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Wildwood (Wildwood Chronicles #1)

by Colin Meloy, Carson Ellis, Amanda Plummer (Reading)

3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 · rating details · 6,178 ratings · 1,237 reviews

Prue McKeel’s life is ordinary. At least until her brother is abducted by a murder of crows and taken to the Impassable Wilderness, a dense, tangled forest on the edge of Portland. No one’s ever gone in – or at least returned to tell of it.

So begins an adventure that will take Prue and her friend, Curtis, deep into the Impassable Wilderness. There they uncover a secret wor...more

Audio CD, Unabridged, 0 pages

Published August 30th 2011 by Balzer & Bray/HarperTeen

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Oct 18, 2011 samm rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I first picked up this book because, I cannot lie, I love the Decemberists. After cracking open the first couple pages I was swept into the seedlings of a great adventure. The world created by Meloy is so close to our own yet so far apart. It takes place in the "Impassable Wilderness" of Portland. And by the end of the book I was thinking if I went to Portland I too would be able to find this magic forest existing today just beyond my imagination.
It has everything I love: adventure! birds! anim...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Carmine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: 5th up that like a loooooooooong read

Shelves: animal-stories, fantasy, pacific-northwest, tweens

2 for the writing + 4 for the illustrations which are amazing = 3 over all. I nearly abandoned after the Portland hipster preciousness of the first chapter. Seriously, apparently we needed to establish that 12 year old Prue rides a single speed bike and cruises the new used bins at the record store- very important for aesthetic. Also, it is probably a good thing the crows took the baby because eventually she was going to do some damage hauling him around in a flippin' red wagon tied to her bike...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Katie Bruce rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: celebrities, fantasy-sci-fi, galley, j-fiction, j-series

I finally finished this book!!! I think it took me 2.5 months to get through this galley? That's usually not a good sign if it's taking me that long to finish something. To be fair, this book is a chunker--541 pages, to be precise. The concept was actually really fun, in the beginning. A sort of Narnia-meets-Portland kind of thing, but I got bogged down in the language and style really quickly. I mean, it's GREAT to have some complex vocab in a middle grade novel, for sure, but there were defini...more

20 likes · like · see review

Jul 14, 2011 nicole rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

BOOOOORRRRRRIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGG.

It's a 541-page middle grade fiction fantasy that bored me to tears (except for one story about Prue's parents that was the only part I found interesting and I'd much rather have read about that for 541 pages). Meloy and Ellis call this work a love letter to the woods of Portland, Oregon, and a true collboration between their work. And that's admirable and beautiful, but I tried to quit this book a hundred times, until I realized I had already read so many pages tha...more BOOOOORRRRRRIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGG.

It's a 541-page middle grade fiction fantasy that bored me to tears (except for one story about Prue's parents that was the only part I found interesting and I'd much rather have read about that for 541 pages). Meloy and Ellis call this work a love letter to the woods of Portland, Oregon, and a true collboration between their work. And that's admirable and beautiful, but I tried to quit this book a hundred times, until I realized I had already read so many pages that I might as well see it through.

Why is this book so long? The most beautiful thing about The Decemberists - the reason that I was so excited to grab a copy of this book at BEA, despite not being able to get a ticket for the autograph session because really who wakes up that early -- is that they have these amazing, gravely songs that concisely (key word, jot that down, it will be on the test) tell you a kickass story.

Exhibit A - The Mariner's Revenge. Eight minutes and twenty-five seconds to tell a perfect short story.

And it wasn't just the book's length that had me bitching and complaining. Let's take a look at Prue's babysitting session, page 4 of your uncorrected proof for those of you following along at home:

After several random errands (a pair of Levis, not quite the right color, needed returning; the recent arrivals bin at Vinyl Resting Place required perusing; a plate of veggie tostadas was messily shared at the taqueria) she found herself whiling time outside the coffee shop on the main street while Mac quietly napped in the red wagon. She sipped steamed milk and watched through the window as the cafe employees awkwardly installed a secondhand elk head trophy on the wall.

Yeah. Sooooo...... Prue is like nine years old. Or maybe eleven. Who are we kidding here? Who is this book for? I'll tell you that, it's not for any of the kids I worked with this past year in fifth and sixth grade. Even my voracious readers. And it's not for me, who actually knows who Colin Meloy is, and it's not for people who liked Narnia or Harry Potter or hiking or trees or anything. It's basically for people who love Portland, right?

