I remember reading this book for the first time and finding an entire new world opened up to me. I was ten then, in search, as the main character here was, for something deeper; something fantastic in everyday life. I read this book, the second, and the third in the series in such quick succession that I couldn't believe I'd actually managed to make my brain process the words that fast, and I was hooked forever on fantasy.

Years later I came back to this book and opened it up, and the magic was still there. I'm a writer now, more than in part due to this book, and I've realized just what an amazing author Duane is. I've read a few other reviews on here that complain that the book feels dated, that the characters have dialogue that doesn't feel real, that the descriptions don't describe, and I can only wonder at what they are talking about. To me the characters are as vivid as any in adult fiction. More so, in fact. They have dreams, fears, longings, and their dialogue is laced with little flavors of slang that I can still imagine being used somewhere today.

And as for the descriptions, the entirety of the final chapters still makes me shiver. There's one in particular that I love, one that evokes the old ancient infinity of the universe:

"She was turning the pages without even thinking about it, finding the place that spoke of creation and rebellion and war among the stars---the words that had once before broken the terrible destroying storm of death and darkness that the angry Starstuffer had raised to break the new-made worlds and freeze the seas where life was growing, an eternity ago."

It's a book I love dearly and continue to cherish every time I pick it up. Highly, highly recommended.