This much needed book will be an invaluable companion to those who are already enthusiastic about the work of Diana Wynne Jones, as well as being a more than useful guide to those as yet relatively unfamiliar with her novels. Mendelsohn's emphasis is on Jones as a writer of critical fantasy, and the distinctions she draws between different varieties of fantasy (such as portal-quest and immersive) are particularly helpful in the light they throw on her claim that Jones's novels are in effect teaching young readers how to read the fantastic intelligently and critically.