The Cottage in the Woods

Coville’s clever, heartwarming fantasy initially seems to be an anthropomorphic version of an English gothic romance, à la Jane Eyre or Rebecca, with echoes of Jane Austen. But the story of Ursula, a young bear who arrives at an English estate to serve as governess, soon segues into fairy-tale lore. In the Enchanted Forest surrounding the estate, some animals are enchanted (able to speak and behave as humans) and some not; some humans are friendly and accepting of them, while others are less so. Expected plot developments—love interests, strange footsteps following Ursula down the mansion’s dark hallways—occur, but the developing hostilities between different populations give the story a more serious framework. What to make, though, of the silent blond girl in a bear suit? Then there’s the especially nasty old woman who lives in a shoe, homeless Bremen Town Musicians, and a revelation as to the fate of one of the Pied Piper’s followers. Artist Coville, in her debut, fuses classic English mystery elements with fractured fairy tales amid questions of prejudice, with droll, satisfying results. Ages 10–up. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Feb.)