The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman illustrated by Marcin Minor

When winds blow

Through Deadwood east

The undead monster waits to feast

On little bones

And braids

And toes

But don't you scream

Or its hunger grows!

While I did read this book fairly quickly over a couple of days it took me a little while to get used to the use of a girls name Clare for a male character - the undead fox.

What does undead mean? Well, when a creature dies it usually just heads off to the afterlife but there are some creatures that need help to find the right door or realm. This guiding or, as it is called here, the Ushering, is the job of the undead - in this case Clare the fox but there have been many others before him - Brickbane a fox; Eddifoot a racoon; Po an elk and Felix a moth. There are four destinations:

"Travel north from here and you'll find the realm of Peace ... for those who found joy in rest. Head east and you encounter the realm of Pleasure ... best suited to those who sought fun about all else. Directly west is Progress ... for those who loved work, service and effort. And finally travel south ... and one enters the realm of Pain."

Clare has been sending the souls who arrive at his cottage in Deadwood Forest to the 'right' door for over four years. He enjoys his work and loves tending to his extensive mushroom garden but deep in his heart he is lonely and also frightened because Brickbane told him on the night of his death that he was destined for Pain. And not only that a prophecy song is circulating:

"On All Hallows Eve, Deadwood will bring mayhem to Fernlight. And before the moon sets, one in Deadwood will vanish forever."

Then there is new arrival. It is a badger named Gingersnipes. Astute readers will realise something is wrong. Gingersnipes does not arrive in the usual way by knocking on Clare's door. When Clare sends Gingersnipes away to his assigned realm "he did not wait for the crackling sound of her departure".  This is a big mistake.

Hopefully now you have lots of unanswered questions. How did Clare die? Why did Gingersnipes arrive at this time? What does do the songs of All Hallows Eve mean? Who is the little girl with the red shoes? Can the message and advice from Hesterfowl be trusted? And most important of all what on earth is a braid?  (Of course, dear reader you know the answer to this final question but it is a mystery to Clare).

There is one very violent scene near the end of this book so I am going to say this is a book for mature readers aged 10+. 

All of this plot sounds every 'heavy' but there are some sweet touches of humour in this story and you are sure to enjoy meeting the rats at the dump named Nine and Two. The names of the mushrooms that Clare collects from the forest are also delightful. And I loved the way Clare always said 'travel true' as he sent lost souls off to their assigned realm. 

Here is a description of Clare's cottage:

"Clare, for example, had strung the ceiling with rows and rows of twine. The walls were lined with shelves crammed with jars of all shapes and colours, gathered from Deadwood Dump and filled with dried fungi. In the firelight the vessels glinted and glowed, splashing the hollow in jewelled hues."

Here is a line that made me smile - it is Gingersnipes speaking:

"I have a moose-sized bone to pick with you. Four times you sent me into that forest. And four times the coloured lights led me back here. Is this some sort of game? A test? Because I'm tired of it, fox!"

And later Gingersnipes says: "You're a tough nut to crack, Clare, and frankly I am not a squirrel!"

There is an interesting theme in this book about thirst - this is something I need to think a little more about. Being undead Clare does not need food or drink, but he makes special tea for all his visitors and so it seems important and very strange that once Gingersnipes arrives, and Clare's world shifts, he seems to be desperately thirsty all the time. 

Here is a description of Hesterfowl the grouse - "She wore a cloak of moss. A collar of bones encircled her short neck, some poor dead animal's rib cage fanning up and around her head. The feathers surrounding her eyes were smeared with berry pulp and groomed into sharp points." (I need to make special mention of the amazing illustrations in this book AND question why his name is not on the cover or title page. You can see his art here on Instagram). Marcin Minor lives in Poland.

Image source Instagram

I think it was the cover that first caught my attention. Checking some details I see the hardcover of this book arrived here in Australia in late February 2025 then, as I already mentioned I was given a generous book voucher for one of book chain stores here in Sydney - so when I saw they had the paperback which was released in April this book was an obvious first purchase.

SPOILER ALERT - Bookseller blurb: Clare is the undead fox of Deadwood Forest. Here, leaves grow in a perpetual state of fall: not quite dead, but not quite alive...just like Clare. Long ago, he was struck by a car, and, hovering between life and death, he was given the choice to either cross into the Afterlife or become an Usher of wandering souls. Clare chose the latter: stepping into a solitary life of helping souls meet their destiny. Clare's quiet and predictable days are met with upheaval when a badger soul named Gingersnipes (arrives). Despite Clare's efforts to usher her into the Afterlife, the badger is unable to find her way out of Deadwood. This is unprecedented. Baffling. A disturbing mystery which threatens the delicate balance of the living and the dead. Clare seeks the help of Hesterfowl--the visionary grouse who recently foretold of turmoil in Deadwood. But Hesterfowl divulges a shocking revelation about the badger that leaves Clare devastated, outraged, and determined to do anything to change their fate.

Read some young reader reviews - very insightful.

