Amateur Book Review - 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

100 Cupboards

100 Cupboards starts out like this....

Henry, Kansas, is a hot town. And a cold town. It is a town so still there are times when you can hear a fly trying to get through the window of the locked-up antique store on Main Street. Nobody remembers who owns the antique store, but if you press your face against the glass, like the fly, you'll see that whoever they are, they don't have much beyond a wide variety of wagon wheels. Yes, Henry is a still town. But there have been tornadoes on Main Street. If the wind blows, it's like it won't ever stop. Once it's stopped, there seems to be no hope of getting it started again.

100 cupboards is about 12 year old Henry who is going to live with his Aunt Dotty, Uncle Frank and cousins because his parents were kidnapped. There is a ransom for his parents but everyone seems very unaffected by this fact.

Like most semi-orphaned children who go to live with family, Henry is given the room in the attic. On his first night he hears scratching and while going to the bathroom sees someone in a purple robe coming out of the bathroom. Weird occurrences yes, but things get a whole lot stranger when two door knobs poke through the plaster in his room.

Also in the house is a door to his 2 year deceased grandfather's room that they can't open. Even with the help of a chainsaw and locksmith the door remains intact.

Eventually he and his cousin Henrietta (they have very similar names no?) uncover 99 cupboards that they cover with posters during the day to keep them secret. I am unsure why they keep the secret but kids are strange.

100 cupboards is enjoyable and a fast read. The child characters are smart and funny and timeless. Everyone will be able to identify with them. The adults are a little strange but isn't that what makes a great young reader book? His Uncle is trying to sell tumbleweeds on Ebay for $700.00. Crazy Kook!

This book is a great find for kids. I recommend the age for the book to be 12-16 but you have to know your kid. It is a bit creepy and dark but I think young readers will love it.

Chotskies gives this book *** out of 5 stars.


Book 2 is out also. I will be picking this up soon.