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The Moorchild

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 3,209 ratings · 200 reviews

The child of a fairy folk mother and human father, Moql doesn't fit into either of their worlds. First raised by the fairies, she's exchanged for a human baby and then starts life almost all over again, with a new name, Saaski, and only the faintest knowledge of her origins. "A complex and finely drawn character, Saaski undergoes a gradual awakening to her own true nature...more

Paperback, 256 pages

Published April 1st 1998 by Aladdin Paperbacks (first published January 20th 1996)

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Jun 04, 2012 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is one of those books I never knew existed until I just came across it randomly. The plot looked interesting, so I thought I might as well see what it was like. Essentially it's about a child who actually is a changeling left with humans by the moorfolk because she had a human father.

Usually understatement is a good thing, but I feel like this book was too understated. The premise was good, but there just wasn't a whole lot of drama or build-up. For a strange child, Saaski seemed almost bor...more This is one of those books I never knew existed until I just came across it randomly. The plot looked interesting, so I thought I might as well see what it was like. Essentially it's about a child who actually is a changeling left with humans by the moorfolk because she had a human father.

Usually understatement is a good thing, but I feel like this book was too understated. The premise was good, but there just wasn't a whole lot of drama or build-up. For a strange child, Saaski seemed almost boring at times. I liked the first chapter the best because you just don't know if Saaski is really unnatural, or if superstition and prejudice is just taking its tole. The plot follows a pretty expected route, and I actually expected the ending to be more dramatic than it was. (Slight spoiler) One human stays in the mound, while another escapes. It would have been more satisfying to have a willing "life-for-life" exchange instead of an accident.

I would still recommend the book, since there isn't really anything badly done about it. I just feel like it could have been better, stranger, and more surprising. I might actually give "The Moorchild" more stars because of the way the ending affected me. There is something very wistful in the way the human child turns from Saaski, her real rescuer, which shows that Saaski will never be accepted no matter how heroic she becomes. And I like the mysteriousness of the ending with Saaski's human parents and their unexpected nostalgia for their strange child. The music over the moors adds a sense of longing--which is what fairies and humans are all about.

edit:
On reading the book for the second time, I gave it another star. Sure, the plot drags a bit in the middle where it's just a series of everyday encounters and then goes a bit too quickly near the end. There might have been more made of Saaski's interactions with the other villagers. A few times there's telling, not showing on the part of the author.

But I really like how effortlessly the Scottish feel is worked into the dialog and the setting. You never forget you're reading a folktale, and it doesn't seem forced at all. I like the delicacy McGraw uses portraying characters such as Anwara, Yanno, and Old Bess. You can really understand where they're coming from.

And of course, I'm a sucker for anything with tropes from old folk tales. The description of the Mound,and the glamor, and the superstitions is all excellent. (I particularly like the idea of seeing false with one eye and true with the other.) The world feels very real, without being bogged down in details (which series such as Harry Potter can be prone to).

So Moorchild isn't like those books that are "the next big thing," but it is one you can read again and wonder about whether we ever can escape our fate.(less)

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Dec 13, 2007 Swankivy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favoritebooks

This Newbery Award-winning book really captured my attention. It is about the half-fairy Moql, who doesn't know she's half human until she is unable to become invisible in front of a human, and he ends up almost catching her and endangering the other fairies, or Folk as they call themselves.

They have a strange way of handling emotions; they aren't affected the same as humans and don't have the same morality (or even the same way of living within time), so they have no qualms about casting her o...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Monica! rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: winning-is-for-winners, read-in-2013, you-go-girl, puberty-is-overrated-anyway, the-sparkles-mean-its-magic, ust-ftw, youre-not-from-around-here

If there’s one thing I learned from The Moorchild, it’s that you can’t trust girls with blonde hair and nice tans, because inevitably they turn out to be fairy-spawn changelings, which means I’m totally going to have to rewatch cycle 10 of ANTM because Whitney Thompson I am so on to you now.