Heartbreaking, marvelously funny, and generously redemptive. Kirkus Star review

"I really love Gingersnaps" "A timeless book". Colby Sharp Newbery prediction.

US author Aubrey Hartman has written two books. Check out her webpage.  

Companion books:

Good Dog

Loteria

The Life and Time of Lonny Quicke

Magrit

The Foal in the Wire by Robbie Coburn

Sam lives on a farm. His father is a horse trainer. There has been a dreadful accident and Sam's brother has died aged only seventeen. The accident happened three years ago but Sam still has nightmares, and his mother and father's relationship has descended into fights, arguments and screaming matches. Sam tries to stay invisible. 

Julia lives next door. Her father has driven her mother away after one beating too many. He is a violent man who is fueled by alcohol. 

A foal becomes caught in the wire of a fence. Sam hardly knows Julia but together they rescue and care for the young foal and over the days and weeks their own gentle relationship begins. Sam tells Julia about his brother and also about his one friend - a boy from school who is actually not a friend - he is a dreadful bully but Sam clings to this dysfunctional relationship. But then comes the day Alex verbally attacks Julia and Sam fights back. As I reader I cheered when this toxic relationship ended. 

Julia also confides in Sam. She desperately misses her mother and is afraid of the violence from her father. Then Julia cannot take it anymore and she swallows some pills. The authorities swoop in and she moves away to live with relatives. Sam loves Julia and now she has left. 

This is important - do not let the cover trick you. Yes, this is a book about a horse and yes, it is a 'thin' book with only 117 pages BUT this book contains topics only suitable for readers aged 15+. Hopefully bookshops won't 'accidently' put this one on their junior shelves. Oh, and YES, the cover by Tannya Harricks is truly wonderful so do put this book into your high school library. Young Adult fans of verse novels and of books filled with raw emotions will devour this one.

Did you ever see the movie of Forest Gump - do you remember Jenny the young girl next door. Do you remember the dreadful violence she was subjected to by her father - that is a part of this story too. Look at the labels I have assigned to this post - violence, death, accidents ...

The Foal in the Wire is certain to be listed as a 2026 CBCA Notable. 

This is a short book, but it deals principally with big questions and sometimes intense, formative experiences. Verse novels are deceptive in what would appear to be limited space for establishing depth in a story and characters. As both a lover of poetry and young adult literature, I find verse to be the perfect form to capture a story, particularly in dealing with difficult and confronting subjects. When writing for a young adult audience, free verse perfectly conveys a character’s internal language without the addition of unnecessary explanation. Each word must be chosen carefully, and no language wasted. The impact of poetry can be remarkably strong and effective in conveying emotion, while also adhering to brevity and trusting the reader to visualise and fill in the empty space on the page.~ Robbie Coburn 

In this piece for Paperbark Words Robbie Coburn talks about his poetry and about writing this book. Megan Daley and Your Kids Next read talk about The Foal in the wire here (listen from 2.50). You can hear Megan reading the blurb. Megan likens the language choices and expressive writing in this book to Sonya Hartnett and John Marsden - that's a big call but I do agree. 

Read this interview with Just Kids Lit. See inside The Foal in the wire and read some endorsements on the publisher page. And here is an interview with Hachette. And book club notes and Scholastic notes. 

Verse novels grapple with topics like trauma and loss in different ways than prose. It’s a little more subdued and evocative, with serious undertones that show that everyone lives a different lives. They can bring emotions that teens may be feeling to light, and give them space to talk about them safely. It gives them a voice to explore these feelings; explore the things teens might experience that they don’t think they can talk about with anyone else. This makes them powerful vehicles for discussion as well. ... This is the power of verse novels – they play with emotions and pull at the heartstrings. They invest in characters emotionally. The brevity makes it work well – the details aren’t needed, because you can fill them in yourself. The Book Muse

Here is the poem that made me shudder:

my only friend at school, Alex,

always makes fun of our house

and the way it doesn't look like

other people's. ...

he makes fun of my clothes

and the food mum makes me

that I bring to school for lunch.

he tells me I should be embarrassed

that my parents are poot

and says we are bogans

for racing horses.

he says my brother

is lucky he died

so he doesn't

have to be embarrassed

by me and my family anymore.

Not Nothing Gayle Forman

Before I start, I want to make it clear. He did something bad. Truly bad. I don’t want you to think I’m sidestepping that, or excusing it, or even forgiving it; it’s not for me to forgive, anyhow. But I’m telling you the story so you understand how he got where he did and how I got where I did and how both of us learned to rise to the occasion of our lives.

Alex, aged 12, has done something truly awful. The judge is giving him one more chance or one more opportunity. Alex hates that word and it's one the adults seem to use way too often. Now he finds himself at the Shady Glen retirement home: The Shady Glen residents were the living waiting to die. Places like Shady Glen are antechambers of death, the last stop where you wait for the Last Stop.

Because, honestly, no one had asked him if he wanted to be here. No one had asked him if he wanted another stupid opportunity. But, remembering what the judge had said about him throwing away chances ...

