I'm a big fan of portal fantasy books so when I saw that David Levithan had written a portal fantasy, I was like, sign me up! But this was a really interesting take on it because it's actually not a portal fantasy, it's just the aftermath of a portal fantasy. Like [b:Every Heart a Doorway|25526296|Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)|Seanan McGuire|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1431438555l/25526296._SX50_.jpg|45313140] by Seanan McGuire but for tweens. But with the extra twist of the "as told to his brother" so the reader isn't even 100% sure if there is a portal fantasy or if Aidan is lying/had some kind of psychotic break.

So I saw some reviews being disappointed about that but I thought it was really interesting, and I think for some young readers who grew up with Narnia etc they will also find this concept interesting--the details of having to talk to the police after you come back, of the town reaction to this missing boy suddenly returning, the way that Aidan is depressed because he misses his fantasy world but can't really explain it...I really loved that, and I think more thoughtful tweens will too. Readers looking for a Narnia-style adventure will be disappointed tho. Also lovely to see that the family has a casually beloved trans aunt, and that

Spoiler

Aidan is also queer and his new boyfriend ends up being what kind of ties him back to the real world. It's also so interesting that this is NOT from Aidan's POV but you as the reader wonder, did he go to Aveinieu because he was struggling with his sexuality? Is it a closet metaphor? But his brother the narrator doesn't wonder about this at all so it doesn't have to be part of the story...just something for a reader to think about and engage with as they wish.