ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Preus, Margi

Windswept

304 pp. | Abrams/Amulet | September, 2022 | Trade ISBN 978-1-4197-5824-9 $17.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-6470-0504-7 $15.54
(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Armando Veve. The time is the future. The "Powers-That-Be" are kidnapping children--using a meteorological weapon of windstorms that sweep them up, to then be sold to mountain trolls for profit. Parents are instructed to protect their offspring (the "youngers") by keeping them imprisoned inside day and night. A band of rebel youngers--Ant, Boots, and Ren, led by our narrator Tag and accompanied by a dog named Blue Tooth--make their escape and set off on a quest to rescue their abducted siblings. It's a classic folktale journey, with magical objects, helpful old women, gnomic advice, monsters, the unleashing of unusual talents, outwittings, and a glorious eleventh-hour comeuppance. Along the way we are deftly reminded of the "Other Times" (i.e., now) of climate change, pollution, political corruption, neglect of the young, and racial injustice. The tone here is pitch-perfect, capturing that particular fairy-tale flavor of the absurd mingling with the deeply serious; slapstick alongside real suspense; and language being bent, repurposed, and enjoyed for its own deliciousness. Veve's distinctive and quirky textured black-and-white art is interspersed. Preus is so confident in this genre that it is no surprise to learn in an afterword that she grew up listening to her father tell Norwegian fairy stories. She appends an intriguing list of tales that inspired this fresh, rich, and buoyant fantasy.
Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?