I was sort of into the story's two adult heroes or villains, depending on whose side and what chapter you were on. They're called the Dowager Governess and the Bandit King, so you can just stop rolling your eyes thank you very much.

I'll listen to every Decemberist album that rolls out and fawn over Carson Ellis's lovely drawings, but read another book in this series? Never.
(less)

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Jun 02, 2011 Dasha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: great-kid-s-books

Really excellent. A proper review to come.

So, proper review - my main, shameful, criteria, for liking anything goes something like this: if I wish to have written, created, taken photograph, worn that item of clothing or thought of that - if I am a little bit jealous of not having come up with the idea - if I want to be the writer and the main character - that's what I love.
Wildwood made me feel both wistful for being twelve and reading it and pretending to be Prue and going on my own adventures...more

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Jan 19, 2011 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Was lucky enough to get an ARC of the first two chapters of this book! Written by Colin Meloy of the band the Decemberists, it definitely reads like one of their songs. Precocious Prue's baby brother is kidnapped by a murder of crows and taken into the Impassable Wilderness, a wood located outside of Portland that no one has ever ventured into and made it out alive. The wordplay is great and the sense of weirdness and fantasy lurking just beyond the everyday world reminds me of Chronicles of Nar...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Haley rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

Note: I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

For all the other reviews that rave, I suppose I shall have to add myself to the 'eh' category. It was okay. The elements to create an epic fantasy story were there- bandits, talking creatures, a stalwart young'un with a birth secret on a quest to save (part of) her family, princes and kings, the rising of armies to (sort of) follow said stalwart young'un, etc etc etc. It just didn't make it to the "spellbinding tale f...more Note: I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

For all the other reviews that rave, I suppose I shall have to add myself to the 'eh' category. It was okay. The elements to create an epic fantasy story were there- bandits, talking creatures, a stalwart young'un with a birth secret on a quest to save (part of) her family, princes and kings, the rising of armies to (sort of) follow said stalwart young'un, etc etc etc. It just didn't make it to the "spellbinding tale full of wonder danger and magic..." that it advertised on the back cover. Nor was it very original. As I was reading, I could have sworn that I had read parts of the story elsewhere. Part of that was the author's plan, I assume, such as the Rapunzel snippets. Perhaps even the Narnia elements (or chunks...they were actually more like huge *huge* chunks) that seemed to be threaded throughout the story were in the plan. The problem is that I've seen fusions (if it was actually meant to be a fusion) done much better.

It is a story that I feel I will soon forget. Well. Actually, it is a story I have read so many times that, as it does not have much to distinguish itself by, will probably blend itself into the miasma of Narnia-esque story lines that I have residing in my brain. I was not invested in the story in any way. The characters were adequate, the plot was adequate, the writing was adequate. Nothing more, nothing less.

Hmmmm. Actually, I may have to slightly qualify that last paragraph. There may be some lasting mild irritation on the adequacy of the parents. Why in the world was their twelve year old watching their infant for the entirety of the day? Alone? And they have issues controlling their twelve year old. If she wants to go somewhere you don't want her to, you pick her up and put her in her room. Additionally, the main character's friend was horribly cruel to his family in the end. I'm sure anyone who can imagine anyone they love (especially a young child) just up and disappear on them would know what I'm talking about. (less)

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Aug 06, 2012 Bonnie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, middle-grade

2.5 stars

'We are the inheritors of a wonderful world, a beautiful world, full of life and mystery, goodness and pain. But likewise are we the children of an indifferent universe. We break our own hearts imposing our moral order on what is, by nature, a wide web of chaos.'

Sometimes I wish I didn't give out star-ratings and only wrote reviews, I think sometimes that would be easier than feeling it necessary to justify a low rating despite the fact that I DID like it. But there were some big proble...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youngfolk, genres, pdx, beautiful-objects

So far so good. It reminds me of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland, which was my favorite 2011 read.