Dear God! Someone fetch the salt and cold iron!

It was in some ways almost disappointing to me that Saaski actually was a changeling—the plot was so slow-paced and the Magical Happenings were so few and far be...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Delicious Strawberry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, eloise-jarvis-mcgraw

If you're well-versed with fairly folklore and the idea of changelings - where fae will switch a human baby with one of their own - you should enjoy this book. In the story, the fae are very much real, though usually not seen by humans, and this leads to some interesting situations.

What would happen if a mortal man fell in love with a fae/elf (in this story, called moorfolk) woman? This story deals with the consequences that happen to an offspring of such an union. At first, she is happy among t...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Marika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, own, fantasy-classical

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Moorchild is definitely a charming little book. It is well-written with interesting characters and a language style that I really enjoyed, though I can see it being difficult for a younger reader. The mythology was fairly standard, but could have been developed and explored further, as could the culture. Also, after rereading The Moorchild after a few years, I was surprised to see how different the moral structure is than I remembered from when I was younger.

The dedication is to all the chi...more The Moorchild is definitely a charming little book. It is well-written with interesting characters and a language style that I really enjoyed, though I can see it being difficult for a younger reader. The mythology was fairly standard, but could have been developed and explored further, as could the culture. Also, after rereading The Moorchild after a few years, I was surprised to see how different the moral structure is than I remembered from when I was younger.

The dedication is to all the children who have ever felt different. Now, I was bullied quite badly as a child because of my personality and appearance, and my parents are from different countries, so I very much relate to Saaski, the story's main character, who is caught not only between two cultures but really between two worlds, and sympathized with the cruelty she underwent at the hands of the other village children. However, I highly disagree with how McGraw handles this situation as an author. "Different" is portrayed to equal "Wrong." Saaski is taunted, blamed, physically attacked, and even threatened to be killed throughout the story. I realize that being different can cause people to hate you, it's life and kids shouldn't be sheltered from it, but how it's dealt with bothers me. Saaski not only rarely stands up for herself, but is portrayed as unable to do so; she is constantly hiding and avoiding other children, and in the end runs away. Even her parents, who do their best to love her and treat her as a normal child, very clearly never fully accept her. Is this the message we want to send children who feel different? That no one -- not even their parents -- will ever love them or even accept them unless they, too are outcast? That these other outcasts are the only people they can trust? That the solution to bullying is running away? Likewise, do we want to portray bullies of "different" children as having no consequences, not even from their parents? And what about Bruman, who is alcoholic, beats Tam, and is still portrayed in a positive light? Other reviewers have noted the "happy ending" of the book, but that ending comes of Saaski essentially giving up on people and making things in the village as if she had never existed. Her tormentors get what they want, essentially being rewarded for their cruelty to the young child.

Be careful with this book, especially if you're going to give it to a child who is "different." Read it first, be aware and talk about how Saaski and the villagers handle situations and how they could have acted differently. It's worth a read because it's interesting, compelling and has a great language style, but don't take the dedication lightly.(less)

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Sep 16, 2010 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, children-s-lit

When I chose this book at Borders, I felt a calling that told this book MUST BE READ. Very rarely does this calling come, especially without the reviews I've recieved from past readers. In this case, the story of a young changeling's life was just the sort of story I'd adore. And I did. Saaski is the human child exchanged for a half human-half fairy, who was exiled after nearly placing her world into danger. As Saaski grows up, she is taunted and shunned by the people of the village; only her pa...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Lindsay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a great young adult fantasy novel that I picked up on a whim at Borders a couple months ago. It's about a young girl named Saaski, who is half human and half Moorfolk (a magical people with their own magical land). Saaski faces prejudice from the people of her village because they can sense something different about her, and they believe that she is a changeling and not the real child of her parents. Throughout the course of the book, Saaski comes to learn and remember things about herse...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Josiah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first thing that stands out to me when I take a look at the career of author Eloise Jarvis McGraw is her outstanding record of successful longevity. She won a Newbery Honor in 1952 for the book Moccasin Trail and then another in 1997 for this book, The Moorchild, with a third honoree (The Golden Goblet) thrown in there for good measure in 1962. Being hailed as an excellent writer over that long a stretch of time is a remarkable accomplishment really matched among contemporary authors of you...more The first thing that stands out to me when I take a look at the career of author Eloise Jarvis McGraw is her outstanding record of successful longevity. She won a Newbery Honor in 1952 for the book Moccasin Trail and then another in 1997 for this book, The Moorchild, with a third honoree (The Golden Goblet) thrown in there for good measure in 1962. Being hailed as an excellent writer over that long a stretch of time is a remarkable accomplishment really matched among contemporary authors of youth literature only by E.L. Konigsburg, with perhaps a couple of others included in the conversation, as well.