Alex is assigned work in the care home. He finds the residents weird and scary but even worse there is a young girl named Maya Jade also aged 12 who is working there - not as a community service order but as a volunteer - and she is bossy and opinionated and very annoying. The facility goes into lock down and Alex is sent to deliver meals to the residents. He meets Joseph “Josey” Kravitz aged 107 AND we meet him too because this book uses that appealing plot style of alternating voices so we can hear what Alex thinks and hear Josey. This is lucky in two ways because Josey is nonverbal (at least at the beginning of the book) and Josey is able to share the things he really 'sees' about Alex. Josey also opens up to Alex and over the following months he shares his own story - a harrowing story of love, loss and the holocaust.

Alex is suffering at home. He has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle. They are cold, disinterested and show Alex no love or affection. So 'home' is a misery. 

He lived on a lumpy couch with an aunt and uncle who did not want him. He had a judge who had warned him of last chances. He might go to juvie. And his mom… He hadn’t seen her in almost a year. He didn’t know if or when he would ever see her again. How could it get more permanently bad than this?

And the new school is also terrible. 'They' decide Alex is failing and so he is given special tutoring in maths. Alex is good at maths but he has totally switched off because everything in his life is so broken. He is so angry about the tutoring and the tutor. 

This book was published in 2024 and so here in Australia the hardcover edition is priced way beyond a school library budget. I read my copy on a Kindle but hopefully a paperback will arrive eventually. Not Nothing has won a Banks Street Award - Josette Frank Award 2025.  The Josette Frank Award for a work of fiction of outstanding literary merit for young readers in which children or young people deal in a positive and realistic way with difficulties in their world and grow emotionally and morally.

There is a raw honesty in this story - both in the story from Josey and from Alex. I cannot tell you exactly what Alex did but even though it is dreadful Gayle Forman has crafted a story that builds our empathy. I highly recommend Not Nothing for readers aged 12+.

Best-selling award winner Forman interweaves the tales carefully, with striking language and depth of feeling, allowing readers to understand the characters’ changing perspectives as they learn more about themselves and open up to people around them, many of whom become advocates and friends. Powerful, heartbreaking, and hopeful. Kirkus Star review

Book seller blurb: Alex is twelve, and he did something very, very bad. A judge sentences him to spend his summer volunteering at a retirement home where he's bossed around by an annoying and self-important do-gooder named Maya-Jade. He hasn't seen his mom in a year, his aunt and uncle don't want him, and Shady Glen's geriatric residents seem like zombies to him. Josey is 107 and ready for his life to be over. He has evaded death many times, having survived ghettos, dragnets, and a concentration camp--all thanks to the heroism of a woman named Olka and his own ability to sew. But now he spends his days in room 206 at Shady Glen, refusing to speak and waiting (and waiting and waiting) to die. Until Alex knocks on Josey's door...and Josey begins to tell Alex his story. As Alex comes back again and again to hear more, an unlikely bond grows between them. Soon a new possibility opens up for Alex: Can he rise to the occasion of his life, even if it means confronting the worst thing that he's ever done?

Here are a few text quotes:

For three days the boy cleaned banisters, safety rails, doorknobs, coffee tables, more doorknobs, Rummikub sets, book spines, outdoor tables, indoor tables, outdoor chairs, indoor chairs. The bleach stung his eyes, scraped his throat, and stole his appetite. The baloney sandwich his aunt packed him went uneaten. He would’ve thrown it away except he couldn’t bring himself to throw away food.

But then, as the months dragged on, his mom started to go to one of her bad places. He could recognize the signs as easily as the freckles across the bridge of her nose. He’d wake up in the morning and find her in the same chair she’d been in when he’d gone to bed, the TV on the same channel, the dinner he’d left out for her cold on the table. She didn’t cook any meals or eat the ones he put together.

“You shouldn’t separate them, because they love each other,” he continued in a halting voice. ...  So many people in Shady Glen had lost the people they loved, because their spouses had died or their children had moved away. When the people you loved left, that love remained, floating around, desperate for a place to go. And if it didn’t find a place to go… bad things happened. Love turned into anger, fear, hate. This was something the boy at twelve knew all too well. How did the grown-ups not see this?

“I’ll tell you why!” The words felt like a rocket countdown. Ten, nine, eight… “Because everyone who has promised me an opportunity has just made things worse. When I told the people at my old school about me and my mom, they all congratulated me on doing the right thing. Because now they had an opportunity to get us some help. I thought they meant food.” His voice began to crack, but the rocket was lifting off now, and there was no turning back. “But you know what they did? They made me go live with strangers and dragged my mom to a hospital and told her she’d have to get better if she wanted to be my mom. But if you know my mom like I do, you know she can’t stand to be stuck in one place. It’s why she moved so much. It’s why during the lockdown she got so much worse.”

I have also read this story where an elderly character also shares their holocaust experience. This one is for a slightly young audience - 10+.

All the Blues in the Sky Renee Watson

"I didn't know

best friends could die"

"You will miss her every day of your life.

Sometimes, the memories will bring tears and sometimes a smile.

