“A fine and beautiful life lies before thee, because thou hast a lively mind and a good wit. Thine arms are very strong and sturdy. Swimming hath helped to make them so, but only because thou hast had the will to do it. Fret not, my son. None of us is perfect. It is better to have crooked legs than a crooked spirit. We can only do the best we can with what we have. That, after all, is the measure of success: what we do with what we have.”

Robin is the boy protagonist of The Door in the Wall and the recipient of this sage bit of wisdom and encouragement from his mentor, Brother Luke. The story takes place in fourteenth century England. Edward III is king. Robin, the son of one of the King’s knights who is at war and of a lady mother who is in the Queen’s service, is ten years old and “no longer a child to be looked after by womenfolk.” His mother has left him to go to court, but he is in the capable hands of two trusted servants who are to hand him over to an escort who will take him to a neighboring castle where Robin will become a squire in training to be a knight like his father. However, Robin falls ill the day after his mother leaves, and he becomes unable to move his legs.

“I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door and no man shall shut it: for thou hast a little strength and hast not denied my Name.” ~Revelation 3:8

This verse is featured on the page before the title page of the book, and it makes for a good summation of the themes of the book. Robin has lost his ability to walk and run, but he still has a “door” or doors of other abilities and gifts with which to make a good life. He learns to walk with crutches. He learns to work with wood. He exercises his muscles by swimming. And when the crisis comes in the story, it is Robin who is able to save the day and the castle and its inhabitants.

The Door in the Wall is a lovely story, well deserving of its Newbery Award. I would recommend it to any child who is interested in knights and castles or who is studying the Middle Ages or who just enjoys a good story about overcoming and adjusting to hardship and suffering. Oh, and it’s also a Christmas book since the final scene, where Robin gets to meet the king, takes place at Christmastide.