our hero--a young knight--is sure that the wall protects his side of the book from the dangers of the other side--like an angry tiger and giant rhino, and worst of all, an ogre who would gobble him up in a second! But our knight doesn't seem to notice the crocodile and growing sea of water that are emerging on his side. When he's almost over his head and calling for help, who will come to his rescue? An individual who isn't as dangerous as the knight thought--from a side of the book that might just have some positive things to offer after all!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Meh. I guess the premise of this is sort of cute, but it didn't really excite me. Kids might like it more than I did, though.

There's a knight trying to put a brick back in the wall that's in the middle of the book. The wall protects him from all the dangers on the other side... or so he thinks. He breaks the fourth wall to tell the reader all about how he's glad there's a wall for safety. Meanwhile, the reader will notice all the perils on the knight's side of the wall that he doesn't see... because he's too busy talking to us.

It's very simple, and there's not much story. It's one of those books where you'll have fun noticing what's going on in the pictures. For older readers, however, that'll probably mean that this is just a book to be read once (after that, the suspense and surprises are over).

It's okay, I guess. But there's not much to it. I guess I prefer picture books to be more than just a concept.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.17 out of 5