Aphelion

Another story about escaping from an unacceptable situation, in this case a tragic fire that kills a friend. How much, if any, of the protagonist's journey to another world is real? Is he simply in a fugue state where his shock and grief combine with the suggestion that the last book recommended by the librarian can "transport" him to a different planet or dimension to place him in a waking-dream state?

This is the simplest explanation, but then why / how did his parents let him wander off to a school that no longer existed? Comments, suggestions, convoluted rationalizations?

RM