Did anyone read this when they were little? How did it stand up on a revisit?

[Phillip]

I read this book way back in the day (sixth grade, maybe?) and I *loved* it. I read the entire series. I thought it was great. I just finished reading it again and, I must say, I didn't like it nearly as well. Now, I realize this is a little kid's book, but there were some things that just rubbed me wrong, such as:
- The book is called "The Book of Three". The Book of Three plays very little part in it.
- When journeying in the forest for the first bit Taran and whos-it (the king guy), it feels really... simple, maybe? Superficial? It goes like this (repeated several times): Taran does something stupid. King calls him out. Moral is broadcast in neon lights. That probably happens four times. In a row. Ew.
- The motivation behind the characters is hardly explained. It's not like there are even hidden motives. It's just nothing beyond "I'm a twerp that wants an adventure that I'm wholly unprepared for" or "I'm a weird little girl shipped off to evil relatives so I can spend time talking to strangers in dungeons".
- There are probably others, but these are the ones that come to mind at the moment.
Now, I seem to remember that some of these issues are resolved in the next books (but, hey, it's been 16-ish years since I read this last, so I might be mistaken). Usually these things would be at least foreshadowed so as to develop some mystery behind the unanswered questions, though. I was left with similar unanswered questions in Steelheart, for example, but the author addressed my concerns and made it feel like I might get resolution later on.
It's a kids book, Phil... It's a kids book, Phil... It's a kids book, Phil...

[Troy]

Alright Phil, here is your discussion.

I didn't read this book as a child, I started reading Wheel of Time as my introduction to fantasy. Because of that, I think this more juvenile/underdeveloped story and characters didn't really excite me. However, I think in the development of the genre, this was an important step because it is much more readable and accessible for young adults/children than Tolkien and so gets people interested in fantasy.

However, because of that, it is very formulaic, boy will go on adventure, be in over his head, and he'll do something great to save the world. And the actions of the characters are also predictable because they are very flat.

[Cameron]

I'd like to ditto what Troy said, I never read this book as a kid. It didn't excite or interest me.