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Aug 11, 2011 Nick Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was lucky to get an ARC of this book. I loved it. First of all, it's very well written. At the very beginning, when the little brother is abducted by the crows, I was a little weary, as it started off feeling like a Lemony Snicket wanna-be. Luckily the book hit its stride early and didn't falter the rest of the way. The basic concept of Wildwood, that there is a fantasy world in the real-life woods just outside of Portland, Oregon, is what made me want to read the book in the first place. Melo...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Kerith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade

This debut novel from the singer-songwriter of The Decemberists is worth all kinds of praise. I first heard this described as an "American Narnia, without all the religion" and that's not too bad of a description. From the very beginning the reader is sucked in, as main character Prue's baby brother is suddenly and inexplicably carried off by a murder of crows. Not long after that we discover that the setting, Portland, is also home to the mysterious and disapproving Impassable Wilderness, into...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Natalie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Halfway through this book, I got that sinking feeling.

That, oh no, this is a series, feeling.

I was going to want more, and more, and more, and after every book, I'd have to wait for the next one.

Happily, this first Wildwood novel ties up quite neatly and stands on its own. I'm not going to have to wonder what on earth happens next for the next few years, the desire for a new Wildwood novel warring with my desire for a new Decemberists album. Poor Colin... if he is one of my favorite singers AND...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Jessie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: couldnotfinish

Fun fact: When my husband was a child he was in a community theater play with Colin Meloy. Also, I listened to a lot of Tarkio in college in Montana and love the Decemberists. So I came to this as a fan of Meloy and was excited to hear his take on an "American Narnia without all the Jesus" as I've heard it described.

But ye gods, what a snoozefest this turned out to be. I hated, hated, hated the main characters. I know this is supposed to be a fantasy, but seriously. What upper middle class Portl...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Daven rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fiction

What an enjoyable read this was.

I confess to entering into this novel with conflicting feelings. I attended a young adult literature conference back in October. As we were getting settled in to listen to the keynote speaker (no less than Mike Lupica, not to drop names or anything . . . ), I caught glimpse of a confusingly familiar face moving across the periphery of the large, crowded room: Isn't that Colin Maloy of The Decemberists? I thought. Yeah, right, and he'd be at a young adult liter...more What an enjoyable read this was.

I confess to entering into this novel with conflicting feelings. I attended a young adult literature conference back in October. As we were getting settled in to listen to the keynote speaker (no less than Mike Lupica, not to drop names or anything . . . ), I caught glimpse of a confusingly familiar face moving across the periphery of the large, crowded room: Isn't that Colin Maloy of The Decemberists? I thought. Yeah, right, and he'd be at a young adult literature conference in Naperville, Illinois . . . Uh huh.

Well, gentle skeptics, I met Colin Maloy of The Decemberists that day, along with the very talented illustrator and wife of Maloy, Carson Ellis. This fine YA fantasy, Wildwood, is their collaborative effort, which of course I snatched up and marched over to their signing table with. I didn't let on that I knew of his other life, as the frontman for one of my most-admired bands. I'm a near-50-year-old slightly grizzled father of three; it's not flattering to gush in such a condition. Plus, I considered it thoughtful of me to let him bask in the relative anonymity of a YA lit conference, where the heavy majority of attendees were middle school librarians who would've thought "Decemberists" was just a catchy term for people really into the upcoming holiday season.

Now, would I have read this book, let alone purchased it, had it not been written by Maloy? Maybe. But, maybe not. I tend to repel as do opposite magnetic poles when it comes to YA fantasy. I try, believe me. But when fuzzy creatures begin to speak in clever tones, I recoil. My ability to heave that tonnage of suspension of disbelief just isn't present in these spindly arms of mine. So . . . a weighty dilemma now presented itself; gadzooks, Maloy had written a full-fledged fantasy, replete with (literally) armies of verbose forest inhabitants! I steeled myself with continuous listens of The Decemberists' wondrous "The King is Dead" CD, and dove in.

No, I wasn't fully taken in immediately, but skillfully and wonderfully, the world of Wildwood captured me. The story centers on the 12-year-old Prue, whose toddler brother is carted away from a neighborhood park by a murder of crows due to her momentary lapse in vigilance. The child disappears into the thick Impenetrable Wilderness across the Willamette River of Portland, Oregon. Prue frantically follows, taking readers fully into an alternate world, where contingents of creatures (both four-legged and human) vascillate between diplomacy and all-out warfare. Prue and her sort-of friend, Curtis, are quickly separated in the depths of Wildwood. Their storylines separate, and then gradually and dramatically intertwine again.

