SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: THE GRACE OF WILD THINGS
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.heatherfawcettbooks.com/
CITY: Vancouver Island
STATE:
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY: Canadian
LAST VOLUME: SATA 367
https://www.heatherfawcettbooks.com/contact/ Agent: Brianne Johnson, bjohnson@writershouse.com
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
EDUCATION:Holds bachelor’s degree in archaeology and master’s degree in English literature.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Novelist. Also worked as an archaeologist, photographer, technical writer, and backstage assistant for a Shakespearean theater festival.
AVOCATIONS:Surfing, rock climbing, origami, list-making, geeky trivia, getting lost in strange places.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Heather Fawcett is an author of free-ranging fantasy fiction for young adults and middle graders. She told a Just Another Teen Reading interviewer that she was inspired to write her debut novel by her “love for hiking and climbing” and “fascination with exploration in general,” as well as a viewing of a documentary on the Himalayas, which strike her as “one of the most beautiful regions on the planet.” A young-adult fantasy novel, Even the Darkest Stars centers on Kamzin and her sister, Lusha, who as adventurous inhabitants of the village of Azmiri are reputed to have the best chance of reaching the summit of the imposing Mount Rashka. With a rare talisman as well as the title of Royal Explorer at stake, Kamzin and her sister are enlisted by competing mountaineers and get caught in the middle as the two teams strive for the summit. Spilled secrets reveal a dire threat to Azmiri, while a love triangle looms between Kamzin, her best friend and shaman Tem, and the man who has hired her, River Shara. With dragons and ghosts in the frigid air and her fox companion Ragtooth afoot, Kamzin has plenty of perils to face.
In Voice of Youth Advocates, Amy Cummins affirmed that Fawcett has rendered mountaineering scenes “brilliantly” and “effectively fuses magical elements with a realistic and deadly journey.” She concluded that “readers will connect easily with Kamzin’s determination to be an explorer and eagerly await a sequel.” In Booklist, Maggie Reagan affirmed that with the “detailed, well-realized setting, an unsettling villain that lingers just off the page, and buckets of danger,” Even the Darkest Stars amounts to “an utterly inventive and wholly original debut.” Fawcett offers a sequel to her debut with All the Wandering Light.
Fawcett turned to middle graders in writing Ember and the Ice Dragons. Based in an alternative Victorian England, the novel follows a twelve-year-old girl, Ember, who is actually a fire dragon in disguise. Discovered by a reputed magician and professor, Lionel St. George, when her parents were killed for their scales, Ember was given a human appearance but has retained her unreliable ability to wield fire. After accidentally torching Lionel’s office, Ember makes her way to a research station in Antarctica, where she and her newfound friends uncover a plot to cull ice dragons for their scales. Appalled, Ember determines to foil the plot. Resource Links writer Leslie Vermeer observed that Ember and the Ice Dragons “presents numerous parallels with our own world, offering a way to talk about contemporary problems, such as bullying, endangered species, and excessive consumption.” A Kirkus Reviews writer declared that, “neatly sidestepping tropes and templates, Fawcett’s story is full of original details that add depth.” The reviewer called the characters “richly nuanced” and the novel “fresh and original.”
In Fawcett’s next middle-grade novel, The Language of Ghosts, thirteen-year-old Noa Marchena finds herself—along with elder brother Julian and little sister Mite—unjustly exiled from the Florean Archipelago, where her family has long reigned. The siblings’ mobile island base of Astrae is home to invisible cats and guarded by a cake-loving sea serpent. Julian, who has the ultra-rare ability to speak all nine of the world’s magical languages, must reckon with his extraordinary and perilous power with help from grounded Noa, while impish Mite keeps everyone on their toes.
A Kirkus Reviews writer was delighted by the dynamic between the unique Marchena siblings, calling them “the driving force of the narrative.” Also appreciating the progressive nature of Florean society, the reviewer called The Language of Ghosts “a charming, surprisingly nuanced” novel that makes for a “terrific read.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer praised the book as a “well-paced, wholly imaginative middle grade romp.”
[open new]The title institution of The School between Winter and Fairyland, a middle-grade fantasy, is the Inglenook School of Magic, where twelve-year-old Autumn, daughter of a family of resident beast-keepers, cannot accept the disappearance of her twin brother, Winter. Convinced he is magically trapped somewhere within the school, she enlists the help of prophesied chosen one Cai, who knows the grounds like the back of his hand—and who needs a little help getting over a fear of dragons. In their search for Winter, they find and realize far more than expected.