The Moorchild is a book that sits on the crossroads between fantasy and reality, never shifting too far one way or the other. Most stories with such heavy fairy influence tend to be liberally coated with fantasy elements, but this book maintains its grip on realism even as it explores the lives of the fairy folk who live just outside the awareness of most human beings. The effect of this is that we never know for sure what could happen next in the story, as things change on a dime from mythical to realistic and the characters all sort of inhabit both worlds, cognizant of the truth to the legends about fairy folk while themselves still living normal lives like any other humans.

In The Moorchild, it seems that the fairy folk aren't particularly malevolent in the games they play; they're driven more by a sense of rogue playfulness and deep-seated mischief, which unfortunately has a way of drastically messing up the lives of humans who would rather have no part in the "fun". The most devastating trick is the swapping out of a human baby for a changeling, a fairy pushed against its will to take part in the cruel prank for whatever reason the leaders of the folk have in mind. It's not entirely made clear in this book why the babies are stolen, but our story begins when a young fairy named Moql is chosen to be a changeling because of her inability to learn the tricks of the trade as quickly as her peers. Moql was born half-human, and her less-than-purebred descent has marked her as the best candidate to be left behind.

Moql (who has now taken on the name Saaski, which the baby she is changed for was named by her parents), forgets completely over time her history with the fairy people. The villagers know that there's something not quite right with the new baby, though, and "Saaski" is never accepted by any of them other than her "parents" as anything but an outsider. The villagers' simmering anger lies fairly dormant for years, until a luckless incident gives them the chance they'd wanted to condemn Saaski and seek retribution. The changeling girl now must escape from her village just to save her own life, all the while trying to remember who she is and who she used to be, and and figure out a way to set things right before it's too late.

The fantasy elements to The Moorchild are often original and impressively rendered, showing Eloise Jarvis McGraw to be a very creative writer even as she neared the end of her life. There are some well-built and memorable characters in the book, as well, particularly the goatherd boy, Tam, who becomes something of a safe harbor for Saaski from all of the craziness that rages around her. Saaski is a fairy, it's true, but what the villagers can't seem to grasp is that she didn't want to be exiled to live with them any more than they wanted one of their babies to be swapped out for a changeling. Saaski is at least as much a victim of the circumstances as the people of her village. When that brutal mob mentality forms, though, and people give up control of their individual brains, innocent victims always seem to get hurt. Perhaps the most significant part to this book is its veiled warning of that truth.

The Moorchild is the first of Eloise Jarvis McGraw's stories that I've yet read, but I'd be interested in trying others to see what they're like. Ultimately, I would not have awarded this book a Newbery Honor for 1997 ahead of such worthy non-recipients as The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse, Crash by Jerry Spinelli and After the War by Carol Matas, but it's an interesting read that enhanced my perspective on Irish folklore and the old Celtic fairy stories that have been a part of common legend for almost as long as mankind can remember. I would probably give one and a half stars to The Moorchild. (less)

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Aug 02, 2011 Caroline rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-readers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Moorchild is a novel for younger readers, which I picked up on a whim. I was pleased with the result.