Certainly, there are elements of this novel that have been presented in past YA fantasies -- a cruel-minded Dowager Governess bent on ruling over the forest at whatever risk of bloodletting, whimsical animals who spar, cajole, and nurture, a flawed yet perfectly heroic rebel leader. (My favorite: a rabbit sentinel sporting a colander -- yes, a colander -- as a helmet, and closing nearly every sentence with a perfunctory "So." I grinned every time he spoke, bless his furry little head.)

But despite the familiarity of these elements, the novel possesses such charm and such three-dimensionality that I became very happily and very willingly "lost" in Wildwood. And the fringes of darkness in Maloy's writing prevents Wildwood from becoming merely a fluffy escape. (You want Maloy darkness? -- check out the lyrics to his "The Rake's Song" on the CD "The Hazards of Love" -- yipes . . . )

Reading Wildwood, I was a surrounded reader. For what better reason do we read? And so, in the closing pages, when Prue emerges from the wilderness, to return to the reality of urban life, much to her parents' joy, I was nothing but melancholy. I didn't want to leave. Toss me some trail mix, throw a colander on my grizzled head, and let me talk to the animals. I'm there. (less)

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Mar 30, 2012 Clarissa added it · review of another edition

took me a long time to read this. Unlike Alden, who I think read all 500+ pages in the matter of a few hours...

I liked it, but was not totally gripped. Loved the illustrations, loved aspects, was bored by other parts.

Glad I read it, but was interested in the fact that it never felt like it was pulling me in a strong way.

1 like · like · see review

Nov 15, 2011 First Second Books added it · review of another edition

Shelves: gina, mark

Gina: I love how illustrations can set the tone for a text, because these definitely did! Carson Ellis’ pen-and-watercolor illustrations (with occasional color plates) felt old-fashioned and Portland-y and exactly the thing you want to be reading when it comes time to be sweaterweather – coincidentally now!
Mark: Still slowly savoring WILDWOOD by Colin Meloy and it's delightful in every
way. Regardless of the controversy about whether this is YA or not, this
one is a treat.

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 15, 2011 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Clever modern fantasy that doesn't talk down to kids. Dubbed as 'an American Narnia'... which isn't far off. Awesome illustrations to boot. I was totally enchanted by Wildwood.

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Aug 19, 2012 The Chuck rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a delight of a young-adult book.

After reading a number of reviews here and on amazon, I can only add to the discussion that the largest complaints seem to be that the vocabulary is troubling and perhaps not age appropriate. To that I say, "Buy a dictionary, suck it up, and read better books." All the praise that has already been doled out sums it up: it's a great tale that's just different enough from everything else in the genre of kids' fantasy to be really engaging and delightful.

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Jun 04, 2013 Kylie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought this one was a little tough to get into, and since its considered a child's book, that seemed even more of a challenge. I wanted to be completely drawn into this world and never want to leave. To me, it made me feel like he was trying to turn children into hipsters (which really is fine and not a concern) or at least appeal to the few that are. I agree to appeal to children who find themselves slightly different or cast out, but this seemed too hipster specific, which is understandable...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Jo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: magical-realism, middle-grade, fantasy

...or maybe more like 3.5 stars.

When Prue's little brother is abducted by crows, she ventures into the Wildwood (a mysterious patch of uncharted territory by Portland) to find him. Soon she find herself involved in an all out war between the Dowager Governess and the other creatures of Wildwood (talking animals, bandits, etc.).

I had mixed feelings about this book. The beginning was slightly off-putting, as the character development seemed somewhat uneven. The author seemed to go out of his way t...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Katharine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: work-related

I have been a fan of Colin Meloy's songwriting skills for almost ten years so when I started this book I assumed that I would love it, I didn't and I'm kind of bummed that it didn't live up to my expectations.

First, the book is definitely too long! I know that its part one of a series so there has to be a lot of building up, however, a good hundred pages could probably be edited out of this book. There are several key scenes that drag on too long and as a result any excitement or suspense tha...more I have been a fan of Colin Meloy's songwriting skills for almost ten years so when I started this book I assumed that I would love it, I didn't and I'm kind of bummed that it didn't live up to my expectations.

First, the book is definitely too long! I know that its part one of a series so there has to be a lot of building up, however, a good hundred pages could probably be edited out of this book. There are several key scenes that drag on too long and as a result any excitement or suspense that I should have been feeling about the resolutions were lost.