Acknowledging the familiar magic-school-and-prophecy setup, a Publishers Weekly reviewer hailed The School between Winter and Fairyland as a “lively fantasy” offering a “fresh take on heroics” and “clearly built world layered with history and an interesting magical system.” A Kirkus Reviews writer suggested that fans of Harry Potter and the humor-laden fiction of Diana Wynne Jones will be “mesmerized by this original addition to the genre.” Appreciating how themes of “class, education, and equality are interwoven seamlessly,” the reviewer affirmed that readers will get “buried in the pages” and “beg to know” when the sequel is due.
Fawcett originally conceived her next middle-grade novel, The Grace of Wild Things, as a fantasy retelling of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables; she eventually settled on honoring the spirit of Anne’s story rather than hewing to the plot. In an orphanage on Canada’s Prince Edward Island, creative—and magic-wielding—loner Grace Greene finds consolation in Emily Dickinson’s poetry and other works but yearns for more from life. With crow familiar Windweaver at her side, she flees to the frightening, reluctant, and possibly famished Miss Puddlestone and eventually manages to secure a deal: if she can cast all the spells in Miss Puddlestone’s grimoire by spring, she can become her new apprentice. Fortunately for Grace, neighbor Sareena Khalil and fairy boy Rum are around to pitch in.
Noting “plenty of respectful nods” to Montgomery’s classic, a Kirkus Reviews writer called Fawcett’s novel “delightful … richly imagined and terribly funny.” The reviewer found Grace as “endearing” and “charming” as the original Anne and deemed The Grace of Wild Things a “magical, witchy, and thoroughly successful homage to a classic.” A Pubilshers Weekly reviewer admired how Fawcett uses Grace’s “over-the-top expressiveness to convey with cheerful candor themes of bullying, loneliness, and regret.” The reviewer hailed the novel as a “highly imaginative … exuberant tale of belonging and hope.”
The Islands of Elsewhere, Fawcett’s next middle-grade fantasy, finds a trio of sisters journeying with their mother and baby brother from Vancouver to the enchanting Fairy Islands—named Fairy, Littly Fairy, and Ghost—where their grandfather is ailing and forgetful. Grandaddy’s own grandmother, Lucy Juniper, a pirate and possible witch, holds pride of place in local legends: she may have buried treasure somewhere. With Grandaddy’s well-being in mind, ten-year-old Bee, an aspiring botanist, and the more whimsical twelve-year-old Hattie and eight-year-old Plum set about seeking the storied fortune. A Publishers Weekly reviewer admired how Fawcett “creates endearing and affectionate characters with realistic tensions … whose individual strengths help solve the central mystery.” Appreciating how Fawcett takes a magical setting and “weaves in realistic topics that many children will recognize from their own lives,” a Kirkus Reviews writer called The Islands of Elsewhere a “charming family story with a touch of fairy-tale atmosphere.”
Asked by Shukla what she hopes readers gain from her works, Fawcett replied: “I just hope that they enjoy the journey. … If they’re looking for a cozy escape, I hope they find that; if they’re looking for an exploration of the importance of stories and relationships, I hope they come away satisfied.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, August 1, 2017, Maggie Reagan, review of Even the Darkest Stars, p. 72; January 1, 2023, Susan Maguire, review of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, p. 44.
Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2017, review of Even the Darkest Stars; July 15, 2019, review of Ember and the Ice Dragons; July 15, 2020, review of The Language of Ghosts; September 1, 2021, review of The School between Winter and Fairyland; December 1, 2022, review of The Grace of Wild Things; December 15, 2022, review of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries; April 15, 2023, review of The Islands of Elsewhere.
Publishers Weekly, July 24, 2017, review of Even the Darkest Stars, p. 62; August 10, 2020, review of The Language of Ghosts, p. 52; September 20, 2021, review of The School between Winter and Fairyland, p. 71; December 19, 2022, review of The Grace of Wild Things, p. 90; April 24, 2023, review of The Islands of Elsewhere, p. 67.
Resource Links, December, 2019, Leslie Vermeer, review of Ember and the Ice Dragons, p. 15.
School Library Journal, August, 2017, Denise Kim, review of Even the Darkest Stars, p. 101.
