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In Wildwood, the first installment in the series, we meet Prue McKeel, an ordinary Portland girl whose life takes a strange turn when her little brother, Mac, is snatched up by a murder of crows and taken into the Impassable Wilderness – a strange and wild place on the outskirts of town that Prue has never known anyone to enter.  Until now.  Prue and her friend Curtis set out to find Mac and so begins the kind of strange and extraordinary adventure that features plucky children, talking animals, and evil sorceresses.  With one adventure under their belts, the duo returns in Under Wildwood – along with a new cast of plucky children, talking animals, and evil magic-wielding adults – for another go.  Both books are written in beautiful, simple prose and feature the sorts of lovable characters and daring adventures that will have readers making comparisons to the Chronicles of Narnia.

If an engrossing story and classic writing style aren’t enough to draw you (or especially your child) to these admittedly very lengthy tomes (560 and 576 pages respectively in their hardcover editions), the beautiful art by Meloy’s award-winning illustrator wife Carson Ellis (famous for work on such modern classics as The Composer is Dead and The Mysterious Benedict Society) might just do the trick.  Ellis’ illustrations are gorgeous, inventive, whimsical and absolutely perfectly suited to the tale they help tell.

Meloy and Ellis have collaborated to create a reading experience as magical as the wilderness they depict – and perhaps the greatest magic of all is the broad appeal of their books.  This classic adventure story is perfect for a chapter-a-night bedtime read-aloud but is equally lovely for independent readers who wish to get lost in the wood with Prue and Curtis.  The length will keep tweens satisfied that they aren’t being pitched a baby book, while the fact that Meloy also happens to be the front man of popular band The Decembrists will make hip teens and parents curious to take a look.  None will be disappointed, and I would guess that nearly all will be anxiously awaiting their chance to return to Wildwood in the third installment.

School Library Journal recommends these books for students in grades 4-7.

Publication Information

Wildwood by Colin Meloy, illustrations by Carson Ellis.  Balzer + Bray, August 2011.  ISBN:978-0062024688

Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy, illustrations by Carson Ellis.  Balzer + Bray, September 2012.  ISBN: 978-006202471

Author: Colin Meloy

Sequel To: Wildwood

Pages: 576

Genre: Young Adult, Fiction

Summary available here: amazon.com

I loved the first book, Wildwood, and following Prue and Curtis’s adventures in the Impassable Wilderness. So I was really looking forward to this sequel. I wasn’t disappointed. I was so happy to be back with Prue and Curtis, to see how they’d adjusted after the events of the first book. I liked the addition of two new characters: Curtis’s sisters Rachel and Elsie. Each of the characters comes to life on the page. Once again, I was plunged into the world of Wildwood and I got to lose myself in the Woods, to see how things have changed. I loved, loved, loved returning to this world. Meloy describes everything in such a way that it lives and breathes around you. I was scared, I laughed, I admit to crying twice. The book ends on a semi-cliffhanger, so there’s going to be a third book, which I’m excited about.

There are several different threads going on throughout the book, but they were each interesting and they flowed seamlessly into each other, and I think Meloy handled the different threads and characters wonderfully.

I was intrigued by Prue’s ability to talk to plants, and I really hope it’s explored more in the next book. I have my theories about how that will end. I’m hoping that Rachel and Elsie’s storyline is explored even further, and I hope we get more from Rachel’s point of view, because while I loved reading their portions, I feel that there could have been a deeper exploration of it, but I’m assuming they’ll be back for book 3.

Overall, I loved this book, and I recommend it. Now I need to find out when the third one is coming out!

My rating: 5/5 stars

Because she is adorable and the trailer has music from Amelie in it and I like to offer cute French commentary when I’m cooking too.

Because I am currently reading Wildwood and to me, it is a kind of a cross between Moonrise Kingdom and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It is a delightfully whimsical adventure starring quirky, independent, outsider kids.

And this:

because I never read the first book even though it sounded absolutely perfect for me, and now look, there are 6 installments! I’m thinking Boxing Day Mystery Marathon on the couch with cocoa…

Are you listening Santa?

1. Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy
This is the second in a great series that reminds me of Narnia. It’s full of really good drawings. It has an irresistible plot that you can’t put down.

2. The Mark of Athena By Rick Riordan.
Ok, if you don’t know this, something is wrong up there. It’s amazing blahblahblahyadayadayada. You all know it.

3.The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens.

It’s been two years since the first book came out so this better be good. It has a woodsy adventurous feel. I have not read it yet but it’s bound to be good.

Sorry there have been few posts these few weeks and I hope you enjoy October.