Secondly, I found the characters rather uninteresting. The main character, Prue, is thrown into a journey into a mysterious woodland when her brother is kidnapped by crows and her school friend Curtis follows her into the woods. Once there they are immediately separated and the book is split into each of their stories. Curtis' stories is much more interesting even through Prue is supposed to be the emotional heart of the book. I liken Prue to Alice in Wonderland in the sense that she doesn't do much in the book, things happen to her and she explores this new world but in a passive way that really annoyed me. Every time Prue has a problem some fantastical woodland creature appears with a solution rather than Prue figuring out a solution on her own. I felt that she really lacked characterization and didn't seem to grow much over the course of the book.

Curtis meanwhile is taken in by the coyote army that is headed up by the Dowager Governess, who is the best character in my opinion and I wish I could just read a book about her journey. I did have problems with the ending of the book, a long battle scene takes up most of the last part and then the resolution afterwards feels rushed, although I guess that's because this is number 1 in a containing series.

Overall, I just felt this book didn't offer anything new in terms of an adventure/coming of age story. Colin Meloy's songs do a much better job of creating interesting characters and situations, for example the Mariner's Revenge Song from the album Picaresque is a great story that draws me every time I hear it. I listened to the audio version of this book but would frequently flip through the book to see the accompanying illustrations, which are excellent so that's a plus!(less)

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Dec 11, 2012 Cleo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can't remember where I heard about this fantasy, but I've been wanting to read it for a long time. Prue lives in an alternate Portland, where there is this forest called the Impassable Wilderness. Very few humans have ever ventured into it, and those who do seldom return. One day, a murder of crows kidnaps her baby brother Mac. They take him into the Impassable Wilderness. Prue, along with her friend Curtis, must go into the forest. There, they discover that there are many creatures that live...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Charlyn Trussell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Grade 5 and up

Shelves: adventure, animals, birds, fantasy, fiction, magic, series, strong-female-character, strong-male-character

This adventure first reminds me of Brian Jacques' writing--the telling of a tale of civilized animals with different story strands that come together and then break apart--but without all of Jacques' allusions to food. However, in this tale, it's not just animals--part of the population of Wildwood is human. And then there are Prue, Curtis, and Mac from Portland, Oregon.

So, to the beginning where, during Prue's watch, little Mac is picked up by a murder of crows and carried aloft into what is...more This adventure first reminds me of Brian Jacques' writing--the telling of a tale of civilized animals with different story strands that come together and then break apart--but without all of Jacques' allusions to food. However, in this tale, it's not just animals--part of the population of Wildwood is human. And then there are Prue, Curtis, and Mac from Portland, Oregon.

So, to the beginning where, during Prue's watch, little Mac is picked up by a murder of crows and carried aloft into what is known as the "Impassable Wilderness." Prue feels that it is her duty to hide his disappearance from her parents until she can go into the I.W. and rescue him. She sets off very early in the morning which makes it surprising that classmate Curtis sees her and follows her into the forest.

What they find there is a separate, unknown land divided into sections which are largely unfriendly to one another, but all opposed to and suspicious of "Outsiders" like Curtis and Prue who should not have been able to get through the magical borders that have been placed to protect the Wildwood. Curtis and Prue seem very much like regular youngsters who have bitten off more than they can chew. And the circumstances worsen quickly when, soon after their entry, Curtis is caught and imprisoned by coyotes who work for a mad despot.

Prue continues to search for her brother, but she is an Outsider and trust does not come easily. Curtis' journey is no less easy as he goes from prisoner to hero to prisoner again.

The illustrations remind me of 50s storybooks, but this is not a simple pastoral animal adventure. Tied to the stories of Prue and Curtis's fight for survival and search for little Mac is a war story in which people and animals die violently and Prue and Curtis must take up weapons to defend themselves and those for whom they care.

Finally, it is a hefty read, but I liked the writing style, the complexity and the vocabulary. And it did keep me so interested that I plowed through it at a quick pace and was happy to see that, as the first book in a trilogy, it tied up nicely at the end. (less)

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Nov 09, 2012 Kathleen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a book for young adults. I read it aloud to my daughter, who loved it. We are now reading the sequel. I would give the story higher marks if Meloy had only worked out a few things to the satisfaction of not only my daughter, but myself.
The big flaw was with the parents in this tale. For all stories in which young people become involved in complex adventure, there is always the issue of how they are operating so independently. Many authors choose to have the parents dead, thus removing t...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Liana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Short version: I do not recommend Wildwood. I can't guarantee that a middle-grade aged reader wouldn't have been swept up by it, but I found it to be pretty boring. The illustrations were excellent, though.

