Submitted by:

Julianne Christia A. Estorco

Submitted to:
Mr. James Aurelle S. Bondoc

MAGALLANES NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Title: The King in the Window

Name of Author: Adam Gopnik

Background: Adam Gopnik was born on August 24, 1956. He is an American

writer and essayist. He is best known as staff writer for The New Yorker – to which
he has contributed non-fiction, fiction, memoir and criticism since 1986. And as
the author of the essay collection Paris to the Moon, an account of five years that
Gopnik and his wife Martha, and son Luke spent in the French capital.
Synopsis: Oliver, an American boy living in Paris, is accidentally taken for the
new King in the Window, the leader of the Window Wraiths, who live only in
windows, are in a centuries-long struggle with the evil Master of the Mirrors. At
Versailles, Oliver meets the Wraiths, among them Moliere, Racine, and others from
the court of Louis XIV.

Aided by his skateboarding American friend Charlie, Mrs. Pearson, a snippy

but wise (well, actually witty) old British woman, and Neige, a French girl who is a
crystalomancer, Oliver enters the Way, the reverse world of the mirrors. There he
meets Nostradamus, and discovers that the Master steals souls and intend to
control all of the multiverse revealed by quantum physics. He commands an army
of soul stealers, while Charlie has only his friends, his brains, the Wraiths, a group of
terrified children, and a pack of skating teens.

Reaction: The King in the Window is a whimsical and an entertaining story. As it

says at the back cover of the book, it is truly an unforgettable adventure for
readers of all ages. It was slow at first but it got interesting as the story goes on. It
has a weird mix of Alice in Wonderland, multiverse (parallel universe, alternate
universe, another dimension), some talks about computer and traditional fantasy
elements (soul eaters like at the movie ‘Harry Potter’. The ghost like things that
suck out the souls of the wizards, king of the window wraiths, queen of crystals)
with a hint of suspense. I have read the bad reviews of this book but that didn’t
stop me from reading it. It really amazed me and I was fascinated how the author
came up with this book. The mix up of the elements was very clever for me and
the humor.

The story introduced historical figures like the King Louis XIV and Duc de
Richelieu who invented the mayonnaise, it also introduced the remarkable places
in Paris like the Palace of Versailles at Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the obsession
of the 17th Century France with plate glass. The character development was
shown throughout the story. Oliver, the main character, saves the world from the
Master of the Mirrors with the help of his friends. And it was really ironic because
he was chosen as the King in the Window just because wore the gold paper
crown that came with his Epiphany cake.

It was also funny because his weapons consisted of a glass sword and a
bubble wand. It came to my mind, what can you do with a bubble wand and a
glass sword that can easily be broken. But to my surprise, it was useful throughout
his battles with the soul eaters and the One with None or otherwise known as the
Master of the Mirrors. The Way (the world behind Mirrors), so captivating. The world
where the One with None. And I was creeped out to because the One with None
don’t have a face. It’s all blank. When I read the description of him in the book, it
was mind-tingling. And what excited me the most was when I learned that Mrs.
Lucy Pearson just happened to be the granddaughter of Alice who visited
Wonderland through the looking glass. And what a nasty person the Master of the
Mirrors was. He takes souls of people who look at the mirrors. And the climax of
the story was very intense.

What a smart move Oliver made by trapping the Master of the Mirrors inside
a spoon saving the actual world and the reversed worlds. And I too pity the Master
of the Mirrors because he did all of that just to get home to his own realm where
he emerged from. A nice read. This is really an imaginative book. There was more
action. All I can say is this story is really SUPERB!

Recommendation: I recommend all of you to read this book. It may be boring

to you and the others out there but I’ll tell you, you’ll be amazed. It will be a nice
adventure full of surprises with a hint of suspense. Just use your imagination.
Believe me, it will be a very wonderful experience.