- Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Laurel Leaf (Sep 11 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0440416051
- ISBN-13: 978-0440416050
- Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 1.8 x 17.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 136 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #364,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Like David Almond's 1998 Whitbread-winning Skellig, this powerful, eerie, elegantly written novel celebrates the magic that is part of our existence--the magic that occurs when we dream at night, the magic that connects us to family long gone, the magic that connects humans to the land, and us all to each other. As Kit's grandfather puts it, "the tales and memories and dreams that keep the world alive."
It seems fated that 13-year-old Christopher Watson, nicknamed Kit, would move to Stoneygate, an old English coal-mining village where his ancestors lived, worked, and died. Evidence of the ancient coal pit is everywhere--depressions in the gardens, jagged cracks in the roadways, in his grandfather's old mining songs. A monument in the St. Thomas graveyard bears the name of child workers killed in the Stoneygate pit disaster of 1821, including Kit's own name--Christopher Watson, aged 13--the name of a distant uncle. At the top of this high, narrow pyramid-shaped monument is the name John Askew, the same name of Kit's classmate who takes the connection between this monument and life--and death--very seriously.
The drama unfolds as the haunted, hulking, dark-eyed John Askew draws Kit and other classmates into the game of Death, a spin-the-knife, pretend-to-die game that he hosts in a deep hole dug in the earth, with candles, bones, and carved pictures of the children of the old families of Stoneygate. Kit the writer and Askew the artist belong together, Askew keeps telling him. "Your stories is like my drawings, Kit. They take you back deep into the dark and show it lives within us still.... You see it, don't you? You're starting to see that you and me is just the same." Are they, though?
Kit's Wilderness conjures a world where the past is alive in the present and creeps into the future--a world where ancestral ghosts and even the slow-changing geology of the landscape are as tangible as lunch. Powerful images of darkness exploding into "lovely lovely light" filter throughout the story, as Almond boldly explores the dark side and unearths a joyful message of redemption. (Ages 11 and much, much older) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Revisiting many of the themes from Skellig, Almond offers another tantalizing blend of human drama, surrealism and allegory. He opens the novel with a triumphant scene, in which Kit Watson, the 13-year-old narrator, and his classmates, John Askew and Allie Keenan reemerge from "ancient darkness into a shining valley," as if to reassure readers throughout the course of the cryptic tale that the game of "Death," so central to the book, is indeed just a game. Nevertheless, he takes readers on a thrilling and spine-tingling ride. When Kit moves with his mother and father to the mining town of Stoneygate to keep company with his newly widowed grandfather, he feels drawn to John Askew who, like Kit, comes from a long line of coal miners. Askew presses Kit to take part in a game of "Death," for which the participants spin a knife to determine whose turn it is to "die." The chosen one then remains alone in the darkness of Askew's den, to join spirits with boys killed in a coal mine accident in 1821. Some regular players consider the game to be make-believe, but Kit senses something far more profound and dangerous, and the connection he forges with the ancient past also circuitously seals a deeper bond with Askew. Allie acts as a bridge between the two worlds, much as Mina was for Michael in Skellig. The ability that Askew, Kit and his grandpa possess to pass between two seductive worlds, here and beyond, in many ways expands on the landscape Almond created in Skellig. The intricacy and complexity of the book's darker themes make it a more challenging read than his previous novel for children, but the structure is as awe-inspiring as the ancient mining tunnels that run beneath Stoneygate. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
In Stoneygate there was a wilderness. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
In Stoneygate there was a wilderness. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kit's Wilderness,
By
This review is from: Kit's Wilderness (Mass Market Paperback)
"Kit's Wilderness" is a book that will make you feel uneasy and a little frightened; it speaks to those fears of getting in with the wrong group and doing things that we are too smart to do. Teenagers will relate to the group pressure of fitting in and appearing cool and unafraid and also to that base emotion of enjoying fear.When Kit's grandmother dies, Kit and his family move to Stoneygate an old coal-mining town that Kit's family has a history in to take care of his grandfather. Being the new kid is never easy and Kit hooks up with a group of kids that play a game called "death". It made my skin crawl to think of a group of teenagers in an old mine pit playing a game called death. Kit is a strong and gifted person and can see ghosts, and Askew is the bad kid Kit has a connection with, for Askew sees the same ghosts, to them the game of death is real and not pretend. Askew is a talented artist, but comes from a rough home and is kicked out of school. Kit has a talent for writing stories and through his stories he is able to help Askew. Askew and Kit have a tumultuous relationship and in the end Kit proves to be the wiser.
