I give it 3.5 stars. Recommended (for best enjoyment) for ages 8-12, older readers will likely not enjoy it as much. I remembered parts of it from reading it when I was around 11; I am in college now and definitely did not enjoy it as much as I did the first time. The story itself was good overall, but the writing was not the best middle grades I've read (so you know, I still enjoy some middle grades- this is one of those I definitely feel too old for). The frame story bothered me- I didn't like the interruptions of Jack's experiences with narrator's comments. It would have stood on its own without the frame, much of the content in the frame could have been incorporated in the story. It was worth finishing though. In spite of its flaws. ( )

It meanders too slowly for my taste. Maybe I'm just getting old... ( )

Sitting with his impatient grandchild an old man begins what seems to be a family tradition - the telling of fantastic tales. But no! The youngster demands a tale of something new and different. And so the teller begins what might be the story of his own life... or perhaps not.

Vaguely reminiscent of the Princess Bride, but with less charm and humor, the story drags and is continually interrupted by the child's questions. Presumably they are intended to instill a sense of urgency in the reader, but they proved more annoying than not. Myers' story is heavy. And not in a good way. ( )

From the very beginning, this book grated on my nerves. Whether it was the incessant story-within-a-story device or the unrelenting allegory...or maybe it was the page and a half of explicated theme that ends the book, I felt like the whole time the author was telling me a story--winking at me about how clever he was in the telling of it. And I can see how a different reader might enjoy this type of storytelling, but I prefer more subtlety, I guess. I'm just glad I finally made it to The End. ( )