Longer version: This book is the story of Prue, a twelve-year old, and her friend Curtis who venture into a huge, magical forest near Portland, Oregon to recover Prue's baby brother, who was kidnapped by crows. Inside the forest are several governments who squabble with each other and animals...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When a songwriter as singular as The Decemberists' Colin Meloy decides to write a fantasy novel for kids, it's time to put aside whatever book one is currently reading and take a plunge. Though Wildwood has officially made the list of books I plan on reading to my future kids, I was hoping for something more in tune with any of the songs from their album Picaresque." Meloy's way with words was definitely present, but it didn't grab me in the same way that "The Mariner's Revenge Song" did--which...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile

Had C. S. Lewis been more of a Druid than a Christian, he might have written this book. The similarities of Meloy's magical animal-populated world to Narnia (particularly as depicted in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) is inescapable. In fact, it would be almost unforgivable, if Meloy had been a lesser writer. As it is his subtly lyrical descriptions and dauntless, scrappy heroine earn him a little bit of goodwill for the first installment of this series.

Whereas the Chronicles of Narnia we...more Had C. S. Lewis been more of a Druid than a Christian, he might have written this book. The similarities of Meloy's magical animal-populated world to Narnia (particularly as depicted in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) is inescapable. In fact, it would be almost unforgivable, if Meloy had been a lesser writer. As it is his subtly lyrical descriptions and dauntless, scrappy heroine earn him a little bit of goodwill for the first installment of this series.

Whereas the Chronicles of Narnia were driven at least partly by Lewis's religious and spiritual philosophies, Meloy's book focuses more on the natural world with some commentary on politics and pacifism on the side. Prue, unhappy to be stuck babysitting her infant brother, is devastated when he is carried off by crows into the Impassable Wilderness, an undeveloped,densely forested area with a menacing and mysterious reputation. Naturally, she sees no other option but to follow him in, so she does, armed with little more than gorp and an oddball schoolmate for support. The woods hold more mystery than expected, however, and even more danger than she feared--with talking animals, and a forest kingdom with divided leadership and the inhabitants under siege by a treacherous Dowager Governess and her army of coyote foot soldiers.

Unfortunately (for me) the battle strategizing and political maneuverings that Prue and her friend get caught up with seemed like they stole the attention from the more magical elements of the story. It was almost as if the great battle from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe were re-enacted (Uncut! With additional footage!) only interspliced too often with scenes of Aslan discussing battle tactics with the beavers. Though beautifully imagined, the pace is unfortunately clunky, and the plot meanders much like Prue herself, through the woods and back again. It may have benefited from some tighter editing, because Meloy has a way with words and it may have helped him get some more impact from some of his ambitious themes.

If he can pull these things together and give a little more time to exploring his characters as much as he did in fleshing out this world, I think he's really going to have something. Recommended for Redwallbuffs, anyone who liked Avi's Poppy and related books, and Warriors fans who have aged out of the series.(less)

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Jul 07, 2012 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, adventure, j, not-graphic

Narnia set in Portland, OR. At least, that's the superficial, simplistic, trite summary.

Lots of good ingredients in this book. An appealing premise, an excellent setting, wild imagination, engaging themes, paired male and female protagonists, lots of world building, and more. I was intrigued by Prue very early:

"Mother," Prue had said, now pouring rice milk over her cereal, "I told you. I'm a vegetarian. Ergo: no bacon." She had read that word, ergo, in a novel she'd been reading. That was the fi...more Narnia set in Portland, OR. At least, that's the superficial, simplistic, trite summary.

Lots of good ingredients in this book. An appealing premise, an excellent setting, wild imagination, engaging themes, paired male and female protagonists, lots of world building, and more. I was intrigued by Prue very early:

"Mother," Prue had said, now pouring rice milk over her cereal, "I told you. I'm a vegetarian. Ergo: no bacon." She had read that word, ergo, in a novel she'd been reading. That was the first time she had used it. She wasn't sure if she'd used it right, but it felt good. She sat down at the kitchen table and winked at Mac. Her father briefly peered over the top of his paper to give her a smile.

"What's on the docket today?" said her father. "Remember, you're watching Mac."

