I'd heard about Diana Wynne Jones several times, and somehow missed out on her books. Surprising, considering how much I loved fantasy books as a child, her target audience.
The Merlin Conspiracy, her most recent children's novel, is a brilliant ride through several imaginary worlds, as well as our own. The several versions of England, and their interconnected pieces, are brilliant. The characters are bright, occasionally flawed and frustrating, but engaging. The dual narrative lines of Roddy and Nic allow for the intimacy of a first person telling, while bringing together the two plot lines. That's actually one of the best part of these books - trying to figure out how Nic and Roddy are connected before Jones reveals it.
My one problem? Jones is obviously trying to build a new series (or two) based on Roddy and Nic and hints a little too often at Nic's checkered past in this book without giving detail. Though, to be frank, I'm looking forward to reading the next book and find out why Nic abdicated that throne he's supposed to be sitting on.