Moql is a half-human, half-fairy who is unable to disappear. Her careless, pleasure-seeking society is unable to deal with her, so she is banished to the human realm. Swapped for a human infant, Moql (now called Saaski) grows up as a human amid suspicious neighbors. Having forgot her mystic heritage, she struggles to fit in, not understanding why she doesn’t.

Characterization was good. Saaski...more The Moorchild is a novel for younger readers, which I picked up on a whim. I was pleased with the result.

Moql is a half-human, half-fairy who is unable to disappear. Her careless, pleasure-seeking society is unable to deal with her, so she is banished to the human realm. Swapped for a human infant, Moql (now called Saaski) grows up as a human amid suspicious neighbors. Having forgot her mystic heritage, she struggles to fit in, not understanding why she doesn’t.

Characterization was good. Saaski doesn’t angst over her situation. She does not exactly understand love and hate, but is not a cold character, either. She wants to please her human parents. They themselves are ignorant and demanding, but not unkind. Her mother is very protective willfully blinding herself to the oddness of her “daughter.” Her father is believably exasperated by his child, but equally protective in his own way. Townspeople are a bit more stereotypical. They hate what they don’t understand, etc., etc., etc. Characters speak in a kind of dialect which I enjoyed; it gave flavor to the dialogue, but was not phonetic enough to distract.

The setting does appear to be anywhere or anytime specific, being a rather generic European village from sometime long ago. The “Folk realm” is well done too. The “Folk” of this novel belong to an older tradition of fairies/elves, wherein they are more happy-go-lucky tricksters, not wise sylvan guardians.

Although the ending was satisfying enough, I would have liked more from it. Saaski does not choose between the two realms, but rather takes a third option. Still, isn’t it lucky that she met the boy Tam? What would she have done otherwise? Also, I would have liked a little more of a wrap-up. I don’t mind not knowing her and Tam’s ultimate fate, but I did want to know the village’s reaction. Did Saaski ever return, if just to look them over? Did she miss her parents? Did her parents miss her? Did Old Bess? Does Saaski’s mother mourn her lost daughter? Sigh. All unanswered.

For all that, though, The Moorchild is a lovely read.
(less)

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Jul 17, 2012 Valerie added it

I picked this up when I realized it was about a changeling, from the point of view of the changeling herself. It's understandable that the legend of the changeling would arise, when people found that their children were 'different', in societies that were often ruthlessly conformist.

I personally have one major difficulty in identifying with 'Saaski'. She's far too high-energy for me. It may be that one of her main problems is that she devotes too little energy to emotions, and too much to physic...more I picked this up when I realized it was about a changeling, from the point of view of the changeling herself. It's understandable that the legend of the changeling would arise, when people found that their children were 'different', in societies that were often ruthlessly conformist.

I personally have one major difficulty in identifying with 'Saaski'. She's far too high-energy for me. It may be that one of her main problems is that she devotes too little energy to emotions, and too much to physical activities. Still, it means she's as unequipped to hate as to love, and that's a good thing.

I gather that there IS some followup on the question of what happened to the human child abducted by the Moorfolk when the changeling was substituted. I hope so. What do the Folk need with slaves? I wouldn't want to think she went unrescued lifelong. But she'd probably still be an infant when she was returned, wouldn't she? I mean what with the time differences and all? So she might not have spent much time underhill, after all, even with the decade or a little more Saaski spends in the village.

Anyway, a good story, but not (as it might have been), a great one, at least so far.

The addition of the character Tam helps quite a bit. Tam reacts to the changeling in the way that everybody arguably should have--as a person, of whatever ancestry. The parochial attitudes of the villagers are quite likely a matter of being insulated by poor roads and inadequate travel possibilities. But that need not lead to cruelty. Why DO the villagers fear the Moorfolk? There's some implication that they were taught to so fear when they were Christianized. Before the 'heathens' were fenced in from the heaths, is it not likely that they used to join the Moorfolk for their revels?

