基本介紹
- 中文名稱：Tree Girl
- 裝幀：HRD
- 定價：126.00元
- 作者：Barron T. A.
- 出版社：Putnam Pub Group
- 出版日期：2001-10
- ISBN：9780399234576
編輯推薦,名人推薦,媒體推薦,作者介紹,
編輯推薦
Like a mythic, more mystical Island of the Blue Dolphins, Tree Girl tells the tale of a young girl's struggle to survive under challenging conditions--and to answer even harder questions about who she is and where she came from.
Tightlipped Master Mellwyn won't say precisely who Anna's parents were, or how he came to care for her, but he emphatically warns Anna not to look for answers in the dark groves that border their lonely beachside hovel. (The forest ghouls within will "claw ye to bleedin' shreds, they will. Or crush ye, bones and all, with their graspin' feet!") But when the master leaves to fish everyday, Anna's growing curiosity can't be quelled. Especially when the distant High Willow seems to call to her, promising to reveal the mystery behind her missing mother.
Fans of T.A. Barron's other magical fables (such as the excellent Lost Years of Merlin series) will quickly get caught up in Anna's story, as she flirts with new discoveries, makes new friends, and learns the forest's most important lesson--that whatever we look for, be it good or bad, we'll inevitably find. (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes
名人推薦
From Publishers Weekly
Barron's (The Lost Years of Merlin) unevenly paced fantasy centers on nine-year-old Anna, who lives with a crotchety old man in a cottage near the forest. In answer to her repeated inquiries about her past, her guardian, Master Mellwyn, tells her only that he found her as an infant nestled in the roots of a willow tree. He forbids her to go into the woods, warning that evil "ghouls" live there. At the same time, she is repeatedly drawn to the sight of the High Willow, which towers over the other forest trees: "Something about this tree spoke to her aye, called to her." The chapter that chronicles the heroine's softening toward her master and her immediate about-face moves too swiftly for readers to find her abrupt changes of heart credible. The upshot is that Anna befriends a forbidden bear who suddenly transforms into a boy and announces that he is a "tree spirit." As the two bond, readers will likely piece together the lass's identity, rendering anticlimactic the moment when she discovers who her mother is. The story's confusing internal logic (Why does Anna bear a striking resemblance to the Master's late daughter, for instance?) and predictable denouement diminish its effect. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 4-8. Nine-year-old Rowanna lives in a cottage by the sea with Master Melwyn, an old fisherman who has raised her from infancy and warned her repeatedly to watch out for the vicious, bloodthirsty ghouls in the forest. Lured by High Willow, the great tree at the top of the forest, and a playful bear cub who befriends the lonely child, she begins to venture into the forbidden forest. There, Rowanna learns to look beyond her preconceptions and understand the magical reality of the forest and the secret of her parentage. Though the character of the old fisherman seems stereotypical, Barron portrays the shape-shifting bear with subtlety and originality. The age of the protagonist and the simplicity of the telling suggest a middle-grade audience, but this short fantasy may ultimately have more appeal to teens, who will respond to its underlying themes of self reliance, rebellion, and the search for self-knowledge. For larger collections. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From School Library Journal
Gr 4-7-Barron is a wonderful storyteller, a maker of myths and fables who creates magical places where characters learn wisdom and power. Here, nine-year-old Rowanna is determined to discover her past and find her mother. She lives in a lonely cottage by the sea with a fisherman, old Mellwyn, who rescued her as a baby from beneath the High Willow tree in a forest that is haunted by tree ghouls. In time, Anna befriends a bear/boy who is a tree spirit. When the protection Mellwyn offers begins to feel like a restraint, the girl makes her way to the High Willow with her friend on High Hallow Eve. On that day, spirits emerge from the trees and dance through the night. Anna learns that there are no tree ghouls, and that she, too, is a tree spirit, the daughter of the High Willow. The message is clear: if we are fearful, we will see frightening things around us, while if we are positive in our outlook, we will be open to the world around us. As in the author's previous novels, magic and the supernatural are used to reveal the interconnectedness of all living things and to convey a deep respect for nature. Stylistically rich and lyrical, this novel weaves themes of self-discovery, family, loyalty, and friendship into an imaginative tale.
Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
媒體推薦
“Barron is a wonderful storyteller, a maker of myths and fables who creates magical places where characters learn wisdom and power.”—School Library Journal
作者介紹
T.A. Barron is the award-winning author of fantasy novels such as The Lost Years of Merlin epic—soon to be a major motion picture. He serves on a variety of environmental and educational boards including The Nature Conservancy and The Land and Water Fund of the Rockies, and is the founder of a national award for heroic children. Following a life-changing decision to leave a successful business career to write full-time in 1990, Barron has written seventeen books, but is happiest when on the mountain trails with his wife, Currie, and their five children.