Voice of Youth Advocates, August, 2017, Amy Cummins, review of Even the Darkest Stars, p. 71.
ONLINE
Bibliobibuli YA, http://bibliobibuliya.com/ (May 24, 2018), author interview.
Fantasy Hive, https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/ (January 19, 2023), Nils Shukla, author interview.
Heather Fawcett website, https://heatherfawcettbooks.com (June 4, 2023).
Here’s to Happy Endings, http://www.herestohappyendings.com/ (September 9, 2017), “Blog Tour: Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett.”
Just Another Teen Reading, http://justanotherteenreading.blogspot.com/ (January 15, 2017), author interview.
OwlCrate, https://www.owlcrate.com/ (March 29, 2023), author Q&A.
Teenreads, https://www.teenreads.com/ (May 24, 2018), author profile.
Thousand Words a Million Books, http://athousandwordsamillionbooks.blogspot.com/ (September 11, 2017), author interview.
Heather Fawcett
Canada
Genres: Children's Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy
New Books
February 2023
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The Grace of Wild Things
June 2023
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The Islands of Elsewhere
Series
Even the Darkest Stars
1. Even the Darkest Stars (2017)
2. All The Wandering Light (2018)
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Emily Wilde
1. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (2023)
2. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (2024)
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Novels
Ember and the Ice Dragons (2019)
The Language of Ghosts (2020)
The School Between Winter and Fairyland (2021)
The Grace of Wild Things (2023)
The Islands of Elsewhere (2023)
About Heather
Heather Fawcett is the Sunday Times and internationally bestselling Canadian author of books for adults, kids, and teens, including Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Even the Darkest Stars, Ember and the Ice Dragons, The Grace of Wild Things, and more. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and somehow all include dragons in one form or another. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature and a Bachelor’s in Archaeology. She lives on Vancouver Island.
You can follow Heather on Facebook and Instagram, or subscribe to her newsletter for announcements and updates.
INTERVIEW WITH HEATHER FAWCETT (EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES)
BY NILS SHUKLAJANUARY 19, 20234
Heather Fawcett is a Canadian author of books for adults, kids, and teens, including the Even the Darkest Stars series, Ember and the Ice Dragons, The Language of Ghosts, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, and more. Her books have been translated into more than ten languages and somehow all include dragons in one form or another. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature and a Bachelor’s in Archaeology. She lives on Vancouver Island.
Welcome to the Hive, Heather. Firstly, congratulations on your latest historical fantasy, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries! Can you tell our readers a bit about it? What can they expect?
Thank you! Emily Wilde is light academia with a lot of winter coziness; sometimes I describe it as Jonathan Strange meets Holly Black. It’s set in a world where faeries are real and the subject of academic study (a field called dryadology), and the main character is a dryadologist who is brilliant in her field but not so good with people. Readers can expect a winter fairytale with plenty of footnotes and a side of romance.
Just for fun, can you describe your book in five words?
I would say it’s a whimsical, cozy, light academia fairytale.
Emily Wilde is set in the 1900s on a remote Scandinavian island within a small close-knit community; had you always planned on writing a historical fantasy within this setting? What aspects influenced your worldbuilding?
I don’t think I’d always had that place in mind—though certainly I’m fascinated by Scandinavian folklore—but I’ve always been interested in the Edwardian era as a setting for historical fiction. I think partly because you don’t see it as often in fantasy as, say the Victorian era, but also because it’s just a really fascinating period in history when so much was changing. It was the beginning of the modern world as we know it.
In terms of research, I read a lot of Scandinavian folklore. I also did research into the geography of what an island like Ljosland might look like; it’s off the coast of Norway, about the same latitude as Iceland, and similar in size to the Faroe Islands. So coming up with something that felt like it would fit into that region was important.
If you were a Fae, which kind would you be and why?
I love forests, so I’d probably be one of the ones living in a cozy tree somewhere with a lot of books and a wide selection of faerie teas.
That would be my choice too!
Let’s talk about your characters! Both Emily and Wendell are accomplished scholars, yet they are both so different from each other. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind their personalities?
Emily and Wendell are each other’s opposite in many ways, but they’re complementary opposites, which is probably why they like each other so much (while also getting on each other’s nerves). As such, I came up with them together rather than separately. Emily is an example of a character archetype I’ve always found fascinating, which I guess you could call the socially inept genius. This kind of character brings a lot of built-in friction to every relationship, which makes for a great story, because friction is interesting.