5.0 out of 5 stars
kits wilderness review,
By A Customer
This review is from: Kit's Wilderness (Mass Market Paperback)
Kits wilderness is a fantasy book.The story starts of when Kit Watson moves to stonygate. His ancestors all lived in stonygate too and they all worked in the pit mines. Soon after KIt moves to stonygate he meets a boy called John Askew, he introduces Kit to a dangerous game called death. In this game Kit and other children from the old familys from stonygate have to sit in a circle in a cave and Askew will spin a knife, if the knife land on you than you would go to the middle and experiance death. KIt experiances death but unlike the others he sees the dead children of the past Askew also sees these children, this is because they are both the living dead. The game of death is stoped when one of the school teachers finds out they have been playing it. Everyone blames this on Kit because it was his teacher that stoped the game.Kits problems increase when his grandad becomes ill he goes into moments when he is completly blank and lost in the past.This is worring for Kits family and they know that he will soon die. The ghost of the past come to haunt Kit, Askew and Grandpa but one of the ghost seems to be more like a gardian angel to Kit, Askew and grandpa.Silky (gardian angel)comforts Grandpa and kit when they go into there living dead moments. Kit is the central character in the novel, he's very good and kind but he gets drawn to the darkness, for example John Askew and the death game. Askew is quite a frightening figure like a caveman.He is always out walking in the wilderness and wears black all the time.Allthough Askew is frightening he has server family promlems. in the end kit and Askew stay down in the mines all night and there is a frantic search for them! Are they going to be saved or will they stay down in the mines forever!?! I recomend this book to someone who likes an adventure and a mysterious book!!!!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kit's Wilderness Review,
By A Customer
This review is from: Kit's Wilderness (Mass Market Paperback)
The story of kit's Wilderness is a fantasy and a adventure for Kit. The story starts off for Kit Watson when he moves to Stoneygate. He becomes friendly with a boy named John Askew. John Askew is the leader of the game called "death" he goes to the game with his friend called Allie. Later in the novel it is Kit's turn to die. Kit does die. His problem increases when kit's granpa becomes ill. He starts having blackouts. Kit is followed to the game by his teacher called "Burning Bush" Kit is awoken when he is dead. John Askew says that this means that Kit will be in a living dead for the rest of hiS life. So in Kit's dream a gohst called Silky comes and huants him. Silky leads Kit into darkness and leaves Kit more and more confused at what is going on around him. John Askw runs away and Kit is the one to bring him back. So in the end they have a Happy Christmas or do they? My favourite charactor in the novel is Kit he is the main charactor in the book because in the book the author is always talking bout him. John Askew seems frightening, almost "caveman" kind of person but his family aren't the best to live with. His dad abuses him so he has a tough time. Granpa lets the past come alive for Kit, he is always telling Kit storys untill he becomes ill.... The books most important themes are about life/death and frienship. The most exciting part of the novel occurs when Kit and Askew learn what it is really like to be friends and what friendship means. David Almond's type of writing is very distinctive because he can always make you feel Kit's feelings and how hw cope's with them. I would recommend this book to people who like exciting and mysterious books, because it is very unique in it's style. So read this book to find and what it is like to be Kit and how to cope with his problems!By Sophie Daniels
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