Rebecca Recommends: 'Fright Forest: Elf Girl and Raven Boy' by Marcus Sedgwick

This is the story of Elf Girl and Raven Boy. They are not their real names of course. In fact, they do not even know each other’s real name. For some strange reason, they adamantly won’t tell each other. There is no time to get the truth out though, as they are thrown together and must navigate their way through the spooky 'Fright Forest', full of trolls, witches and ogres in order to find both family and home.

If you are looking for quirky characters with endearing awkwardness and humour, this is a wonderfully whimsical children’s series to delve into. Elf Girl and Raven Boy have been created with brilliant chemistry and it is enthralling to watch them bumble their way through their perilous adventure. As with all thrilling quests, ‘Fright Forest’ is littered with adrenaline filled reveals and tempting answers in the shadows. Author Marcus Sedgwick has formed leads with plenty of personality but also with a touch of mystery. Enticing reading therefore can be found, not only from its exhilarating plot but by a driving fascination, as you follow them through the strange and creepy forest, of discovering who Elf Girl and Raven Boy really are.

I was drawn to this great find by spotting the work of illustrator Pete Williamson. Found in the previously recommended ‘To be a Cat’ by Matt Haig, his gangly wide eyed character style fits perfectly with the offbeat and charming story telling found in both books. Illustrations adorn almost every page, whether it is a spooky portrait, a moment of slapstick action or thorny branches curling its way around the page, creating visual appeal and enticement for a growing reader.

Elf Girl and Raven Boy’s adventure continues so keep an eye out for a future posts as they make their way to 'Monster Mountains'. I can’t wait! 

Illustrated by Pete Williamson. Orion Children's Books (2012)

For more information, please check out : 

http://www.marcussedgwick.com/egrb.html

http://www.petewilliamson.co.uk/

Rebecca Recommends: 'The Spiderwick Chronicles: Book 1 The Field Guide' by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

I was intrigued by a vague recollection of ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’ name as I reached for its dark spine on the rather colourful children’s bookshelf. The front cover is rich in detailing, from its variation of glossed and grooved surface to the spindly, curl trimmed typeface of its title. Holding the petite hardback I felt drawn into the illusion and excitement of possessing a secret journal, a theme continued inside with a map and two letters, one written on a typewriter and one by hand. Both mysterious and cautionary.

The story follows the spooky discoveries of Jared Grace who moves into the creepy dilapidated Spiderwick Estate along with his mother, his twin Simon and his sister Mallory. His siblings are high achieving (Mallory being skilled at fencing) and seemingly at peace with themselves (Simon busily caught up in thoughts of his growing animal collection.) His recent achievement being a bruised eye from a fight, Jared is left as the black sheep of the family.  He is not best pleased to be moving into the decrepit building but soon strange goings on ignite his curiosity. A secret room, some frightening pranks and a mysterious journal lead the Graces together to uncover an alarming discovery.  And this is only the beginning.

I was entranced by this little book and thoroughly look forward to reading the subsequent sequels. The characters are intriguing and eccentric, the plot has a growing sense of suspense and mystery and it conjures an imaginary environment that is both fascinating and spooky.  I loved the pen and ink illustrations. Scratchy yet meticulous sketches, which in my imagination feels as if they were created in the moment with the greatest of precision and study, in order to document what would turn out to be a strange unraveling of events. The story is one of a series with its bite size format leaving you with more than enough pleasure to make it addictively collectable. Keep an eye out for future posts on The Spiderwick Chronicle series!

Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. Simon & Schuster (2003)

For more information, please check out: http://pages.simonandschuster.com/spiderwick/