In the Dark Manhattan's version of the abandoned City Hall subway station, Nita, Kit and Fred meet the Eldest on the wraparound cover done for the twentieth-anniversary hardcover edition of So You Want to Be a Wizard

"...Stands between the works of Diana Wynne Jones, in its wizardry and spells, and those of Madeleine L'Engle, in its scientific concepts and titanic battles between good and evil. An outstanding, original work." (Horn Book)

"The book is funny, nicely scary, and enlivened by Duane's love for the 'real' Manhattan, where monsters and wizardry stay discreetly on the sidelines... most of the time." (Locus)

NYPL Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers award

Special commendation, Anne Spencer Lindbergh Prize in Children's Literature