The memories won't always overwhelm you,

they will bring comfort too."

You HAVE to let this novel, which is partly told in free verse, unfold slowly. Yes, on the day of Sage's 13th birthday her best friend has died but the when and where and how why are found in the journey you take as a reader.

Sage is grappling with her grief and the adult don't seem to have any answers:

If I live long enough to be an adult

and if I have children when I am an adult

I will tell them.

And I will tell them that sometimes

you go to sleep crying

and wake up crying

and that life after losing someone you love

feels like one big ocean of sorrow

and you might feel like you are

drowning,

but always there is something 

to hold on to 

to keep you afloat.

Sage meets four other students in her school grief group. Ebony's dad died suddenly from a heart attack; Zay's grandmother died in her sleep after a long illness; Ana's twin sister died from leukemia; and DD's brother was murdered by the police. Sage feels that she can relate to Ebony and DD because in both cases the death came suddenly, and these deaths were totally unfair. Sage is sure the death of HER friend is all her fault but how can a car accident be her fault?

There are two rules in the grief group - everyone shares openly and everyone listens with compassion.

DD's brother was murdered:

Now she is a sister familiar with words she's never had to say

so often, know so well; police brutality, death, rage, injustice, press conference

obituary, funeral, casket, hearse, graveyard, protect, indictment, trial, jury, verdict, guilty, sentence,

involuntary manslaughter, memorial, closure?, closure?,

grief, grief.

Sage has her own set of words such as vehicular manslaughter, hit and run, and criminally negligent homicide.

Blue is the empty chair at the desk in the classroom where my best friend used to sit.

Blue is the ache in my heart when I pick up the phone to call her and remember she's gone.

Blue is Aunt Ini's warm hugs.

Blue is a hot mug of cocoa on a cold stormy day.

Blue is all the calm, all the heartbreak,

all the hope

all the tears, all the laughter. ...

For all the blues in the sky,

there are as many blues in the heart.

Just a warning you will be sobbing by the final pages of this book.

Bookseller blurb: Sage's thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn't predictable. There is sadness, loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pain, love. And even as Sage grieves, new, good things enter her life -- and she just may find a way to know that she can feel it all. In accessible, engaging verse and prose, this is an important story of a girl's journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself. To read it is to see how many shades there are in grief, and to know that someone understands.

This is a verse novel from 2025 for sensitive mature readers aged 12+ but sadly here in Australia you will need to wait for the paperback edition - the hardcover will be well beyond the budget of most school libraries. 

A heartfelt portrait of the complexities of grief and the indomitable human spirit. Kirkus Star review

The counselling group in All the Blues in the Sky reminded me of this book:

Just Like Jackie

Other books by Renee Watson:

Our Sister, again by Sophie Cameron

"Welcome to Project Homecoming and exclusive trial by Second Chances Ltd.

You are part of one of the most ambitious and pioneering projects ever carried out in the field of Artificial Intelligence. 

One that, if successful will change how we think about 

and experience life and death forever."

Life is a mystery and so is death but we do know that when someone dies we cannot see them again. In books there is an unwritten rule that death is never reversed or so it seems to me. In this book a young girl is 'brought' back and this has huge implications. This book will most certainly make readers think deeply about grief, death, what it means to be human and also the implications of technology in our lives.

Isla's sister has died. Mum is wrapped up in grief and so when she reads about a way to bring Flora back to 'life' she readily agrees. What does this mean? What are the implications for the family of agreeing to the Second Chances Homecoming Project. What are the implications for the community who have all signed confidentially agreements? And what about the other teenagers who were friends with Flora? They have grieved and attended her funeral and now she is back. But they are older because three years have passed. If this version of Flora is frozen in time and only has the memories. possibly unreliable memories, collected by Second Chances, is she a real person? Mum does not want to see the truth and dad is sure this is totally wrong, so he has left the family and moved away from their island home. Now that Flora is back should she go back to school? Is there any point in sitting exams? And of course, the kids in her class from before have left the school and are at college.

Is Flora person or a robot? "As Flora turns towards the harbour steps her hair falls to the side and shows the back of her pale neck. ... Carved into her skin, only just visible above her jacket, is a small square."

Is this Flora, really Flora? "The returnee has been created using vast amounts of data, in addition to photos, videos and extensive interviews with your loved one's friends and family."

"Our returnees look entirely human ... We are confident that this new arrival will be an extremely close match to the person you remember. However, please be aware that there are some differences. Returnees do not need to sleep, they cannot be fully submerged in water, (they do not need to eat), and they don't fall sick with human illnesses."

The food part about the returnee made my stomach squirm. In the first few days Flora does eat with the family but the food goes into a food compartment in her body and she has to regularly empty it. Eventually she just gives up this charade of eating. 

"Losing Flora so young made me realise that growing old is a gift not everyone gets."

Dad "doesn't think she's human ... He says you can't rebuild a soul and you can't be a human without a soul."

