Author: Gabrielle Prendergast
Publisher: Orca Book
Genre: fiction, MG, fantasy, adventure, hi-lo

Fourteen-year-old Blue (a human) should be upset that his new friends Salix (a Nixie) and Finola (a Faerie) have tricked him into going on another adventure into the Faerieland. But he's actually quite excited. Especially since their quest to find the way back to Salix's homeland takes them through the Wherewood, a magical region where lost things go. They encounter confused pets, misplaced homework assignments and mountains of odd socks. But when a misstep leads Blue into the forsaken Witherwood, he comes face to face with an old enemy. And Olea, the cursed former queen of Nearwood, will not let Blue go so easily this time. This is the second book in the Faerie Woods series, following The Crosswood.

With a plot definitely more complex than the series’ first novel, The Crosswood, this novel is a satisfying read that flies along.

The pimply high school protagonist gets thrust into a new adventure in magical woods, with faeries who operate by different rules. On his journey, he needs to learn those rules on the fly while exhibiting both courage and quick-wittedness.

The novel is in Blue’s point of view, and relies heavily on dialogue, which helps pull the reader along. The setting is highly imaginative: a castle with a Great Hall whose walls are made from twisted trees, a “ghost sword” invisible to all but the owner, a VW van through which the kids enter the faerie world, and a witch with bright blue teeth. There are Will-o’-the-Wisps (tiny glowing lights that lead them onward), magic mushrooms, trees that turn into spiders, and homework sheets flying through the air. The narrative reminds one of a time-travel book, and there’s the thrill of Blue temporarily gaining the ability to breathe underwater.

What doesn’t quite work is the way Blue acquires a lost dog, has minimal interaction with it, then gets very emotional when the dog is hurt. (To heal the dog, Blue is urged to “think about how much you love her!”) That’s a little corny. Also, Blue has flares of anger that seem to come from nowhere, and subside just as suddenly, which is less than effective.

Still, it’s a page turner and those who love magical worlds and journey stories will delight in the woods full of adventure, evil and “wild magic.” I’d recommend reading this series in order.

- Pam Withers