Absolutely! And I think Emily has many traits which readers can relate to. I know I did!
As for Wendell, I don’t mind saying that he’s partially inspired by one of my favourite fantasy heroes, the Wizard Howl, who also loves his clothes and—while talented magically—would prefer to avoid hard work.
I’m so glad you confirmed this because I definitely noticed Howl vibes whenever Wendell appeared!
Two side characters I have to mention are Shadow and Poe, who are both so adorable! How did you find crafting their characters?
Thank you! I’m glad you liked them; they’re also two of my favourites. With Shadow, I just find that I always enjoy the writing process more if there’s an animal character involved. I’m an animal lover myself so I think that’s where it comes from.
Poe was just pure fun because he’s this very shy, gentle character on one hand, while on the other being somewhat terrifying. His inherent contradictions are representative of the Folk as a whole.
And out of the villagers who was your favourite character to write and were there any you found particularly difficult?
The rude and/or difficult characters are generally the most fun to write. I liked writing the scene where Emily meets Krystjan because they’re so different and yet snarky in their own ways. I don’t know if I had difficulty with any of the characters in the sense that I couldn’t figure them out, but I can say that a character who proved a bit unruly was Poe, mainly because I initially imagined him having a minor role in the story, so much so that I didn’t even mention him in my outline, but somehow he came to be very important to Emily and the story itself.
I loved how you took fairytale tropes and twisted them. How much fun did you have writing them?
Thank you! It was a lot of fun, not just invoking old fairytales but playing with the concept of what a story is—stories being highly important to the Folk; they’ll often use them as patterns for their own behaviour—and generally being a bit meta about things.
Whilst I was reading Emily Wilde, I actually pictured it as an animated film, much in the style of Studio Ghibli. If your book was to get an adaptation, which medium would you prefer: anime, feature film or tv series? Do you have any actors in mind who could play your characters?
A Studio Ghibli production would be the absolute dream! I’m really bad at coming up with actors for my characters; I think because doing so can kind of narrow how readers might perceive them. Ultimately, once my books are published, they belong to the readers, and I want readers to picture the characters however they wish.
Ah yes, this is true.
Ok, we have to mention how gorgeous your covers are, both the US and UK artwork is so whimsical! How involved in the process were you? Was there a particular aesthetic you hoped they’d portray?
Thank you! For both covers, my publishers sent me a kind of draft version that the artists put together, so that I could get a sense of the concept and provide feedback. Then they sent me the final, and I provided feedback again. Fortunately I was pretty happy with both covers, so I didn’t have much in the way of substantive changes to suggest. I think you used the perfect word: whimsical. That’s what I was hoping for, and both artists, Bex Parkin for the UK cover and Vera Drmanovski for the US, delivered in different ways!
One of our favourite questions here on the Fantasy Hive: which fantastical creature would you ride into battle and why?
I mean, is there any other answer than a dragon? You’ve got flight, firepower, size—they’re the perfect companions.
So Heather, what can you tell us about the sequel to Emily Wilde? Any teasers you can share?
So, I can say that Wendell’s door becomes very important in Book 2. I can also say that the sequel is set in a place that’s very different from Ljosland, and that there are some clues in Book 1 as to where Emily and Wendell may go next.
Finally, what is the one thing you hope readers take away from your writing?
Honestly, I just hope that they enjoy the journey. I think every reader will take away something slightly different from every story depending on who they are and their expectations. If they’re looking for a cozy escape, I hope they find that; if they’re looking for an exploration of the importance of stories and relationships, I hope they come away satisfied.
Thank you so much for joining us today!
Thank you so much for having me!
Q&A with Heather Fawcett!
Author of our February Book Pick: The Grace of Wild Things
Hi Heather! We always enjoy a good witchy story and had such a fun time reading The Grace of Wild Things! Where did the idea for this book come from and how did it evolve over time?
Thank you! I've always loved Anne of Green Gables, and I love the fantasy genre, so the initial spark was: What would a fantasy retelling of Anne look like? But I initially really struggled with moving beyond that. I wrote several opening chapters that I abandoned because they just weren't working, then put the project aside for a year. Eventually I realized that my problem was that I was attempting to hew too closely to the framework of the original story; once I gave myself permission to honour the spirit of Anne rather than following the plot beat-by-beat, everything flowed more smoothly.
