From Karen Cushman to Jerry Spinelli and Todd Strasser, authors who dedicate their careers to writing award-winning novels for young adults are plentiful. Lloyd Alexander, however, is different from other authors. He made me, an avid TV viewer, sit down and truly enjoy reading a novel. Alexander should be blushing at the thought of someone like me enjoying his brilliant novel, The Book of Three, a novel that takes place in the fantasy world of Prydain, a land where occult, evil beings disrupt the lives of the tale's heroes.

This beautiful masterpiece is skillfully written to make the reader enjoy and have fun. Everything from the simple vocabulary, the memorable characters, and the heightened suspense appealed to me.

I truly enjoyed every moment of The Book of Three. You won't tear any hair from your head in frustration reading a sentence crammed with unknown words, because Alexander isn't insecure in his intellect. My pet peeve with reading is sophisticated vocabulary because not only do I have to cuddle up to a dictionary, but my reading speed is immensely slowed.

One of the most memorable characters is the scavenging, smelly little rodent named Gurgi. Alexander does a commendable job painting his portrait through dialogue. In addition to everything else great about the book, suspenseful moments are intertwined in almost every setting which made me want to continue reading long after I promised myself I would rest my straining eyes.

Lloyd Alexander creates novels that are fun and enjoyable to read. Fantasy fiction enthusiasts will fall in love with The Book of Three's charm, even more than the charm of that cute crush whom they stare at all day. It is absolutely imperative you turn off the boring, been-there-seen-that music video countdowns on TV and crack open The Book of Three. If you are not allergic to enjoyment and/or fun, then you will be doing an injustice to yourself by not sprinting to your local bookstore and demanding a copy of this brilliant novel.