Exploring a number of ethical questions, Our Sister, Again is simultaneously an intriguing mystery and a moving story of grief, family bonds, and what it means to be human.  Book Trust

It's an emotional story, and heartwarming too. The Book Bag (read this full review - it is very thoughtful)

This is an incredibly powerful, compelling and absorbing read that raises issues around personhood, ethics and social media.  ... And, that ending – it brought tears and smiles – and was exquisite! Book Craic

Wolf Siren by Beth O'Brien

"I think about this chain of violence that began with human greed, the desire to take and take until the trees lost their protectors and many wolves and humans lost their lives."

Red lives in a village with her mother and younger brother and sister. The village is controlled by the mayor and by the fear of attack by the wolves who live in the forest. In past years wolves attacked the village men but not the women so, while everyone lives behind a high fence, the men especially can never leave. The mayor controls everything including the distribution of food, marriage and the dispensing of punishments.

Red's father has been killed many years ago - purportedly by a wolf. Her grandmother has also disappeared and Red has not seen her for many years but as this story opens Red does meet her grandmother in the forest. People from the village are not supposed to visit the forest but Red feels a strong affinity with the trees - they even seem to reach out and touch and caress her. Then her grandmother shows her something even more surprising. Red is able to summon a small pack of wolves. They gather around her and walk in a diamond formation. There are two women who can be found in the forest - an old lady who is suspected of witchcraft called Ms Blaeberry and the woodcutter - a woman named Caragh. It is not directly stated in the story but there is an implication that Caragh has been banished to work as a woodcutter because she refused to marry the mayor. He is so jealous of Raif because he an Caragh are in love and in fact have a plan to run away. 

The changes to Red continue when she discovers not only can she summon her wolf pack but she herself can transform into a wolf. This ability coincides with the menarche. There are all sorts of rules about girls and their periods. This is considered a dark secret and even the water she uses to wash her rags can only be disposed of after dark in a secret place. Red knows she is in great danger if anyone, especially the mayor, finds out that she can transform. Added to this is the worry that her sister, Aerona, might also be able transform too and the day of Aerona's first period is approaching. 

One of the most interesting characters in this story - that I was desperate to know more about - is the wife of the mayor. His treatment of her is an example of domestic violence but Nova also gives tiny signals to Red that seem to mean she has a deeper knowledge of her oppression. 

There are some interesting life rituals and manners explored in this book such as the way people greet each other and their procedures following a death.  Girls are also expected to wear skirts - another sign of control and oppression. 

I also loved the way, as a previously explained, the trees support Red:

The woods seemed more alive after the rain, as though the very air was releasing a sigh of pleasure. But there was something else there, too, a feeling that was much harder to identify. The tree curled her twig branches over my shoulder as though she was preparing to steady me, and I covered the rough twigs with my hand to reassure her. I turned slowly, looking from tree to tree, scanning the ground, peering up into the lower branches for whatever the woods thought deserved my focus.

Beth O'Brien uses language so skillfully.  Think about her word choices in these sentences:

"The thud of the plate and cup sounded dismal in the quiet house."

"The cacophony is beautiful, the disjointed sounds creating a melodious echo."

I recommend this book for very mature readers aged 11+. Here is a list of other "Little Red Riding Hood" based books for Young Adults aged 13+. 

Publisher blurb: Red is not allowed to go into the woods. Everyone knows that they are dangerous – because of their strange magic and the wolves that lurk there… But Red finds herself increasingly drawn to the woods and the place where her grandmother disappeared without a trace three years ago. When the woodcutter fails to return home one night and wolves are spotted close to the village boundary, fear drives a deep and dangerous divide between the villagers and the nature they live alongside. Only Red seems to hold the key – but she has a secret, and exposing it could ruin her family forever …

You can read a chapter sample on the Harper Collins (Australia) webpage. This book was published in 2025 and I picked up my print copy here in Australia from a local bookseller for AUS$18.

Here are a few text quotes:

"Father was one of many men to be taken by the wolves. Where once our village had been famous for its lucrative wolf-fur trade, courtesy of our skilled hunters, soon it was associated with nothing but violent attacks. No matter how many men the mayor conscripted to try and keep the wolves at bay, our losses continued to mount up. Shortly after my father’s death, the mayor was forced to admit defeat, disband the hunters entirely and forbid all men and boys from entering the woods. This worked in so much as the attacks stopped. But the restrictions the mayor placed on our village after that meant the fear of the wolves was impossible to forget."

"I want you to imagine there’s a wolf in front of you. She has her back to you and she’s going to stay in front of you wherever you walk.’ There was a pause as she let me form that image in my mind. ‘Now, to your left and to your right are two more. They come up to your waist and if you reach out your hands, you’d be able to brush their fur, but they are no closer than that.’ Another pause. ‘Finally, there is a fourth wolf. This one is behind you, so the four of them form a diamond."

"I turned my own face up to smile at Grandmother and saw she was holding a bundle out towards me. I stood up and my wolves parted, letting me step closer to her. It was a coat. By full daylight, it would be a vivid scarlet, but under the dappled light of the trees it looked much deeper, much darker. More like blood."

