I know these books have been around for a while now, but I was able to sit and finish this first volume in less than an hour. I'm always a fan of Diterlizzi's art, and I've read a few of Holly Black's books, so together, it was a very quick and enjoyable tale. Lots of fun and some suspense, I would recommend for ages as young as 7 (a 7 year old that likes to read, at least). If you've ever seen the movie, this book totals about the first 10 minutes of the movie.