Sarah Hutton, children’s book buyer and store manager at Village Books in Bellingham, Wash., shares her enthusiasm for a new novel from HarperCollins’s Balzer + Bray imprint.
I’m not a big fan of the idea of an “instant classic,” but that was the phrase that kept popping into my head as I was reading Wildwood. It has that classic feel, like the Chronicles of Narnia, but it is also its own tale. Add in the beautiful illustrations, and the novel becomes even richer. Also, I can’t recall another book that has such a feel of the Pacific Northwest to it. You don’t have to live here to enjoy the book, but if you do, your enjoyment will be even deeper.
Wildwood tells the story of Prue McKeel, an average girl having an average day in Portland, Ore. She is taking her little brother for a walk when he is stolen right out of his wagon by crows. He is taken into the heart of the Impassable Wilderness, an area on the map that might as well be marked with “There Be Dragons” or “Abandon Hope.” So when Prue decides she must go into the Impassable Wilderness to find her brother, she knows it will not be an easy task.
Complicating matters is Prue’s classmate Curtis, who follows her around until he follows her directly into the forest. There they encounter coyotes and birds and other anthropomorphized creatures who are embroiled in a war within the forest itself. Prue and Curtis get separated and sucked into the battles and intrigues of the war, all while still trying to find Prue’s brother.
There are definitely perilous scenes (there is a war going on) and a bit of “rough” language, so I would be hesitant to recommend it to the youngest of readers. However, I think it would be appropriate for mature readers ages 10-up. I’m going to be handing this to those book-devourers who are in my store every week or two looking for their next great reading adventure.