"Mmmm, I dunno," Prue responded. "Figured we'd hang around somewhere. Rough up some old ladies. Maybe stick up a hardware store. Pawn the loot. Beats going to a crafts fair."

Unfortunately, Mac, Prue's toddler brother, is stolen away by crows while she watches him in the park. The flock swoops down out of nowhere, picks him up, and disappears across the river into the Impassable Wilderness. The legendary "I.W." is a length of woods so dense and forbidding that modern civilization has given it a pass, and all Portland children grow up knowing they must avoid it at all costs. Except now Prue must venture into the I.W. to rescue her baby brother. Curtis, a classmate, sees her going and invites herself along. In the woods, they discover a whole world of magic, talking animals, and warring kingdoms, and they find themselves caught up in the local politics and more in a grand, dangerous, and life-altering adventure.

As I said, all the ingredients are there and I kept thinking I should be loving it. The story never swept me away or felt particularly magical, unfortunately, and by the end I just couldn't seem to get engaged in the big climax. I've seen enough other reviews to know that's not the case for all readers so I'll recommend it, but I didn't love it. First-time author Meloy certainly could have used an editor. As you might guess from the excerpt above, he is a lover of words and made generous use of rarer ones, but his use lacked a certain deftness and cadence and they ended up feeling more for show than communication. More significantly, I felt the length of the book could have been reduced significantly, as he dwelt on each description and event for too long and the whole read much too sluggishly for me.

Also, while I have tried not to let this influence my rating, Amanda Plummer's audiobook performance certainly detracted from my enjoyment of the book. While the worst sin possible is a monotone reading and she was certainly far, far from that, she seemed to ignore the cues of punctuation and semantics and read with an odd and distracting inflection. Just randomly and for no logical reason she would take pauses, draw out words, add emphasis and rising or falling tones, and more. I had to really work at times just to figure out the full sense of the writing as written. And her dialogue; at first all the characters seemed to talk in voices that were somewhere between wide-eyed wonderment and baby talk. Eventually that lessened, but then she started trying to use voices and accents, accents that were unrecognizable, nonsensical mishmashes and that would change even within single sentences, much less from page to page and scene to scene. I'll be avoiding her in the future.(less)

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Jun 23, 2012 Travis rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Spoiler Alert!

Vitriolic Diatribe Alert!

Wildwood, by Colin Meloy, is a middle grade fantasy about Prue McKeel, whose baby brother Mac is abducted by crows and brought into the Impassable Wilderness (called the Wildwood, by locals) and its problems. The Wildwood is a series of loosely aligned townships that are in danger from the nefarious Dowager Governess. I was first attracted to Wildwood because of Meloy’s work with The Decemberists, an alternative rock band with intelligent, storytelling son...more

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May 16, 2012 Elisha Condie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Written by a guy whose the lead singer of a cool band, with it's super cool illustrations, just begs to be backhanded and told to just tone it down on the coolness level. For heck sakes. And this book IS cool. It's set in Portland. Written by a guy who is in an Indie band. And the illustrations look like they're right out of a Hipsters Guide to Cool Animals book.

But once I got over all that, I liked the story a lot. It's pretty long for a kids book (500+ pages) and is about a girl named Prue...more

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Mock Newbery 2014: October Read- Wildwood	7	85	Jan 19, 2012 08:48pm

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About Colin Meloy

Colin Patrick Henry Meloy (born October 5, 1974) is the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon folk-rock band The Decemberists. In addition to his vocal duties, he plays acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, and percussion. As of 2005, Meloy has written a 100-page book on The Replacements' fourth album, Let It Be, released as part of the 33⅓ series.

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Books by Colin Meloy

Under Wildwood (Wildwood Chronicles, #2)

The Grievous Demise of Mr. Whitley Rackham

Heir of Wildwood (Wildwood Chronicles, #3)

Wildwood Imperium: The Wildwood Chronicles, Book III

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Quotes from Wildwood

“We are the inheritors of a wonderful world, a beautiful world, full of life and mystery, goodness and pain. But likewise are we the children of an indifferent universe. We break our own hearts imposing our moral order on what is, by nature, a wide web of chaos.” — 12 people liked it

“As she walked, she breathed a quick benediction to the patron saint of sleuthing. "Nancy Drew," she whispered, "be with me now.” — 7 people liked it

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Wildwood (Wildwood Chronicles #1)

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