
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Review: This is an interesting book given that the author is also the lead singer of the
Decemberists. I think fans would have definitely bought this book. In the story, Pru and her friend
Curtis set off to find Pru’s missing baby brother. They are two 7th graders on an adventure through
a magical, fantasy world. This world parallels Portland, OR and the adventure takes place in the
Impassable Wilderness the locals call Wildwood. Pru and Mac were “gifted” to their parents by
some black magic. As a result, Mac is supposed to be the sacrifice. Pru is a precocious 12 year
old who vows to bring back her brother. Alliances have to be forged and battles need to be won.
Readers will look forward to the pivotal moment when the sacrifice is about to occur.
This book is 541 pages long, which is quite lengthy for a middle school book. Some of the
vocabulary is better suited to high school students. Pru is very stereotypically Portland. I think that
most middle school readers would not see the connection. I think those details are for YA and adult
readers. There are definitely many elements of traditional folk tales in this story. The setting is
Portland, OR in an alternate world. The illustrations are fun and whimsical and will appeal to
readers of all ages. This story is geared to readers who like fantasy. The plot drags a little bit and
the motifs are a little overplayed. I think that middle school readers may give up if this is not their
favorite genre. I think it might do better in a high school/YA library based on reading level. There is
nothing controversial in the story that would need a specific maturity. There are not really any
curriculum tie-ins besides suggesting it to individual readers. This book has been compared to
Tolkien and Narnia and I think that is accurate. This is the first book of a planned trilogy.
View all my reviews
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