What’s your favorite thing about Grace, and what do you think she would be reading right now?
I love how in tune Grace is with what she's feeling. I think if she were around today (and a real person!) she'd probably love big-hearted fantasy books with themes of compassion for others and social justice, like Wishtree, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, and Amari and the Night Brothers.
If you could join Grace in one of her adventures from this book, which one would you choose?
That's a great question. I love spending time in the woods, so I think I'd join Grace in gathering ingredients for one of her spells.
This story discusses so many great themes! How do you balance writing lighthearted adventures alongside more difficult subjects?
I think that, even in the most light-hearted of books, you need shadow to make the story feel alive and truthful. I generally tend to skew more towards humour and whimsy, but getting that balance right is absolutely something I think about during the outlining stages of a book.
What were the first books that sparked your love of reading?
It will probably come as no surprise that one of those books was Anne of Green Gables! I remember being captivated by the way Montgomery painted a picture of Green Gables and Avonlea; it reminded me of the worldbuilding I loved in fantasy books, vivid and textured with touches of the otherworldly from Anne's abundant imagination. But I also loved everything by Diana Wynne-Jones and Kit Pearson, the Earthsea books, and The Hobbit.
Heather Fawcett. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-06-304331-2
Ever since her twin brother Winter vanished last year, cued-white Autumn Malog, 12, whose family serves as beast-keepers for the Inglenook School of Magic, has been unwilling to accept his purported death. Then she encounters brown-skinned Cai Morrigan, 12, the school's most famous student, whom prophecies claim will slay the dread Hollow Dtagon, which has for years terrorized the bordering Gentlewood. Though staff and students are discouraged from socializing, Cai makes a bargain with Autumn: he'll use his knowledge of Inglenook to assist her in finding Winter, whom she believes may be magically trapped in the school, if she helps Cai overcome his fear of dragons. But as their quest takes them into the property's dark secrets, they begin to suspect there's more to Cai and the prophecy than anyone expected. In this lively fantasy, Fawcett (The Language of Ghosts) plays with familiar tropes (magical schools, chosen ones), centering a female protagonist, a fresh take on heroics, and a clearly built world layered with history and an interesting magical system. Ages 8-12. Agent: Brianne Johnson. Writers House. (Oct.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
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"The School Between Winter and Fairyland." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 38, 20 Sept. 2021, p. 71. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A677353057/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a8450902. Accessed 18 May 2023.
Fawcett, Heather THE SCHOOL BETWEEN WINTER AND FAIRYLAND Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (Children's None) $17.99 10, 26 ISBN: 978-0-06-304331-2
The care of magical creatures has never been so important.
You know that story about a boy hero who goes off to a school for magic? The one with the slightly aloof headmaster, the magical beasts, and the prophecy that says he'll go up against a disembodied evil that might destroy him? This isn't that story. Sure, all those elements are here: There's a wunderkind, Cai Morrigan, and the Inglenook School of Magic, and there's definitely a prophecy. But this story is about his self-proclaimed sidekick, Autumn Malog, a white-haired 12-year-old beastkeeper at the school who is desperately seeking clues into the mysterious disappearance of her twin brother, Winter. Autumn and Cai make a pact to help each other--she believes Winter is trapped inside the school, and Cai knows the castle better than anyone, and he is secretly afraid of dragons while Autumn has a gift with the beasts (she counts a boggart as her friend). That's when the true magic begins. Fans of other boy wizards will be mesmerized by this original addition to the genre, and humor-loving readers will revel in the Diana Wynne Jones-style snark that's interjected throughout. Themes of class, education, and equality are interwoven seamlessly, providing additional food for thought. Once readers are buried in the pages, they'll beg to know when the sequels are coming out. Autumn Reads as White; Cai has light-brown skin.
A magical addition to any bookshelf. (Fantasy. 9-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Fawcett, Heather: THE SCHOOL BETWEEN WINTER AND FAIRYLAND." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A673649763/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0097b634. Accessed 18 May 2023.
