The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill

 

Twins Ned and Tam decide to build a raft and head down the river to the sea. The boys are only seven years old and within minutes of the launch their raft disintegrates. Their father jumps into the river but only one twin can be saved.  The boys' mother is known as Sister Witch. She is the village healer but Tam is dead and that cannot be reversed. Hidden under the house is a jar of magic. Sister Witch does not want both of her sons to die so she invokes the magic and captures the spirit of Tam, stitching into Ned.

Ned survives the accident but he is deeply changed. He can no longer make sense of letters and writing and he suffers with a dreadful stutter. 

The family live in a small remote village located near a huge forest. People in the village believe there is nothing on the other side of the forest and that inside the forest itself there are dangerous monsters. No one dares to go there.

Meanwhile Aine and her father have moved into a remote part of this same forest. They have journeyed from the other side. Aine's mother has recently died. Her father has become almost a stranger. He wears a carved stone necklace and he is now a bandit with a huge gang of thieves under his command. Aine's father calls himself the Bandit King.

Now we need the prophecy - words uttered by Aine's dying mother:

"The wrong boy will save your life, and you will save his. And the wolf ..."

Reading a book like The Witch's Boy I just marvel at the imagination of a writer like Kelly Barnhill. My description of the plot so far only explains one of several story threads.  Click these review quotes to read more plot details then go out and find this book today! I highly recommend The Witch's Boy for all keen readers aged 10+.

The classic fantasy elements are all there, richly re-imagined, with a vivid setting, a page-turning adventure of a plot, and compelling, timeless themes. Kirkus star review

My students and I look to books to escape. We also look to books to entertain us, to keep us company, to make us laugh, to make us cry. We look to books to teach us empathy. We look to books to see others. We look to books to see ourselves. The Witch’s Boy does all of that and more. Ned and Áine’s story will be one that you will return to again and again. This is a book to treasure. Nerdy Book Club

The setting is exceptional: lush descriptions are flawlessly integrated, conveying a deep understanding of the natural world and the people, flawed and complex, who populate it.  Bulletin of the Centre for Children's Books

In 2017 I read and loved The Girl who Drank the Moon also by Kelly Barnhill so I was excited to read The Witch's Boy which is another utterly engrossing story with an absolutely perfect ending.