The title of Angeli's novel reflects its central themes, for The Door in the Wall concerns its young hero's efforts to find openings through the "walls" surrounding him. These walls result from external events that Robin de Bureford cannot control. The first is his isolation from his parents, who have been called away by affairs of state—his father to service with the king's army, his mother to serve as lady-in-waiting to the queen. The second and more overwhelming wall is the sudden paralysis Robin experiences in his legs, apparently from polio. Alone and facing an uncertain future, Robin naturally grows fearful. Fortunately, he is taken to the monastic hospice of St.

Mark's on the outskirts of London, and there, under the tutelage of the friar Brother Luke, Robin begins to learn about finding "doors" through "walls."

Robin's initial tasks involve his ability...