There's a slight postscript in the author's statement, in which she argues that she began to feel sympathy for the changelings only when she tried to inhabit their skins. Maybe that is true of her. And probably of others. It was never true of me. When I would watch monster movies as a child, I was always complaining "Why did you build your blasted city on its migration path in the FIRST place?". I never had any problem feeling kindness and compassion for 'monsters'. But if this book helps people understand things from the point of view of the 'other', it will still do some good. And it's still a good, pleasant, readable book, which could, in the hands of a better writer, have been a great book. My comparison would be between Alexander Key's version of Escape to Witch Mountain, as compared to Zenna Henderson's People books.

Until the arrival of a Henderson heir to create the great version, this will serve as an adequate makedo. (less)

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Sep 09, 2011 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Moql was one of the Folk, a young magical creature who spent her time learning the ways of her people and playing on the Moor. Except Moql isn't like the other young Folk. She isn't as skilled as they are - and that can get them all in trouble. Declared a danger to the band, half-Folk, half-Human Moql is banished, exchanged for one of the beautiful human children in the nearby village. She becomes a Changeling.

Banished to human existence, Moql becomes Saaski and quickly forgets the life she left...more

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Sep 02, 2010 Audry rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Folk child learns she is half Folk and half human. She can't turn invisible or anything important that Folk do, so the Folk prince decides to turn her into a changling, which is take a human baby that hasn't been christened yet, and exchange it for her, as a baby. The grandmother suspects, but her new parents don't want to hear it. As she grows, her difference becomes more pronounced, and the other village children taunt and tease her and are mean to her, the the adults are wary of her. She mo...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Lorna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-lit-goodreads-13-25

This book by Eloise McGraw is about the mythical creature known as a changeling. This story follows the life of Saaski who discovers and remembers that she is not completely human as she had thought she'd been and as suspected by those who lived in her small town. She finds out that she is only half human and is the offspring of a fisherman who had fallen in love with a faerie or known in the book Folk. She is switched with a human baby and grows up in the human world. After discovering her true...more

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Jul 09, 2009 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-lit, cosy-cottages

I had never even heard of this wonderful book when I picked it up yesterday and can't imagine why. I know it must be popular with somebody because of it's shiny "Newberry Honor" medal on the cover. That's how I know a book will be worthwhile - medals on the cover have been my assurance of quality since I was a wee child. A secret my first librarian frind taught me.
Anyway, this is the story of a "Changling". A girl her fairy-type people left in the place of the human baby they stole. She has c...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

I kinda liked this book. I found myself picking it up often, wanting it to be better than it was. It's a good book. But only just 'good'. It scratches the surface. This book could have been great if the author focused less on fluffy imagery and minutia and more on...anything. I really wanted to 'feel' this book, but I felt held back. Possibly that's what she intended, as that's the way the main character felt (held back). She's half changeling, and she's bored. And I was bored just hearing about...more

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Sep 09, 2007 Nerd Goddess rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Kids 10 and up

I bought this on a whim, and hoped that I would like it, because I really hate buying books that end up being dissapointing. Thankfully, this book was well written and had a great plot, so no worries there. I liked the way people spoke in it (reminding me lovingly of the secret garden) and the story was just lovely.

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Sep 11, 2012 Dena (Books for Kids) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-books

The Moorchild was one of my favorite books when I was younger. It is a beautifully told story about a young girl that doesn't fit in anywhere. The Folk people give her up because she is half human, and the humans are suspicious of her because she is different. The villagers' dislike of Moql (Saaski) becomes stronger as the story progresses and as she learns more about where she came from.

I think that most children can relate to Saaski. At some point in almost everyone's life, they feel left out...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Joanne G. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: personal-library

It's a happy day when I discover a new-to-me author whom I absolutely love. Eloise Jarvis McGraw was born in 1915 and began writing in 1943. Moorchild was written in 1997, just three years before her death. It was awarded the Newbery Honor. What a long, successful writing career.

