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authorlisaard 's review for:
Wildwood
by Colin Meloy
Wildwood is a fantastical story blending modern-day with vintage fun.
Prue is a thirteen year old girl living in the St. Johns neighborhood in Portland. One day, while minding her toddler brother Mac, a murder of crows suddenly appears and spirits away Mac to the impassable wilderness (Forest Park) across the river. And so begins Prue's effort to get her brother back. Along the way she'll be joined by Curtis, a neighbor and schoolmate. Prue will meet animals that talk, good guys and bad guys, mystics, magic and danger.
The writing is smart. The description of the forest is evocative, effectively showing it as a part of something more, how all the creatures are connected to the woods. The vocabulary shows great breadth, often reading above the grade level of 6.3 I found for the book. The story blends elements of fables and fairy tales while maintaining its originality.
Just the look of the book alone recalls children's books from the 1960-1970s. Crisply detailed illustrations appear throughout - sometimes just a sketch in the corner of a page and othertimes a full-color glossy page that stands out from the written pages. These are wonderful. I expect a full marketing campaign for Wildwood posters alone.
At 540+ pages, Wildwood is a meaty read. However, the action and story will keep readers flipping those pages. Highly recommended.
Lisa Ard, Author of Fright Flight, Dream Seekers Book One
Prue is a thirteen year old girl living in the St. Johns neighborhood in Portland. One day, while minding her toddler brother Mac, a murder of crows suddenly appears and spirits away Mac to the impassable wilderness (Forest Park) across the river. And so begins Prue's effort to get her brother back. Along the way she'll be joined by Curtis, a neighbor and schoolmate. Prue will meet animals that talk, good guys and bad guys, mystics, magic and danger.
The writing is smart. The description of the forest is evocative, effectively showing it as a part of something more, how all the creatures are connected to the woods. The vocabulary shows great breadth, often reading above the grade level of 6.3 I found for the book. The story blends elements of fables and fairy tales while maintaining its originality.
Just the look of the book alone recalls children's books from the 1960-1970s. Crisply detailed illustrations appear throughout - sometimes just a sketch in the corner of a page and othertimes a full-color glossy page that stands out from the written pages. These are wonderful. I expect a full marketing campaign for Wildwood posters alone.
At 540+ pages, Wildwood is a meaty read. However, the action and story will keep readers flipping those pages. Highly recommended.
Lisa Ard, Author of Fright Flight, Dream Seekers Book One