Common Sense Media Review
By Kristen Breck
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Quiet story of independent girl has mature themes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
When Eidi's mother has a new baby, Eidi feels there is no more room for her in the settlement. She leaves Crow Cove to make her own way in the world, hoping to find and help her old friend Rossan. Rossan and Eidi journey to Eastern Harbor to sell wool, and on the way, Rossan gets hit by falling rocks. After Eidi settles him at the home of his sister, she encounters a pompous rich man named Bandon at the market who offers her a job in his home as a weaver. At Bandon's home, Eidi encounters Tink, a waif boy in Bandon's care, though Bandon ignores him and abuses Tink, especially after Bandon drinks. When Eidi sticks up for Tink she incurs Bandon's wrath, prompting Eidi to hatch a plan to take Tink away and travel into the countryside.
Is It Any Good?
EIDI is poetic and languid, and resonates with simple yet vivid descriptions and sparse yet full characters. Time and place are not discernable, yet readers will feel both. (Kathryn Mahaffy has done an elegant job of translating from Danish.) There is a sense of intrigue, though the story is not a mystery. Readers of Crow-Girl, the first in the series, will immediately know the backstory and characters, but first-time readers may struggle with names and events which affect this story.
Though the plotline feels subdued, some mature themes are a bit jarring. Indeed at times the story seems to be a patchwork quilt of lost children at the mercy of unthinking adults. But Eidi is a strong, admirable character who will resonate with fans of the series.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the abusive men in this story. Burd and Bandon have kindness in them, but also drink too much and become abusive and violent. What is the role that alcohol plays in this story; how has it affected Eidi's life and those around her?
Eidi seems to be guided and warned by sounds in her ear. Do you have an inner voice? Have you been in a situation when your inner voice was telling you one thing but you did another? Can peer pressure be stronger than our inner voice?
Why is Eidi willing to give up the security and kindness of Rossan and Lesna to save Tink? Do you know other strong girl characters in movies or books who have faced ridicule or danger in order to do the right thing?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Family Life
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication date : October 13, 2009
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 144
- Last updated : June 19, 2019
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