(2) YA Captured and raped by a medieval Welsh warband, Elen has found a way to survive by convincing the band's leader, Owain ap Cadwgan, that her name saint has promised to keep him unharmed as long as he keeps Elen near him. A relatively well-treated prisoner and lover, Elen now feels trapped--by the lies she has spun; by the scorn she endures from Owain's band; and by traumatic memories of her family's demise by fire, murder, and sexual violence. When Owain abducts the wife and children of a neighboring lord, Elen sees in them a chance to be part of a real family again. The story is based on an account in a medieval Welsh chronicle. Its plot involves the ornate politics of small kingdoms and family allegiances, and the impositions and political weight of England's Norman king. Amidst all the masculine burning and pillaging, Elen's first-person, present-tense telling (a narrative choice that is not entirely successful) sheds a light on female survival and resistance. The blow-by-blow account of male bumptiousness and maneuvering threatens to overwhelm that of Elen's tremulous inner life, but that, perhaps, effectively conveys the depth of her isolation.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(3) 4-6 Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie series. Fleeing London, clockwork boy Charlie (The Kidnap Plot) heads to Wales with a warning for his murdered father's friend. Separated from his traveling companions, Charlie teams up with a band of dwarfs in a race to arrive before the evil organization that killed his father does. A worthy sequel chock-full of intricate world-building, plot twists, and an amusing assortment of new and familiar characters.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(2) YA Crowe taps into Welsh and British folklore in this story of two boys struggling with grief. Ash is training for the Stag Chase, an annual ritual hunt in which he'll play the part of the quarry, and former best-friend Mark one of the hound boys who chases him. The boys' pain, the drought-blighted land, and the imagery of Bone Jack combine with increasing intensity.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Carlin. An elderly Welsh miner and a boy unwillingly transplanted from Rome bond over homing pigeons in this atmospheric and hopeful tale of immigration and friendship. The narrative follows the pair as they train Mr. Evans's pigeons, including one the boy names King of the Sky. Davies's poetic language includes moments of precise description; Carlin's smudgy, near-transparent mixed-media illustrations capture the essences of the old and new homelands.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(2) YA Sixteen-year-old Welsh-Romani girl Bethan is raped and her non-Romani friend Martyn brutally beaten by the chieftan's son and four friends. To save Martyn and avenge the assault, wise woman Gran proposes a shocking spell requiring five blood sacrifices. Bethan's slow recovery is portrayed with sensitivity, and her righteous desire for retribution is tempered with an awareness of what she needs to heal her own soul.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Hyman's illustrations for Thomas's Christmas classic seem to have grown organically from the text, so fitting and evocative are they. Jewel tones in most interior scenes create a warm, cozy, intimate atmosphere; whites and grays for most exterior scenes transport readers of this small volume--here reissued with a bit more glitz, but not excessively so--to the Welsh seaside town of Thomas's childhood.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1985; November, 2017

(3) YA Archer Merry Owen, a one-eyed Welsh teenager, discovers an invaluable book that may be a missing part of the legendary Mabinogion. This discovery sparks a quest through the streams of time and back, in which Merry must use all her skills to defend her family's farm from another family's multigenerational greed. Davies interweaves past and present cultures, filling both with fully realized characters.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Garry Parsons. Eddie must bring Uncle Morton's dragons to his dad's new Welsh castle (yes, a real castle). What's supposed to be bonding time with Eddie, Emily, Dad, and Dad's new girlfriend turns disastrous with dragons involved. Will Eddie's uncle ever come for his dragons? This third wacky Dragonsitter book is told through the series' engaging format of emails and "photo attachments" (Parsons's illustrations).

