This hefty tome by Colin Meloy (of The Decemberists) came out with lots of fanfare last fall, and I completely see why.
Wildwood
by Colin Meloy
Balzer + Bray
ISBN: 978 0 06 202468 8
This fantasy novel rings in at 540 pages – but do yourself the enormous favour of not being put off by the sheer size of the volume for it is, quite simply, magical, and because you won’t want to put it down, it reads faster than I would have expected. It also makes a wonderful read-aloud to share for an older child.
It begins with the story of Prue, who is looking after her little brother Mac, when he is abruptly carried off by a murder of crows, to her horror. She goes after him into the Impassible Wilderness outside of town, trailed by her friend Curtis, and the two find themselves plunged into a world they never could have imagined – and so the fantasy begins.
Captured by coyotes, Curtis is first taken in by the Dowager Governess and made a favourite, while Prue finds a human, and goes with him to a domain of people run by a massive bureaucracy. The two learn, over days, about the various groups and plots in the woods – the mystic people of the North Woods, the more urban southern people, the Avian Principality, and Wildwood, home to bandits as well as the newly organized coyotes. There is some major back story to the Dowager Governess’ plans, which we learn, as well as stories of coups, and the mystery of how Prue was able to enter the woods at all, despite magical protections.
The style of the whole – story, writing, and illustrations – is incredibly timeless, and has the feel of a future classic, a comment I use very sparingly. It put me very much in mind of Narnia, in fact, and I loved the writing. The book design only reinforces all of this, with its matter cover and muted colours on thick, creamy pages. Truly, this is one you will want to buy, and if your child is too young to read it with them now, save it until they are there. It’s a terrific journey to go on together, ripe with suspense and danger, loyalty, self-discovery, heroism, and in the end, a satisfying conclusion. and are those not the ingredients of a great book, after all?