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When Henry York is forced to stay with his aunt and uncle for the summer in Henry, Kansas, he realizes things might not be so bad. He likes staying with his aunt and uncle and cousins. His parents were always having him play it safe, but now he’s been given a pocketknife (to use unsupervised) and he’s playing baseball (without a helmet). Yes, it’s turning into a really good summer for Henry, despite his creepy attic bedroom.
Then one night as Henry is going to sleep, he hears a bump on the wall above his head — which he tries to ignore — but the next night, he wakes with plaster in his hair and two knobs have broken through the wall. After scraping off the plaster, Henry discovers 99 cupboards. They’re different sizes and different shapes. He can hear the sound of falling rain through one. Another appears to be a post office box, and, through the hole, there’s a glowing yellow room and a man strolling back and forth.
With the discovery of these strange cupboard portals, Henry’s normal, enjoyable summer has turned into an adventure that could end up being more dangerous than he realizes — not just for him, but for everyone in the old farmhouse.
100 Cupboards is something I wanted to like but remain unsure of overall. To say it was odd is something of an understatement. It had an intriguing plot and all the components of a fun, fantasy read — portals, strange otherworlds, evil witches, secrecy — but I found the execution to be a little boring. The book itself felt like two completely different stories smashed into one. Half was about self-discovery, while the other half was a portal fantasy. Somehow N. D. Wilson meshed these two halves together well; however, by the time I reached the final pages, I still found myself more than a little confused by the open ending and unanswered questions and details. Perhaps some of that confusion will be cleared up after reading the second book.
Rated: Mild, for some peril and violence.
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