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) 4-6 Zoé and Ian assemble a magical glass puzzle and unwittingly open a portal to a realm called Wythernsea. To defeat the evil winged creatures that escape into our world from Wythernsea, they must find the missing puzzle piece and summon the goddess Arianrhod. World-hopping, a Welsh deity, and body-snatching monsters are a strange combination, but it mostly works. Intricate spot art opens each chapter.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(1) YA In 1290s Caernarvon, Wales, English Cecily, resentful of her father's new post as a town burgess, feels the place and the filthy, taciturn Welsh servants are beneath her. When the Welsh rebel against the English, it's her servant Gwinny's turn to exercise power. Coats allows the two narrators to be both sympathetic and unsympathetic in this unusually honest portrait of the effects of power.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012

(2) YA Fifteen-year-old Willo and his family live in a future ice-age world. One day he comes home to find his family gone, stranding him in the frozen mountains of Wales. Willo's first-person voice is distinctive; the dystopian world, especially the hellish city, is carefully delineated. Allusions to Yeats, Genesis, Browning, and various fairy tales lend epic weight to Willo's journey.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012

(4) YA Lives Cut Short series. These standard-issue biographies, accompanied by numerous stock photos, introduce readers to celebrities who died young, relating their superstardom, troubled last years, and continuing legacies without adoration or sensationalism. Serious issues such as substance abuse, public-image struggles, and marriage problems are covered directly and honestly. Plentiful sidebars break up the text but sometimes distract from the main narrative. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Lives Cut Short titles: Whitney Houston, Kurt Cobain, Diana, and Marilyn Monroe.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA Warrior Princess series. Accepting her destiny as the gods' chosen warrior, Branwen sets out on a quest to rescue an imprisoned god. There are moments of clumsy teen angst, but at its best, the book wholeheartedly embraces high-fantasy mythos in thrilling encounters with gods and warriors. Though the haughty romantic lead and supporting cast are underdeveloped, Branwen's bond with her mystical guide Blodwedd shines.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series. Illustrated by Kelly Murphy. Just when Nate thought that he, his aunt, and his pet gremlin were due for some downtime, they find Aunt Phil's home ransacked then receive word that wyverns are rampaging in Wales. Might the intruder and the wyvern-disturber be one and the same? And could that person be a renegade Fludd? The series' overarching mystery continues to develop alongside clever episodic adventures.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(3) 4-6 Young Wolf runs away from a monastery and into the devil's hands in this darkly imaginative fantasy set in medieval Wales. Local spirits, the momentum of Christianity, and deep superstitions haunt Wolf as he tries to protect an elf child. A multi-layered plot and vivid characters keep the story well tuned for eager fantasy readers.

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(4) YA Warrior Princess series. "One day, perhaps, you will hear my name again. People may speak of me as the Savior of Brython--because that is, apparently, my destiny." Branwen, guided by a messenger of ancient earth spirit Govannon, must make allies of her foes to save the kingdom from Saxons. Like the first Warrior Princess book, this is a well-plotted, if overwritten, historical fantasy.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) YA After witnessing her brother's death at the hands of a Saxon invader, Branwen's only thought is of vengeance. Her parents, however, send her away to a neighboring stronghold to ensure her safety. There she must figure out a way to determine her own destiny. Overwrought prose slightly detracts from the well-woven and compelling story.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(3) 4-6 Matt, a newcomer to Hay-on-Wye, has a bike accident that links him to a boy who died in a hit-and-run at the same junction. Matt's quest to find out the truth about this tragedy involves elderly farmer Wil Jones, the town bully, and two "lost boys." A singular Welsh setting and lilting dialogue make the story mysterious and evocative.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis

(4) 4-6 Snap Books: Queens and Princesses series. In five short chapters, these biographies introduce some interesting and little-known facts, though the books' content is imbalanced (e.g., Diana's wedding dress is described in great detail, but her emotional problems are merely skimmed). The layouts are easily navigated, and the photographs and reproductions are well chosen. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Snap Books: Queens and Princesses titles: Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov and Diana, Princess of Wales.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) 4-6 Magician Trilogy series. These somewhat convoluted fantasies set in Wales are the second and third books about boy magician Gwyn (The Snow Spider). Originally published as the Snow Spider Trilogy, the series itself and the second book (Emlyn's Moon was previously titled Orchard of the Crescent Moon) have been renamed and treated to new covers. Review covers these titles: The Chestnut Soldier and Emlyn's Moon.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz