I never read the series as a child, but I have seen all the films and absolutely loved those. Of course, I’m not sure if that’s saying much since I’ve seen mixed feelings about how well the movies stayed true to the books.

However, overall, I felt this book had the perfect amount of world building and description needed to experience everything without becoming overwhelming. I also felt that the pacing was good for it being a relatively shorter children’s chapter book. It never felt dragged or rushed at any point.

Each character felt consistent and personable throughout the story to the point it was as if they were real people. The dialogue supported the characters further making everything flow seamlessly and naturally. This is a big thing for me because I feel there are many books that struggle to have conversations between characters sound natural, especially when creating dialogue between children.

Despite the fact that I feel the movie did decent in comparison, the book showed so much spunk and character that the movies did not fully replicate.

Overall, I think this is a really great book, as we all know, and I’m excited to finish the series!