"The mayor depends on us all being frightened of the woods, whether it's fear of attack or of shame."

"Nearly all the girls and women of this village know the woods aren't a bad place. They're a place where bad things happen, ... but bad things happen within our village wall, too."

Wolf Siren is a debut novel for UK author Beth O'Brien. She is the author of four adult poetry books. Having been born visually impaired and with an upper-limb difference, Beth is passionate about the representation of disability in literature and is currently studying for a PHD researching the (mis) representation of disability in fairytale retellings. She is the founder and editor of Disabled Tales.

Here is a map of Young Adult Fairy tale retellings:

Image source: Epic Reads

I think my interest in these 'grown-up' versions of fairy tales goes back to my reading a book by Donna Jo Napoli although it was not about Red Riding Hood. 

I found this collage of versions of Little Red Riding Hood on Library Thing. When you go to the link you can hover over each title for a brief plot summary.

Image Source: Library Thing tag "Little Red Riding Hood"

I have had this book, Red, on my to-read list for a long time so this might be the next "Red Riding Hood" based story that I read:

Kindred Souls Patricia MacLachlan

"Billy is eight-eight years old, and I don't worry about him dying. He will live forever. I know that."

This first sentence is near the beginning of Kindred Souls. An astute reader is sure to realise Patricia MacLachlan is giving you a hint about the possible ending to this family story. 

Billy lives with his extended family on a farm near where he was born. His grandchildren are Lida, Jesse and Jake. Jake is named after a plow horse that Billy used to use on his farm and Jake is our narrator.

"I look at Billy's large gnarled hands and his wrinkled face and his bush of white hair. I believe him when he says he talked to the first bird of time. He lives in a sunny room that looks up to the slough that is empty in the summer and filled with water and ducks in the fall. It is a small piece of his old life, like the big prairie that spreads out around is a big piece of his old life."

The word slough is mentioned a few times in this story - it is an important word and one that was new to me. I read Kindred Souls on a Kindle and so I was able to use the online dictionary:

Slough: A swamp, a muddy side channel or inlet.

It is the summer holidays. Jake and Billy take a daily walk around the farm. Billy speaks gently to the cows and he feeds carrots to the horses. 

"And then we go where we always end our walk. We go to the place where Billy was born on this farm. Up the rise and higher up the hill to the edge of the slough ... (and) When Billy pushes the branches of one bush aside, there it is. A small wall of prairie grass and mud three feet high."

This is all that remains of the old sod house. Billy misses it so much.

"I'll tell you everything. ... And then you can build me a sod house ... 

Because we're kindred souls, you and I."

And this, my blog reading friend, is another hint about what is to come. Have you guessed?

After their walk on this day a dog arrives at the house. A small black and white dog. Billy seems to know this dog. He even knows her name is Lucy. It seems Lucy has come to stay, and she is here for Billy.

Back to the sod house. Billy is sure Jake can build this, and the family still have a very old book of instructions. Warning - this book will make you cry. When a new calf is born Billy insists he will also be called Billy - "That means there will be a Billy around here for a long time." Then Billy is unwell and the doctor (who Billy likes to flirt with) says Billy needs to go to hospital. Now Jake just HAS to build that sod house. But will Billy be able to come home and will the house be finished in time and most important of all will Billy like the little sod house.

Here are a few text quotes - they show how beautifully Patricia MacLachlan composes her sentences:

"He tells me the hummingbirds outside speak to him in short, brisk sentences when they fly quickly up and down and around the hanging feeders of sugar water."

"We are quiet. I love the feel of his hand. Outside the hummingbirds flash silently in the sunlight."

"My mama sang lullabies to me in the sod house ... She sat in that old rocking chair in my room and sang lullabies."  [Hello again blog reader - this this sound familiar - an echo of a scene in Sarah, Plain and Tall perhaps].

Publisher blurb: Jake’s grandfather, Billy, hears the talk of birds, is eighty-eight years old, and is going to live forever. Even when Billy gets sick, Jake knows that everything will go on as always. But there’s one thing Billy wants: to rebuild the sod house where he grew up. Can Jake give him this one special thing.

Whenever I finish one of her books, I sit and wonder what it is she does so well... try to define it. It won't take you more than 35 minutes to read through this book but it will stay with you for a long, long time. It's one of those. She reaches to your soul... A Book and a Hug

It's rare to find a children's book that deals so well with death as part of life, offering kids an effective approach to coping with sadness that incorporates humor, love and joy. Kirkus Star review

This small book looks at the role of grandparents in the lives of children in a quiet yet powerful way.  Billy is the center of the book, since he is the center of Jake’s world.  The book, told in the first person by Jake, also explores connections between generations that are strong and true.  The sense of kindred spirits is strong but never overplayed.  This entire book exudes a quiet strength that makes for a compelling read. Waking Brain Cells

If you click on the label I've given this post you can find all of the Patricia MacLachlan books I have talked about here on this blog. 