Moorchild is a sensitive telling of a child, terribly out of place, trying to fit in. There were so many places in the story where I longed for the people around the child to affirm her or to show her some affection or...more

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Nov 26, 2008 Rosanise rated it 5 of 5 stars

'To all children who have ever felt different.'
Is the dedication. Saaski is half Moorfolk and half human. Unaccepted by both worlds, she must truely find her inner-self and the courage she has to do that is enourmous. The village people of Torekal abuse and hurt Saaski because she is different, but the Moorfolk of the Mound do the same. Where does she belong? After countless journeys to the moor, the only place she feels at home, she meets a young boy, Tam. He is also different, and lonely. They...more

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May 24, 2010 Cecelia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love the blogosphere. I professed my lifelong love of Eloise Jarvis McGraw in this post, and Jenny asked if I’d read Greensleeves, one of her lesser-known titles. I hadn’t even heard of it. I did some investigation, and found that it wasn’t in print, my library doesn’t have it, and copies are going for $40 or more online (a bit beyond my price range). But while looking around I discovered that McGraw had written MANY books that I didn’t know about, one of which was The Moorchild, and an award-...more I love the blogosphere. I professed my lifelong love of Eloise Jarvis McGraw in this post, and Jenny asked if I’d read Greensleeves, one of her lesser-known titles. I hadn’t even heard of it. I did some investigation, and found that it wasn’t in print, my library doesn’t have it, and copies are going for $40 or more online (a bit beyond my price range). But while looking around I discovered that McGraw had written MANY books that I didn’t know about, one of which was The Moorchild, and an award-winner. Take a great author, add a fairy story, and then price the paperback at under $5, and I’m sold. And I just happened to win a Book Depository gift card in a blog contest at the right time, so…yay! Did I mention that I love the blogosphere? Yeah, that.

The Moorchild is Saaski’s story. Saaski is a changeling, though she doesn’t know it. The story of her eventual knowledge and recollection of how she came to be a changeling form the bulk of the story. I think the official summary tells you most of what you need to know about the plot. What I can add are comments on the beauty of the language, the varied context of the story (which gives you enough detail, but not too much to ruin any surprises or wonderings) and the absolute suck-you-into-the-tale quality that McGraw books seem to have as a trademark.

The story is set in an indeterminate village on the edge of the moor. That doesn’t sound exciting, does it? Well, it might you have a thing for ‘the moor’ like I did after reading The Secret Garden one too many times as a child. But say you don’t have an over-developed sense of romance about the moor already. McGraw’s description will inspire a sense of longing to see it, to feel it and to hear it. The prose is effortless and yet holds deep emotion.

That’s what I can say about The Moorchild. It’s fraught: with confusion, with sorrow, with loveliness and just a touch of mischief.

Best of all? It’s a story suitable for all ages. I’d recommend The Moorchild to those interested in: ridiculously good children’s fiction, myths and legends, fairy tales, family dynamics and a taste of the wildness that lives in all of us.
(less)

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May 03, 2013 Dan rated it 5 of 5 stars

My daughter read this in middle school. I picked it up because she was having difficulty with the characters early in the book (the swapping of the changling was confusing for her). I decided to read it to help answer questions she had and to work with her on understanding. Needless to say, once I picked it up and started reading it, I did not put it down until the wee hours of the morning when I had completed it. A very enjoyable book with a spiritual bend. I'm generally a big fan of dystopian...more

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Jul 12, 2010 Erin Edwards added it

Annotation and Comment: Saaski, formerly Moql, feels separate and different from those around her. She has shut out memories of her former life as Folk. Empathy is extensive due to identification with these feelings of isolation. The plot is fast paced. It would be fun to have students read this novel around St. Patrick’s Day. The Irish Dialect is convincing and the traditional folklore is well done. Additionally, Saaski is a heroic and selfless character. Always looking for strong female charac...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Lillian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children, fantasy

