★★★★★
Prue felt like someone had bored a hole in her stomach the size of a basketball.
Prue has always lived in Portland, on the edges of a great and wondrous forest.
She never gave it much thought…that is until her one-year-old brother (Mac) was carried off by a flock of crows to the heart of the forest.
So, she does what any child would do…go after him with her friend Curtis.
However, they soon realize that this will NOT be a simple grab-and-go. The forest, or better known as the Wildwood, is far moremysterious and dangerous than either of them thought possible.
As she walked, she breathed a quick benediction to the patron saint of sleuthing. “Nancy Drew,” she whispered, “be with me now.”
There’s an army of coyotes being led by a once-banished queen who quickly capture Curtis.
Prue appeals to the rightful Wildwood king only to find that he has no interest in helping her plight.
She quickly exited the room, hearing the echoes of the mastiff’s angered barks fade behind her down the hallway.
Prue must rely on her own strength and wits to navigate this wild world of talking animals, tree magic and ancient evil.
Will she save her brother? Or be forever lost in the Wildwoods?
Ultimately – I really, really enjoyed this one.
I absolutely adore long middle school books – the longer the better! It’s always fun to really have time to settle into the story and get to know the characters (which we had plenty of time to do!).
I especially loved Prue – her dry wit and cleverness truly made this story shine. I loved all of her quirks – from her one-speed bicycle to her slight-obsession with yoga.
Meditation. That’s the key. Supposedly. Calming your mind in total silence.
This definitely had a Narnia feel – I saw several parallels but not enough to bother me.
There were a few times where the wording became a bit…wordy. A bit outside of the typical middle school reading level.
We break our own hearts imposing our moral order on what is, by nature, a wide web of chaos.
And yet that perfectly fit the tone of the novel.
So, all in all this book was a win for me
nterested in this one from Colin Meloy? Buy it here: Amazon
Miranda Reads 