Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Captivating tale of teen thrust into the world of folklore.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
As THE HAZEL WOOD begins, 16-year-old Alice has spent life on the move with her mother, Ella, trying to stay one step ahead of deadly streaks of bad luck. When Alice learns that her reclusive grandmother, cult author Althea Proserpine, has died, she's doubly traumatized by the disappearance of Ella. Desperate for advice, she teams up with Ellery Finch, the super-rich superfan of Althea's lone book, Tales of the Hinterland. Together, they head toward Alice's ancestral home, a place filled with often-deadly magic.
Is It Any Good?
Fairy tales and folklore drive the plots of many modern novels, but it takes a special kind of magic to create such a witty, suspenseful, and insightful novel as this one. With The Hazel Wood, debut novelist Melissa Albert weaves a literary spell over her readers, using the elements of fairy tales to tell a gripping tale of the supernatural. Alice is an acerbic and prickly protagonist, but you can't help but root for her as she attempts to unravel the secrets of her birthright. Smart, funny, and emotionally compelling, The Hazel Wood is a magical debut.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how The Hazel Wood uses the elements of myth and folklore to tell its modern-day story. Why have fairy tales endured across the centuries? How are they used in popular culture?
What role does violence play in The Hazel Wood? When and why are characters forced to use it? What are the real-life consequences of such actions?
Why is storytelling important? What kinds of stories are passed down from generation to generation and why?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic , Fairy Tales ) , Adventures
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Flatiron Books
- Publication date : January 30, 2018
- Number of pages : 368
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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