Wildwood: The Wildwood Chronicles, Book 1
By Michael Berry,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Exciting enchanted forest adventure to save baby brother.
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What you will—and won't—find in this book.
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Based on 3 parent reviews
Adventure and mystery
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Fabulous Story!
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What's the Story?
When her baby brother, Mac, is carried away by a flock of crows, seventh grader Prue McKeel embarks on a rescue mission that takes her away from her familiar Portland, OR, neighborhood and into the Impassable Wilderness. Accompanied by Curtis, a socially awkward schoolmate, Prue explores a strange land where gun-wielding coyotes, battle-ready bandits, intrepid forest creatures, and peaceable mystics all react to the machinations of the evil Dowager Governess. Prue and Curtis' first obligation is to save Mac, but they learn that the kidnapped infant is only one part of a scheme to destroy nearly everything in the forest known as Wildwood.
Is It Any Good?
WILDWOOD is an exciting, charming, and clever tale that finds a unique kind of magic in the forest of the Pacific Northwest. The plot has echoes of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, but it is not slavish to its influences, presenting an unusual and well-drawn mix of adult, child, and animal characters. Meloy has a pleasant, unaffected style, and Ellis' illustrations perfectly complement the text. The first part of a proposed series, Wildwood resolves its central conflict satisfactorily, while leaving enough tantalizing loose ends for further exploration.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the precautions that should be taken while babysitting, even if kidnapping by crows is not high on the list of dangers.
Prue discovers a family secret about herself and her baby brother. Are there some facts that parents are entitled to keep from their young children?
The novel's villain, the Dowager Governess, lost both her husband and her young son. What effect might grief have on a person and how might it change the way he or she views other people?
One character is torn between family life in Portland and life in the Impassable Wilderness. How do people deal with conflicting emotions about their physical proximity to family?
Book Details
- Author: Colin Meloy
- Illustrator: Carson Ellis
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Brothers and Sisters, Cats, Dogs, and Mice, Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, Wild Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Balzer + Bray
- Publication date: August 30, 2011
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 9 - 17
- Number of pages: 546
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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