Heather Fawcett. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-0631-4262-6 Told in the spirit of Anne of Green Gables, this highly imaginative fantasy novel by Fawcett (The School Between Winter and Fairylatid) follows 12-year-old Grace Greene's path towatd becoming a learned witch. After discovering that she has magical powers, Grace feels isolated from her peers at the Prince Edward Island orphanage where she lives. When losing herself in reading poetry no longer seems sufficient as distraction from her loneliness, she and her crow familiar, Windweaver, run away to the home of local witch Miss Puddlestone. There, Grace is offered a deal: if she can cast the spells within Miss Puddlestone's first grimoire by the time the cherry ttees bloom, she will take Gtace on as an apprentice. As Grace embarks on her endeavor, she meets neighbor Sareena Khalil, 12, and Rum, a fairy boy whose skin shifts tones, both of whom agree to accompany Grace on her quest. Frequently event-foreshadowing works from Grace's favorite writers, including Emily Dickinson and E. Nesbit, begin each chapter. Fawcett utilizes Grace's over-the-top expressiveness to convey with cheerful candor themes of bullying, loneliness, and regret; character interactions embody many flavors of friendship, which together merge into an exuberant tale of belonging and hope. Most characters read as white; Sareena is Lebanese and French Canadian. Ages 8--12. Agent: BrianneJohnson. Writers House. (Feb.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"The Grace of Wild Things." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 53, 19 Dec. 2022, p. 90. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A731556042/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=98429737. Accessed 18 May 2023.
Fawcett, Heather THE GRACE OF WILD THINGS Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (Children's None) $17.99 2, 14 ISBN: 978-0-06-314262-6
Grace, a 12-year-old witch, runs away from the orphanage to find a better life for herself.
With plenty of respectful nods to Anne of Green Gables, this delightful story set on Prince Edward Island features fledgling witch Grace. Escaping the orphanage she hates, Grace ventures with her familiar, a crow named Windweaver, to the cottage of Miss Puddlestone, a reputed witch who is rumored to eat children. But Grace is not afraid; she is there to offer her services and, in return, to learn more about magic. Unfortunately for Grace, the witch is not at all interested in taking her under her wing but agrees eventually (after failing to roast Grace in her giant oven) to consider it--but only if Grace correctly performs all the spells in the witch's grimoire to prove her potential. Richly imagined and terribly funny in its interactions between Grace and the witch, the narrative's essence honors the plots points and characters of L.M. Montgomery's iconic story. Grace is voluble, imaginative, and a lover of poetry and all things in the natural world. Her endearing character--just as charming as the original Anne (no mean feat)--is by turns funny, wise, determined, and poignant. Most characters read default White except for Sareena, Grace's best friend, who is Lebanese and French Canadian.
A magical, witchy, and thoroughly successful homage to a classic. (Fantasy. 9-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Fawcett, Heather: THE GRACE OF WILD THINGS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A729072664/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9550aea9. Accessed 18 May 2023.
Fawcett, Heather EMILY WILDE'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES Del Rey (Fiction None) $28.00 1, 10 ISBN: 9780593500132
A Cambridge professor specializing in the study of faeries gets more than she bargained for when she goes meddling in the Folk's business.
Emily Wilde arrives in the Scandinavian country of Ljosland with a singular goal: to become the first scholar to confirm and formally document the existence of Ljosland's legendary faeries. As a dryadologist--a sort of anthropologist specializing in the fae--Emily has spent a lifetime studying these nigh unknowable creatures. She receives a cold welcome in the village of Hrafnsvik, however, and a troublesomely handsome and infuriating colleague named Wendell Bambleby soon shows up to offer help, leaving her with no choice but to accept it. Emily and Wendell's relationships with the locals grow even more strained when they begin investigating the courtly fae--that is, the "tall ones": humanlike fae who bewitch humans and replace their children with changelings--and she accidentally blows Wendell's cover as a fae prince exiled from his court. The tall ones have plagued Hrafnsvik for years, returning their children as empty husks when they deign to return them at all. The kidnapping of a local woodcutter and her girlfriend spurs Emily to action for not altogether altruistic reasons. After all, what better way is there to report on Ljosland's courtly fae than by going to their lands herself? Rescuing the women buys Emily and Wendell some grace with the locals but creates a domino effect that eventually turns Emily into the unwitting heroine of a fairy tale very much like those she records. Emily's first-person account of her story tends toward purple prose, which may turn off some readers. Once Wendell enters the story, however, the fae prince's charm radiates both on and off the page, and his conversations with Emily give the novel some much-needed jaunt.