Lovely description and immersion into medieval Scotland. I was fascinated by the way McGraw gradually revealed the attributes and customs of the Folk of the moors. Most of all, I loved coming to an understanding of the most basic difference between the Folk and the humans--ability to feel lasting emotional attachment, hate, and love. For a while I wondered whether the story might have gone better if the readers weren't let in on Saaski's secret from the very beginning; the mystery could have bee...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Leo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-want-my-kids-to-read

This book...changed my life. I don't know. It's never left me. Ever since I first read it as a tiny child, there has always been something in the back of my brain: heather-grey-and-purple, windy, whistling, singing, moving like the grass...that never stops whispering me about the Moorchild. My life and my worldview are, I think, much different and much richer because of it. The wind sounds sweet because of it. I walk barefoot because of it. It haunts me, but to whisper that everything is beautif...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Lisa Rathbun added it · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book written from the interesting point of view of a changeling. There were lots of details about the Folk but nothing to dominate or drag out the story; it just fleshed out the story and helped keep it grounded in European legends. I wonder how the story would have been different if the truth about Saaski had been slowly revealed instead of having the beginning about her youth in the Mound. The story is a bit slow at times, but overall the author created an interesting world with...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love my job. Do you realize I get paid to read?
The Moorchild is not the type of story I normally read. It is about a young girl - half moorchild half human - who belongs to neither world and her adventure. The main character is a sweet, likable character, as are those around her. It is not very thick, but definetely worth reading a little off the beaten path. It reminds me of The Perilous Gard, which is one of my favorite books.
Worth reading!

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Sep 11, 2010 Hilary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: grades-5-6, grades-3-4, fantasy

Never quite fitting in with her long fingers and toes, her longing for the forbidden Moor, and uncanny abilities to climb and play strange tunes on the bagpipes, Saaski discovers her true identity and sets out to find the Moorpeople that she came from and the child that was stolen from her parents years earlier. McGraws vernacular is so convincing, not at all contrived like so many tales set in otherworld medieval times. Appropriate as a read-a-loud for ages 7+, but a more challenging offering f...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Janice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: newbery, elementary

1997 Newbery Honor Nominee

Moql, a young Folk, is switched for a human baby when she can disappear when a human sees her. Saaski (Moql) knows she's different. At the beginning she remembers her Folk memories but she buries them when she realizes she must adapt. But everyone knows she's different and they begin to pester her. Villager children try to push her into the pond to drown her and the parents eventually demand she be "taken care of". Saaski is determined to find her human mumma's daughter...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Evelyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, fantasy, historical, 2012-summer

A lilting, well-crafted changeling story with clear connections to discrimination of any type. Moql/Saaski was an eminently empathetic viewpoint character. The passages where she plays bagpipes make me want to play the sun's song on euphonium. My one quarrel with this book is how (view spoiler). Though written as a children's book,...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Cassie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-that-i-ll-remember

Let me start with a story...

I was a young girl, who never had the opportunity to make many friends. I lived in a large house, then moved to a smaller house but gained a forest to roam about in and have adventures.... I met Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin there and all sorts of other marvelous, book-bound friends. But of a real friends I lacked. Making friends requires practice and I had none. I read The Moorchild, shorty after yet another move, the death of a loved one, and other issues. I...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
What's The Name o...: Solved! Childrens Fantasy Novel about a changeling (or something) girl who is hated by most of the village she lives in. [s]	3	28	Oct 03, 2012 12:42am
What's The Name o...: Changeling, liked to play these little pipes, something about a moore [s]	10	32	Sep 25, 2012 07:18pm

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About Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Eloise Jarvis McGraw was an author of children's books. She was awarded the Newbery Honor three times in three different decades, for her novels Moccasin Trail (1952), The Golden Goblet (1962), and The Moorchild (1997). A Really Weird Summer (1977) won an Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery from the Mystery Writers of America. McGraw had a very strong interest in history, and among the many book...more

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Quotes from The Moorchild

“I'll change to a dragon, then you'll be sorry.” — 19 people liked it

“Aye, you're neither one thing nor yet quite t'other. Pity, but there 'tis.” — 10 people liked it

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