Inside the Tall, Thick Book of Tales

Jacob is the last in a line of caretakers of magic. He is charged with training one apprentice in his life and passing on all his magical knowledge. But his apprentice, Palmer, is impatient and yearns to use magic before the time is right. When Jacob says he will no longer work with Palmer, the apprentice manages to trap Jacob%E2%80%94along with Lucy, a young girl who lives next door%E2%80%94inside a book of children's fairy tales, promising to let him out only after Jacob gives him all of his magical knowledge. Now Lucy and Jacob must devise an escape plan before it's too late. Although Birdsong's premise is interesting and fun, and the book's setting is imaginative, plot holes and inconsistences take away from the narrative. While some of the novel's many characters%E2%80%94particularly Plamer%E2%80%94fall flat, others, like the Bookworm, are delightful and entertaining.