The Wall in the Middle of the Book

by Jon Agee Narrated by Everest De Montebello, Marc Thompson

Overview

In this subtle presentation of how “walls” separate all of us, even the “good guys”, acclaimed author Jon Agee offers a simple but multi-layered perspective of fear and separation. Clever illustrations are meaningfully integrated into the telling of this timely story.

Editorial Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2019 - AudioFile

Narrators Everest de Montebello and Marc Thompson provide a young knight with a youthful voice and a large ogre with a deep and gravelly voice in this examination of children’s perception. At the beginning of the audiobook, the characters confidently inhabit their own sides of a brick wall. As the story unfolds, things are not exactly what the knight thinks they should be. Listeners will chuckle as de Montebello voices the knight’s disgust with the ogre and share in his amazement as his side of the wall changes dramatically. Then they’ll relish Thompson’s gusto as the ogre shares his side. Sound effects provide background AND fade-away giggles. This is an audiobook that works wells as a read-along with pictures that tell all! A.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

The New York Times Book Review - Michael Ian Black

…this deceptively simple story offers a genuine lesson in the value of all creatures, great and small. Whatever they may look like, oftentimes our biggest fears come from the uncertainty of not being able to see across a boundary. And sometimes, the greatest dangers are right in front of our own two eyes.

Publishers Weekly

★ 07/30/2018
In this sly fable by Agee (Life on Mars), a tall brick wall runs along the book’s gutter, and the action takes place on either side. On the verso, a short, perky knight approaches the wall with a ladder. On the recto, a menacing-looking tiger and rhino lurk. “The wall protects this side of the book” the knight explains, “from the other side of the book.” The contrast between the knight’s cheery, confiding tone and the outsize dangers supply hilarity, and blocky images in faded hues soften potentially scary moments. As the animals flee, the knight’s side of the wall starts to fill up with water. “The most dangerous thing on the other side of the book is the ogre,” the knight says from his ladder, oblivious to the deepening flood, finger raised in emphasis. Enter the ogre—uh oh. As ever, Agee nails pacing and punch lines, making inventive use of the famous fourth wall as a literary device (and giving the book a new wall altogether). Most satisfying is his gentle reminder that preconceived notions about things and people, over a boundary or otherwise, are often distinctly wrong. Ages 4–8. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

"Agee’s expert interplay between words and pictures invites readers to question the narrator’s reliability. With too much attention toward outward threats, the knight neglects to see those from within—a timeless message but also one that, in 2018, will surely strike a chord with many readers." —Kirkus Review

"Agee nails pacing and punch lines, making inventive use of the famous fourth wall as a literary device (and giving the book a new wall altogether). Most satisfying is his gentle reminder that preconceived notions about things and people, over a boundary or otherwise, are often distinctly wrong." —Publisher's Weekly

School Library Journal

09/01/2018
PreS-Gr 3—There's a wall in the middle of this book. And it's a good thing, because it protects one side of the book from the other side. Or, at least that's what the hero of the book, a young knight, thinks. As the knight warns readers about all of the dangers on the other side of the wall—like tigers and mean ogres—he remains oblivious to the rising water and crocodile who are sneaking up behind him on his side of the wall. Before the water engulfs him completely, the knight is rescued by a surprising savior, and he soon learns that things may not be so bad on the other side of the wall after all. The knight's journey reminds readers that instead of building walls, we should be tearing them down in order to understand who or what is on the other side. Agee's simple illustrations combined with his trademark humor and ability to let readers in on a secret that the protagonist knows nothing about, combine to solidify him as a hilarious picture book master. VERDICT A silly read-aloud with an important message. A solid choice for storytime and one-on-one sharing.—Elizabeth Blake, Brooklyn Public Library

SEPTEMBER 2019 - AudioFile

Narrators Everest de Montebello and Marc Thompson provide a young knight with a youthful voice and a large ogre with a deep and gravelly voice in this examination of children’s perception. At the beginning of the audiobook, the characters confidently inhabit their own sides of a brick wall. As the story unfolds, things are not exactly what the knight thinks they should be. Listeners will chuckle as de Montebello voices the knight’s disgust with the ogre and share in his amazement as his side of the wall changes dramatically. Then they’ll relish Thompson’s gusto as the ogre shares his side. Sound effects provide background AND fade-away giggles. This is an audiobook that works wells as a read-along with pictures that tell all! A.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2018-07-24

A wall separates the two sides of a book. But what happens when there is danger on the side that's supposed to be "safe?"

When a brick falls from the wall, a cheerful, ladder-carrying knight arrives to repair it from the verso side. On the other, recto side of the wall, a small team of angry-looking animals—a rhino, a tiger, and a gorilla—arrives to investigate. The brick wall straddles the book's gutter from the ground at the very bottom of the spread and breaks the frame skyward, blocking those on each side from viewing the other. Using first-person narration, the knight tells readers that their side of the book is "safe" and that the other side is not. But, when the illustrations slowly reveal what lurks on the knight's side, the knight's theory doesn't quite hold water. Or does it? Agee's expert interplay between words and pictures invites readers to question the narrator's reliability. Every illustration is a double-page spread (even the unfolded book jacket), and Agee's signature washed-out color palette and expressive cartoon character designs shine. Animal and human characters alike break the fourth wall to communicate with readers through facial expressions, brilliantly accentuating the contradictory word-picture dynamic. The knight presents white.

With too much attention toward outward threats, the knight neglects to see those from within—a timeless message but also one that, in 2018, will surely strike a chord with many readers. (Picture book. 3-6)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178687178
Publisher:	Live Oak Media
Publication date:	03/29/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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