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Winterling

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"We live here, my girl, because it is close to the Way, and echoes of its magic are felt in our world. The Way is a path leading to another place, where the people are governed by different rules. Magic runs through them and their land."

With her boundless curiosity and wild spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn't belong. Not when the forest is calling to her, when the rush of wind through branches feels more real than school or the quiet farms near her house. Then she saves an injured creature—he looks like a boy, but he's really something else. He knows who Fer truly is, and invites her through the Way, a passage to a strange, dangerous land.

Fer feels an instant attachment to this realm, where magic is real and oaths forge bonds stronger than iron. But a powerful huntress named the Mór rules here, and Fer can sense that the land is perilously out of balance. Fer must unlock the secrets about the parents she never knew and claim her true place before the worlds on both sides of the Way descend into endless winter.

Sarah Prineas captivates in this fantasy-adventure about a girl who must find within herself the power to set right a terrible evil.

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  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Fer, short for Jennifer, is unaware of her magical heritage and feels completely out of place when she enters a new realm upon inadvertently opening the Way between worlds. Erin Moon uses an even tone to portray Fer as a practical, normal girl, but all of the magical creatures have unique voices that match their natures in the other world. The Lady, an evil ruler, has a harsh, icy voice that sounds malevolent even when she makes the most mundane comments. Rook, a fairy who can shift into different animals, has a deep, gruff voice, much like the growl of the dog he often changes into. The wolf guards who pursue Fer on the orders of the Lady have mocking, slightly caustic tones. Moon's narration provides a bright spot in Prineas's sometimes inconsistent tale. E.N. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
    • School Library Journal

      May 1, 2012

      Gr 4-8-In this fantasy adventure, young Fer feels that she doesn't belong in her world. When she rescues a magical boy who can turn into a dog and hears the beckoning of the Way, a path into another realm, she decides to try to discover what might have happened to her parents, who have been "gone from this world" since she was a baby. Despite her grandmother's fears, she enters a land that is ruled by a powerful and dangerous huntress, the Mor, and populated with strange creatures and humans that can morph into animals. Along her journey, Fer discovers her healing powers and inner strength; she also learns about her parents and her family's connection to this enchanted, perilous place. The story has a steady pace and solid character development. The description-rich writing provides an excellent sense of the how the characters experience their surroundings, and the setting of this unnatural realm is intricately woven into the plot. An appealing and empowering tale.-Molly M. Collins, Burlington Public Library, MA

      Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      December 1, 2011
      An atmospheric middle-grade fantasy ties the coming of age to the turning of the year. Young Fer (short for "Jennifer") loves her strict Grand-Jane and the herbal lore she teaches, but she feels more at home in the woods and fields than in the concrete and iron cage of her school. When she rescues the shapeshifting puck Rook, Fer opens a Way into a place of wild beauty, deep magic and strange half-human denizens. The land's glamorous Lady claims friendship with Fer's lost parents and begs her allegiance, but Fer senses something deeply wrong: something that holds Rook sullen and silent, forces the people into savagery and keeps the land in the grip of relentless winter… something that is now spreading to Fer's home. Prineas calls upon Celtic (and a few Nordic) traditions to build a vivid fantasy world, steeped in pagan sensibilities, where the cycle of seasons resonates with the awakening of identity. The prose is lush and sensuous, evoking the sounds and tastes and scents of the natural world. Unusually, almost every character (except the puck-in-distress) is female, portrayed in all ages and roles--authority, hero, villain, mentor, warrior, healer, servant and goddess. Fer is herself brave and kind, but not unrealistically so; her magic is both matter-of-fact and a source of quiet joy. There's no flashy pyrotechnic wizardry to dazzle here, but the right readers will find refreshment in a tale as muted and miraculous as the return of spring. (Fantasy. 10-14)

      (COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2012
      When Jennifer (Fer) opens the Way to a fairy world and a boyish "puck" comes through, wrongness and unending winter come through as well. Fer must go through the Way and confront the Lady who holds the puck in thrall in order to set things right. A slow pace allows this gentle tale steeped in nature and herb lore to unfold magically.

      (Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.9
  • Lexile® Measure:720
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:3

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