The Door in the Wall

1949, Dell Publishing; 1950 Newbery Medal

"Whether thou'lt walk soon I know not. This I know. We must teach thy hands to be skillful in many ways, and we must teach thy mind to go about whether thy legs will carry thee or no. For reading is another door in the wall, dost understand, my son?"

Robin smiled and nodded. "Yes," he said. "I see now what you mean by the door in the wall.""

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Marguerite de Angeli

de Angeli (1889 - 1987) illustrated children's books and Sunday school papers from 1921 to 1935 when her publisher asked her to write for young audiences. She wrote extensively about ethnic groups and immigrants. de Angeli was the first children's book author to write about a black family and racial prejudice in Bright April (1946). Most of her stories centers on the ordinary day-to-day concerns of all children, but she did write about war, revenge, poverty and the plague.

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Book Synopsis

Robin, a nobleman's son, falls ill with the bubonic plague just before he his sent to be fostered by a fellow Knight. Although Brother Luke nurses Robin back to health, teaches him to read and to write, and encourages him to swim everyday, Robin can no longer become a knight because he's lost the full use of his legs. But that doesn't mean he cannot save the besieged castle.

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Early chapter book, 120 pages. Set in 13th century England, Robin learns life lessons about the meaning of heroism when he loses the use of his legs after encountering the Black Death.

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Learning Options

Family Read Aloud Time
So, my eldest daughter tells me that she cannot remember much of the book since she only wanted us to read it to her at the age of 4 because she liked the pictures and her name was the same as the author!  I cannot believe we read it to her that early -- the book is far more appropriate and enjoyable for reading with upper elementary students.

Classroom Resource
The Teacher's Guide at Penguin Random House
supports lessons about the Middle Ages and the feudal system with connections to the language arts, geography, science, drama, art, and music.


Learning at Home
If you are interested in creating discussion opportunities with your children about perseverance and grit, then The Door in the Wall is an excellent reading choice. It's also a good book as part of lessons about the middle ages; Our Journey Westward provides some good resources in the post Elementary Middle Ages Study Unit.

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