Review: The Search for WondLa

The Search for WondLa
by Tony DiTerlizzi (creator of Spiderwick Chronicles)
Simon & Schuster
Genre: YA Fantasy

Take a little bit of "The Wizard of Oz" and "Alice in Wonderland", toss in some "Star Wars" and "Planet of the Apes", mix well by a talented writer and you'll have an idea of this book. From the fantastic mind of Tony DiTerlizzi, creator of the Spiderwick Chronicles, this is the first of a three part series.

The story concerns a twelve-year-old girl, Eva Nine, who has been raised in an underground sanctuary by a robot named Muthr. When a vicious hunter destroys the sanctuary in search of Eva, she is forced to go above ground for the first tie in her life. Up there, she finds odd creatures, but no one like her. She sets off across the land to find other humans. With the help of kind, though strange, friends, she runs for her life from the hunter and heads for the badlands where it is rumored she may find other humans.

Mr. DiTerlizzi is a master craftsman with this genre. His characterizations, world building, and settings are so well done, you believe there may actually be a world like this one. The story flows well and is enjoyable from page one to the last chapter. According to the information accompanying this pre-pub copy, there will also be an interactive web site so readers can journey along with Eva and her friends, just the sort of thing any young tween would like.

If there are any drawbacks at all for me, it is that the last page leaves you dangling. This is definitely not a stand alone book and it will be necessary to get the other books to finish the story, a marketing ploy that continually frustrates me. But other than this minor, and not unexpected, issue, I highly recommend The Search for WondLa. I am definitely looking forward to the others.

~Vicky Burkholder

Review: Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden charms are so fine that some even call her "witch-blade" -- a dangerous nickname in a town where witches are hunted and burned in the square.
For Kate and her village have fallen on hard times. Kate's father has died, leaving her alone in the world. And a mysterious fog now covers the countryside, ruining crops and spreading fear of hunger and sickness. The townspeople are looking for someone to blame, and their eyes have fallen on Kate.


Enter Linay, a stranger with a proposition: In exchange for her shadow, he'll give Kate the means to escape the town that seems set to burn her, and what's more, he'll grant her heart's wish. It's a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes that she can't live shadowless forever -- and that Linay's designs are darker than she ever dreamed.

This is a deep story about death, persecution, belonging, trust and betrayal, gypsy clans, ghosts, and more. It is a dark book - at times a little too dark - but there are also spots of lightheartedness that have you smiling - especially when the talking cat is involved. Basically, it is a story about a young girl who is a gifted wood carver. Her mother dies at her birth and her father a few years later and she is left orphaned and homeless. Because of her gift with carving, the townsfolk begin to distrust her, then accuse her of being a witch. There is talk of burning her in order to save the town from bad luck. She escapes the town with the help of Roamers (gypsies) and a witch man who takes her shadow. She has to face situations that no twelve-year-old should have to face, but that is her fate. Set in medieval times and heavy with Russian flavor, it reads like an ancient fairy tale. It is well-written and pulls at the emotions.

Though not for every YA reader, those who enjoy darker tales akin to the Golden Compass might like this one. If you want light fare, this is not it. But for those who like darker, heavier stories, this is a good one.


Rating: 3 stars - difficult subjects, Russian fairy-tale theme, dark fantasy.

Vicky Burkholder