I enjoyed this book and for large parts of it thought it was aimed at older children. I was always under the impression that the world David entered was entirely in his imagination. Incorporating an eclectic mix of the books he had read and what was going on in the world around him. I noticed the fact that the people who helped him were male and the majority of evil characters were female and thought that I was reading too much into it. Though in the author's notes at the end he confirms this. For me the crooked man was the evil within David rather than just a general evil figure. I think that was why he was trying to keep David alive, because if David died the crooked man would die. The extras at the end of the author's notes and Fairy Tales made it into two books in one. For those of you who liked the Dwarves and the Fairy Tales with a twist you might like, Snow White and the Seven Samurai by Tom Holt.

I saw the other world as the spirit/dream world and wasn't surprised to discover David had spent a lot of the book in a coma. What had happened to him in the magical kingdom had happened to his spirit, whilst his physical self was in a hospital bed.

Perhaps the adventure was a lesson to teach him to overcome his fears and negative feelings towards Rose and Georgie? Willie mentioned the baddies were all female and the good guys were male - symbolic of his father and Rose definitely. He got through the adventure, successfully destroying his demons. I believe we're all here to learn, so saw the story as an analogy of life and how we learn from the struggles sent to test us.

I found the ending moving and thought it lovely that he went back. Just thought...the woodsman coming back to life, reminds me of lucid dreams where we have control over what happens to people in them. The woodsman must have been David's father and obviously he doesn't want to lose his father.

I think the Crooked Man was def an aspect of David; that insecure part of himself that resented Rose and was jealous of Georgie, rather like a devil on his shoulder, taunting him, or a green eyed monster. When he told the Crooked Man Georgie's name was 'brother', David was admitting the fact to himself and in doing so, purged himself of the Crooked Man demon/his negative emotions. I suppose the adventure is about David battling his conflicting emotions and eventually resolving them, and also about the processes of grief. He grows up, comes to terms with Georgie's existence and his mother's death, rather than continuing to wallow in feelings of self-pity. It's his pep talk to himself - his way of telling himself he has to be strong; bridging the gap between childhood and adulthood. And he succeeds. It's as if he understands that his behaviour is making everyone around him unhappy as well as himself. He's ready to move on and be more accepting of what life has to offer him.

Also, if the landscape of his dreams/version of heaven is influenced by the stories told to and read by him, don't you think the book is testament to the power of storytelling? How much we learn from books & how much they shape our imaginations, perspectives etc? Food for thought.

Wasn't it sweet when he was reunited with his wife and child when he died? I nearly had to reach for the tissues. Bust gosh, the first chapter or so was difficult to read. I kinda went through the emotions David was experiencing - from dread, grief, anger, frustration to acceptance and hope. The story showed what a good person David is. A lovely, lovely story. I liked the fairy tale writing style too. It's definitely an adult's book, I think, as only an adult can understand the meaning behind the story & processes David goes through. And I agree that a lot of the book is far too graphic & disturbing for kids.

How is the beginning of the book symbolic of 911? I don't get that! I would love to know exactly what the reviewer meant.

I especially like you Glynis found the first chapter very emotional. It also brought back a lot of memories for me & I found myself crying my eyes out! My father died of cancer when I was that age & I related to so much. The rest of the book was an excellent story with fantastic twists on traditional fairy tales & I also found the dwarves hilarious. I loved the ending also. That's all for now except I found the author's notes a the end a bit boring & definitely not the best part for me.

What I failed to realise that the story was Davids world and although the other two missing children were the King and the child in the jar giving life to the crooked man that wasn't what had happened to them.The giant spiders worry me though - did they escape and get thought the wall back in to our world!! scary stuff.

Yes, I wonder what really happened to the two children who went missing. Did Connolly explain in his notes, Gwen?