I read this series as a kid and adored it so it's good to see it getting a second lease of life. Often forgotten over the Old Kingdom books, it's a great read!

I read Mister Monday for the first time many, many years ago when I was a middle school kid roving the library. I'm not sure the library actually had all the books, but I distinctly remember reading Sir Thursday so I'm sure I read this one too.

Upon revisiting it wasn't too bad! Sure, the pacing is a bit weird and it doesn't hold a candle to Nix's Abhorsen series. But there's a weirdness here, a fantasy feel where both you and the main character are never quite sure what is going on and what is going to happen next. What is the House? What is Nothing? Who are the Morrow Days? What the heck is going on. It's kind of fun.

Sure, it is a little bit on the nose. After all, who calls their main character Arthur Penhaligon? But I like the whimsy and the weirdness of it all.

I loved this book as a child.

Back then I thought that it was just a nice story for kids to read and to be jealous that they get to go on an adventure.

However now I know that each day of the week there are seven sins. Seven things to be conquered and Arthur is the only person who can do it. Reading these again there is so much that I missed.

I loved rereading this and I cannot wait to read the second book in this series.

I was ready to love this book, having loved Garth Nix's other work. But it was just ok. Unfortunately wouldn't recommend to my friends

The truth is from the prologue I was bewildered and my curiosity piqued. Then we meet Arthur. going to a new school is always tough and that is expected. What isn't expected is Mister Monday using him to get back part of the Will that escaped and give him the Key since he is the heir. The Key opens a door to an odd house no one can see, full of fantastical places and secrets. Those after him seem to have brought a Sleepy Plague to the everyday world and it's up to him to help.

Arthur is not your typical hero. A 7th grade inquisitive boy with asthma, carrying an inherent fear of losing his loved ones (he is adopted). I really enjoy how he treats what is happening to him as a mystery, and uses his evident intelligence to solve it. Against all obstacles and his doubts, he is determined to persevere and save the day.

An engaging mythology full of wonderful descriptions and the most carefully chosen, even smallest details so the author can help us see exactly what he is imagining. Making seemingly mundane things shine with ingenuity, putting words together in new entertaining ways. So your imagination goes into overdrive. It does get a little busy in parts, where I would have to reread more than once to realize what was going on. Information is imparted in different gimmicky ways like the Atlas.

The Will represents the power of words, of the written word. And a theme here is how we are affected by it. The story plays with the concepts of time and space and how we perceive them. Another theme is religion and faith in general, allegories for those and Creation. You could say it's a philosophical fairy tale.

Entertaining, full of a cheerful kind of weird, this is a wonderous adventure and the beginning of a whimsical and inspired series.

On the first day, Arthur was meant to die of an asthma attack. Instead, Mister Monday and Sneezer appeared and changed all that. Now, Arthur can see a House that no one can see. Now, there are dog-faced men trying to catch him, trying to steal something Mister Monday gave to Arthur to protect himself from the Will, whatever that is.

Seven days. Seven keys. Seven sins. Seven virtues. One House. But is Arthur up to saving the House, but the his world as well...?

It's been a while since I had read this series, so I was going to back with a vague memory of this book. Not a complete memory, but I wasn't working in blind. But there were things in this that I read a went "Oh yeah! I forgot about you!"

This series is older middle-grade so it's very different from the Old Kingdom which is very much older YA. So little scenes that would be more graphic was much simpler (not a bad thing, mind). Plus, while I would class this as fantasy, it's a mix of genres - steampunk, for example, is dotted here and there.

And I forgot how nuts this series is. It really is mad on fantasy and magic. And this is book one. We get use to this as the series goes on, but in this first book, it's a little shocking and, for poor Arthur (and for us), overwhelming.

But I missed this world. I forgot how much I enjoy this! And I feel the itch to continue rereading this series. So, after my themed month is done and dusted, looks like am going to reread two series for the rest of the year. Brace yourselves, dear reader. It's going to be one weird ride!

LOVE this series!
Vivid imagery, literally got swept up in the story.
This is an excellent middle grade fantasy series.