If you are interested in the idea of the sod house or life on the prairie, try to find this gentle story:

Black-eyed Susan

And this verse novel:

May B: A Novel

Hidden Treasure by Jessie Burton

"She was right by the water, exactly where they had seen his own mother in shadow, throwing in the Jewels ... Bo had her back to him, facing the river with her arms stretched out. And just like Billy's mother, she had the Eclipsing Moon in one hand, and the Brightest Sun in the other."

Bo Delafort is a river girl. She lives near the Thames and she and her family hunt through the debris washed up by the river hoping to find treasures. Yes this is mudlarking. And as this story opens Bo has found a real treasure. Something so valuable her family could possibly be rich way beyond their wildest dreams but Bo has no intention of selling this moon jewel. The river has spoken to Bo and given her a vision which seems to be part of a bigger story about this object. On the day she finds one part of the Jewels of the Eclipse she also meets a boy. Bo lives on the south side of the river and Billy lives on the north side. Astute readers might notice some odd things about Billy (I only made these discoveries later) but Bo feels a connection to Billy and so she eventually shares her treasure.

Meanwhile up in the big house where Billy works in the kitchen the owner Dr Frederick Muncaster is in a rage. He is desperate to find the two jewels - moon and sun - because with these he can restore his family fortunes. He scoffs at the story that there is a magical ballad that can release the power of these stones but it is that promise of power that keeps you turning the pages because this power can bring a dead loved one back to life. Billy wants to be reunited with his dead mother. Bo has just watched her loved brother march off to be a solider in World War II and now the family learn he has died but what about the mysterious Miss Alice Cressant. She has arrived as the new teacher at school and she seems to be taking a special interest in young Bo. Muncaster also has a strange lady in his life - her name is Avery Charbonnier. Billy is suspicious of her but not for any of the reasons we discover later. 

Publisher blurb: For the people who live on the banks of the Thames, the river is a living, breathing thing. It can take your treasures. It can hide your treasures. And, sometimes, it can give them back. Bo and Billy are two children who have never met. Billy is an orphan. Bo's dad died when she was small and now her brother is off to war. Both children are poor, but they have each found half of a priceless treasure, given up by the river. A treasure which – when the pieces are reunited – holds the power to give back to one of them the most precious thing they have ever lost. But should the treasure be put back together again? And why has the river given it up now?

I often read two even three books at the same time. I kept Hidden Treasure beside my bed this week and so it has taken me quite a long time to finish this book but I did enjoy taking 'small bites' of the story rather than bingeing the whole thing in one or two sessions. Last night I read the final 50 pages and the action just raced along because we had reached the all-important night of the eclipse which Jessie Burton beautifully links with the night World War I ends. As an adult reader I knew it would be impossible to bring back someone who has died but I did not predict the way Jessie Burton resolved her gripping story. 

We keep reading about the ballad the Bo needs so I was pleased to see the whole piece quoted at the back of the book. Here is an important fragment:

O Billy River, you'll never be alone!

O Billy River, I'm letting you fly home!

O Billy River, you just wait and see,

I am the River Girl and I've come to set you free!

Here are a couple of examples of the way Jessie Burton describes a character or a scene:

"The man before her was in his late thirties, as tall and broad as a prizefighter and dressed in a brown that suit that her mother would have marvelled at for the fineness of its cut. But despite its quality, Bo noticed it was worn out at the edges. The sky-blue silk tie at his neck was faded, and so was the whiteness of his shirt. ... And beneath the brim of his bowler hat, piercing her with a stare, was a pair of sinister emerald eyes."

"With a huge key he retrieved from his pocket, Kimble unlocked and pushed open a heavy door. It opened on to a small room, with a large table in the middle, upon which were two pairs of soft white cotton gloves. The room was lit b three weak electric lights screwed to the walls. It was bare, apart from the table and a bookshelf on the far wall, about eight shelves high from floor to ceiling, crammed with leather bound volumes of various thicknesses."

The reviewer at Kids' Book Review loved Hidden Treasure but I found it odd that they suggested 12+. I think mature readers with good reading stamina aged 11+ are sure to enjoy Hidden Treasure. 

A piece of ambitious storytelling, it successfully conveys the awful grief of loss, the feeling of the temptation to bring a dead loved one back, even as a ghost, is genuine. All that is wrapped up in a fast-moving adventure with child friendly central characters and baddies who really are very bad and come to a suitably unhappy ending. There’s a dramatic climax but there are twists and surprises throughout, treasures to keep readers turning the pages. Books for Keeps

There is a fierceness to Bo that makes her compelling, an irreverent heedlessness and insatiable curiosity that leads her to plough on regardless of obstacles, a trait that does her both great credit and great harm. In Billy, we find a quieter, sadder, more reserved character, one who is more worldly wise, and the pair of them make an excellent contrast. Wet Broken Things

Better Reading list three reasons to read Hidden Treasure:

• Bo and Billy feel like real kids and their journeys will make your heart ache, then soar with joy. Billy is an orphan and Bo’s family has already faced so many losses. But these two heroes are brave, kind and determined to do what’s right, no matter what. You’ll root for them from the very first page as their friendship and growth is as powerful as the treasure they’re chasing!
• If you love books with rich, detailed worlds and stories that keep you on the edge of your seat, Hidden Treasure is perfect for you. Think exciting quests, magical realism and characters you won’t forget, just like the adventures in books by authors like Philip Pullman and Katherine Rundell. You’re about to get swept up in a new classic!
• Every page is full of surprises. When Bo and Billy find the treasure pieces, things get complicated. Should they put it back together or is it too dangerous? Could it lead to something more powerful? Every twist makes the story more thrilling, and by the end, you’ll be left thinking about it long after the last page.