A somewhat uneven novel that will nevertheless charm readers of cozy fantasies.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Fawcett, Heather: EMILY WILDE'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Dec. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A729727477/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f061c0cf. Accessed 18 May 2023.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries. By Heather Fawcett. Jan. 2023.336p. Del Rey, $28 (9780593500132); e-book (9780593500149).
Dr. Emily Wilde is a scholar visiting the remote Scandinavian nation of Ljosland to study the Hidden Ones, a species of faerie. She is joined by her faithful dog, Shadow, but otherwise is on her own to focus on her work until her Oxford colleague, the affable and too-handsome Dr. Wendell Bambleby, shows up. He is hoping she will coauthor a paper with him; her superior scholarship will guide the research, while his stellar reputation in the field will add gravitas. But she prefers to work alone. Still, Bambleby remains, doing annoying things like making their shared cabin homier and making friends with the locals, who warn Emily to let the Hidden Ones stay hidden, despite the havoc they wreak on the town. Told entirely through entries in Emily's research journal, Fawcett's first novel for adults is propelled by the voice of curmudgeonly Emily, whose hard outer shell slowly melts in the face of friendship. The full cast of characters, well-developed faerie lore, and pervasive sense of cold add depth to the delightful proceedings, which include scholarship, yes, but also danger and a hint of romance. Emily is an Amelia Peabody in snowshoes, and readers will be utterly charmed.--Susan Maguire
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Maguire, Susan. "Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 9-10, 1 Jan. 2023, p. 44. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A735624293/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d10aa7e0. Accessed 18 May 2023.
Fawcett, Heather THE ISLANDS OF ELSEWHERE Rocky Pond Books/Penguin (Children's None) $17.99 6, 20 ISBN: 9780593530528
Granddaddy lives alone, and he is ill: Will his grandchildren be able figure out the best way to help him before he gets worse?
The Snolly sisters--Hattie, 12; Bee, 10; and Plum, 8--along with their mom and baby brother, Theodore, are visiting their sick grandfather in Misty Cove, a wild and mysterious place many hours' drive and a ferry ride away from their Vancouver, British Columbia, home. When they get there, they learn that their grandfather owns the Fairy Islands, which include the three islands called Fairy, Little Fairy, and Ghost. Legend has it that there is something spooky about them, and the children's family is closely tied to some of the stories, specifically Granddaddy's own grandmother Lucy Juniper. Each sibling uses their personal strengths to help figure out the best way to help their grandfather, who has been forgetting things and often seems confused. Aspiring botanist Bee collects algae, Hattie and Plum are enthralled by magic and fairies, while Dore can imitate sounds, from cats (his favorite) to seals. In addition to the strong characterization and magical setting, the story weaves in realistic topics that many children will recognize from their own lives, including bullying, aging grandparents, and divorced parents, all the while validating their feelings. Primary characters read White.
A charming family story with a touch of fairy-tale atmosphere. (Fiction. 8-12)
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"Fawcett, Heather: THE ISLANDS OF ELSEWHERE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A745234549/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bddd1f7b. Accessed 18 May 2023.
The Islands of Elsewhere
Heather Fawcett. Rocky Pond, $17.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-593530-52-8
Arriving from Vancouver to the tiny town of Misty Cove with their mother and baby brother Theodore, a trio of sisters become immediately enchanted with their ailing grandfather's bluff-situated property, which overlooks the sea and includes the Fairy Islands: Fairy, Little Fairy, and Ghost. Cast by locals as a magical liminal place, the islands figure prominently in legends about the sisters' great-great-grandmother Lucy Juniper, a pirate--and possibly a witch--who may have left behind buried treasure. Though scornful of whimsies and unwilling to believe that the girls may be the recipients of familial magic, pragmatic 10-year-old Bee enlists Hattie, 12, and Plum, eight, on a quest to locate the loot, imagining that finding it would allow the family to assist their beloved, incteasingly forgetful granddaddy. Via a cozy, magic-dusted family story that features a bewitching setting (the remote village seems to "blend into the wilderness at the edges"), Fawcett (The School Between Winter and Fairyland) creates endearing and affectionate characters with realistic tensions--especially between scientifically minded Bee and her more imaginative family members--whose individual strengths help solve the central mystery. Protagonists default to white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Brianne Johnson, HG Literary. (June)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
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"The Islands of Elsewhere." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 17, 24 Apr. 2023, p. 67. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A748228010/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7e770c00. Accessed 18 May 2023.