Into the Woods

Gardner, Lyn

ISBN 10: 0385751168 ISBN 13: 9780385751162

Publisher: David Fickling Books, 2007

Synopsis

Storm, Aurora, and Anything Eden live in a decaying mansion on the edge of the wilds with their erstwhile father and indolent mother. When an accident leaves them orphaned and at the mercy of the sinister Dr. DeWilde, these three courageous and eccentric sisters are forced to flee into the woods, where they encounter kidnappers, sweet-filled orphanages, mountains of ice, diamond mines, and some ravenously hungry wolves.

Taking inspiration from numerous fairytales and weaving them into a wholly original story, Into the Woods is a whirlwind of a novel, full of imaginative happenings and dastardly deeds.
From the Hardcover edition.

About this title

About the Author:

Lyn Gardner is a theater critic for The Guardian and goes to the theater five or six nights a week, which should leave no time for writing books at all. Prior to joining The Guardian, she was a tea lady, a waitress, sold (or failed to sell) advertising space for a magazine called Sludge, wrote for The Independent, and helped found the London listings magazine, City Limits, the largest publishing co-op in Europe.

Mini Grey's last picture book, Traction Man Is Here!, won the 2005 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and received five starred reviews.
From the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal:

Starred Review. Grade 5–9—This gothic, wildly adventurous romp through the dream country of fairy tales celebrates the power of sisterhood. The Eden girls—beautiful, domestic Aurora; bold, reckless Storm; and baby Any—live at Eden End, a dilapidated estate near a rat-infested village in a setting that vaguely resembles rural Victorian England. On her deathbed, their mother bequeaths Storm a pipe, whispering "Beware of its terrible power." A year later, their grief-stricken father departs on a mysterious expedition, leaving a note that warns Aurora to be careful on her 16th birthday. Enter the mysterious, evil Dr. DeWilde. He wants the pipe. He and his ravenous wolves chase the sisters from their home and pursue them across a landscape familiar to readers of European myths, fairy tales, and fantasy. Elements of "The Pied Piper of Hamlin," "Rapunzel," "Hansel and Gretel," "The Snow Queen," and many other tales figure in the story. The breathless plot, which pulls readers into an escalating series of dangerous situations, hairbreadth escapes, bitter defeats, and surprising triumphs, is grounded in the realistic personalities of the sisters. As their relationship develops, they appeal to readers as much for their flaws as their strengths. Grey's black-and-white illustrations, interspersed with the text, advance the action. A descendant of Joan Aiken's The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Doubleday, 1963) and its sequels, this book is distinguished by a strong, descriptive style. It should have wide appeal as a family read-aloud or absorbing read-alone.—Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams
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About this edition

• Publisher: David Fickling Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0385751168
• ISBN 13: 9780385751162
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 488
• Illustrator: Grey Mini