It has been a repeated theme of critics of William Mayne's novels that, while his writing is excellent, it is too difficult for most young readers and will never find a large audience with them. Some critics have even wondered whether the author's works should be considered children's literature in the first place. Mayne doesn't debate this point. When asked in a Children's Literature in Education article why he writes for children, Mayne replied, "I don't. I write for myself, but myself of long ago." Mayne also does not apologize for the difficulty of his writing: "I'm only concerned with the [child] who is an avid reader already because what I've done is written something down. That's up to him, or somebody, to read it." For those who are up to the challenge, however, Mayne's books offer many rewards. As one Junior Bookshelf contributor put it, Mayne "writes...