“Probably the best work of our best children's novelist.” —Harper's

“Exciting and excellently written.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A fearsome and beautifully written book that can't be put down or forgotten.” —The New Yorker

“This book is as shapely, crisp, sweet, and tangy as a summer-ripe pear.” —Entertainment Weekly

“With its serious intentions and light touch the story is, like the Tucks, timeless.” —Chicago Sun-Times

“Rarely does one find a book with such prose. Flawless in both style and structure, it is rich in imagery and punctuated with light fillips of humor. The author manipulates her plot deftly, dealing with six main characters brought together because of a spring whose waters can bestow everlasting life. . . . Underlying the drama is the dilemma of the age-old desire for perpetual youth.” —The Horn Book Magazine

“Natalie Babbitt's great skill is spinning fantasy with the lilt and sense of timeless wisdom of the old fairy tales. . . . It lingers on, haunting your waking hours, making you ponder.” —The Boston Globe

“Beautiful and descriptive language is the strength of Babbitt's fantasy about Winnie and her encounter with the Tuck family, who cause her—and readers—to ponder an important question: What would it be like to live forever?” —Booklist