It was definitely worth every penny for us. My daughter loved it. She was 8 when I bought her first one and now 11, has asked for another for next year.
Shipping to the UK is expensive. I forget the exact cost but it was almost the same price as the actual book.
We got two last year when the girls were 6 and 4 and while they both loved them and did read a fair bit, they were too big to take out and they remain barely touched. Now eldest is approaching 8 I think she'll enjoy it much more next year.
Oh, we got them delivered to the room for free as well saving the hefty postage.