From Publishers Weekly
Gwyn returns in this supple sequel to The Snow Spider , a fantasy that--like this one--was set in the Welsh countryside. But this time the apprentice magician's role is fairly minor. The tale concerns Nia, who is taunted by her family and classmates alike for her distinctive lack of talent. Nia discovers her uniqueness when she befriends Emlyn, a lonely boy who lives with his artist-father. Emlyn misses his mother, whom Nia believes is dead, but she is found living in a small cottage in the woods. Gwyn and Nia battle to save Emlyn from the lure of forces who appear as dancing, laughing children, and who similarly lured Bethan away in the first book. Despite the fantastic touches, Nimmo's story is once again rooted in the miseries of family misunderstandings and sorrows--of Nia's need to make something that is especially hers, and of Emlyn's simple, childish yearning to see his mother again. The book is elegantly structured, and the story simply told. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--Ce texte provient de la
Hardcover
édition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9-- The characters that first appeared in Nimmo's The Snow Spider (Dutton, 1987) return in this sequel. This time the central character is Nia Lloyd, the middle child of a large Welsh family. Upset by the family's move from their farm to the nearby town where her father is to be a butcher, Nia is equally unhappy with her reputation as "Nia-can't-do-nothing." Once settled in the town, Nia rapidly becomes involved in the feud between the Llewelyn and Griffiths families. Along the way she discovers her own special artistic talent and finds that she can do something after all. While the narrative alludes to events in the first book, the sequel can be read independently. Nia is a believable protagonist , and readers will empathize with her problems. If the Llewelyn family troubles seem a bit melodramatic, fantasy lovers will nonetheless be caught up in Nia's desperate attempt to save her friend Emlyn from the spirit world that threatens to claim him. A cut below the fantasies of Susan Cooper or Patricia Wrightson, this should still find a ready audience where fantasy is popular. --Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--Ce texte provient de la
Hardcover
édition.