Jessie Burton is an author whose books include adult bestsellers The Miniaturist, The Muse, The Confession and The House of Fortune, and a previous novel for young readers, The Restless Girls, which is being adapted for a musical.

Reviewer mention Ruby in the Smoke (Philip Pullman) as a book to read after Hidden Treasure. It is many decades since I read Ruby in the Smoke, but I do remember the opening scenes were fantastic. Here is an Australian companion book:

Here is a review

Kids' Book review have more plot details

The Book Muse

Little Bones by Sandy Bigna

Did you know

that if you wish for something

in the stealthy shadows of your bedroom,

if you whisper the words

soft as the brush of a moth's wing,

if you feel the words rush through your blood,

your wish might come true.

What was this wish?  Bone has found a tiny bird skeleton.

I close my eyes for a moment,

then whisper

will all the longing in my heart,

I wish I could talk to you,

I wish you were alive.

There are five kids in this story. Bones and two other girls who are just finishing Primary school - Akio and Edie. Akio was a best friend to Bones but then along came - Edie and everything changed. And then a new kid who moves in next door named Tenny. Tenny is gender neutral:

Tenny kicks their legs against the dumpster,

just staring and chewing gum.

And the fifth kid is Nico - he has died in a terrible accident. Bones now lives with her Nonna and mum has left to work up North. They do talk on the phone but the connection is often disrupted by bad reception and Bones misses her desperately.

Here are some text quotes to give you an idea about the tone and plot of this story:

It was Edie who gave me my nickname:

Bones.

She thinks it's an insult

but I've claimed it as my own.

Bird has a sweet sense of humour:

'Oh ...

umm ... I guess I meant

I wished you were alive

the way you once were,

with feathers and skin and ...'

Bird stares at me

with his hollow eye sockets.

'Well you could have specified that.'

Wishing for a once-living thing

to be alive again,

the way it was,

goes against the laws of nature.

I cannot be as I was,

so the moons' power has transformed me into

something

no creature should be.

Bones has no idea how to reverse the curse but then she remembers her brother had a book called The Encyclopedia of Moon Magic. Alas, when Tenny and Bones go to the library they discover the book is out on loan. Now the hunt is on. They need to find this book and they need to complete the ritual with Bird by the light on of the next full moon. Wait any longer and Bird will be trapped forever. There is also another major problem. Bones cannot, will not, ever return to that place in the forest. (Note the library visit scene on pages 84-87 would be a great passage to use if you are book talking Little Bones although this does contain the spoiler that Nico has died). 

There are several references to the story of Icarus in this book so familiarity with this famous myth could help the reader anticipate Nico's fatal accident. As the text says:

His favourite was

the story of Icarus

(the boy who flew so close to the sun

that his wings melted

and he fell

to his watery death).

I am not sure if this word is too strong but in some ways the journey taken by Bones to restore Bird back to his resting place feels like atonement. And there are also themes of grief, healing, and making new friends. Bones has witnessed the fatal fall of her brother as he climbed a tree to return a baby bird back to its nest. It was at her urging that he was hurrying. 

When I opened the parcel from University of Queensland Press (UQP) I actually squealed - a verse novel! An Australian verse novel! Little Bones is a debut novel for Sand Bigna. This book will be published on 4th March. It is always wonderful to share verse novels with students in a library. This one will be enjoyed by readers aged 10+. I also expect to see Little Bones listed as a 2026 CBCA Younger Readers Notable title. 

Here are the teacher notes - they are very detailed. You can meet the author at an event in Canberra on 19th March, 2025.

I was interested to read this from Sandy Bigna. You can find her on Instagram.

How did Little Bones come to be? Much of this book was written over a summer break when I had the freedom to dream, play and create. The voice of Bones came to me first, and along with her voice came an image of a lonely girl who collected animal bones and was dealing with issues of loss and fractured friendships. The story idea was inspired by my own fascination with animal bones – the symbolism of them, the way they tell a story of life rather than death. Growing up in Canberra, with its rich and evocative wetlands, bushland and forest areas, inspired the setting for this story.

Other books and verse novels that explore the loss of a sibling or a significant family member. In each of these we follow the journey of grief through to some level of acceptance or restoration.

Right as Rain

My Brother Finch

It is interesting to link Nico with Finch because both boys really embrace life.

Bird

The Probability of Everything

Telephone of the Tree

Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth

Bridge to Terabithia

Meet me at the Moon Tree

Wild wings