KIWI Magazine Review

Alright. I admit it. I have a teensy-weensy bias against celebrities who decide they are naturals at writing children’s literature. All of the sudden, that television host has a baby and she becomes Dr. Seuss. However, Colin Meloy of the band the Decemberists is not your average notable, and this book is an absolute joy to read. Creative, intriguing, and unique, Meloy weaves a complex tale of two peers who stumble into a world which lives next to theirs, but is eons away.

Although I would definitely bump the age range from 9-12 to at least 12-16, this book is a challenging read with complex plot lines, many-faceted characters, and some battles which are not for the faint of heart or violence-averse.

I absolutely can not wait for the next book!

Product Description

Prue McKeel’s life is ordinary. At least until her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows. And then things get really weird.

You see, on every map of Portland, Oregon, there is a big splotch of green on the edge of the city labeled “I.W.” This stands for “Impassable Wilderness.” No one’s ever gone in—or at least returned to tell of it.

And this is where the crows take her brother.

So begins an adventure that will take Prue and her friend Curtis deep into the Impassable Wilderness. There they uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval, a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions. And what begins as a rescue mission becomes something much bigger as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness.

A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.