Wildwood

Description: The first book in the "New York Times"-bestselling adventure series from Meloy, lead singer of The Decemberists, and Ellis, the acclaimed illustrator of "The Mysterious Benedict Society."

Brief description:

Carson Ellis is the illustrator of a number of books for children, including the Wildwood Chronicles, and is the author and illustrator of the picture books Du Iz Tak?, a Caldecott Honor winner, and Home. Carson lives just outside Portland, Oregon, with her family.

Review Quotes:

WILDWOOD is a beautiful object and a beautiful read. One half fairy tale, one half coming of age story, one half unrepentantly gorgeous work of art, this book is overflowing with gifts. - Jonathan Safran Foer

Dark and whimsical, with a true and uncanny sense of otherworldliness, WILDWOOD is the heir to a great tradition of stories of wild childhood adventure. It snatched me up and carried me off into a world I didn't want to leave. - Michael Chabon

A satisfying blend of fantasy, adventure story, eco-fable and political satire with broad appeal; especially recommended for preteen boys. - Kirkus Reviews

If you like stories in which spunky adolescents emerge from secret tunnels only to be greeted by smartly outfitted badgers operating rickshaws, this is a book for you. Meloy's debut is the kind of delicate, elaborate fantasy that is so well-versed in classic Narnian tropes that it is destined to be enthusiastically embraced. Frequent, droll illustrations further solidify Wildwood as a uniquely alive place-right down to the stubborn blackberries and vengeful ivy. - Booklist (starred review)

This book is like the wild, strange forest it describes. It is full of suspense and danger and frightening things the world has never seen, and once I stepped inside I never wanted to leave. - Lemony Snicket

WILDWOOD is an irresistible, atmospheric adventure - richly imagined and richly rewarding. - Trenton Lee Stewart, New York Times bestselling author of The Mysterious Benedict Society

Meloy has an immediately recognizable verbal style and creates a fully realized fantasy world.... Ellis's illustrations perfectly capture the original world and contribute to the feel of an instant timeless classic. Further adventures in Wildwood cannot come quickly enough. - School Library Journal (starred review)

"A richly satisfying weave of reality and fantasy." - New York Times Book Review