Furlong, Monica Books

Wise Child

Monica Furlong

Amazon Price: $4.99 List Price: $4.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Random House Books for Young Readers Amazon Marketplace: 132 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 78 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A wonderful, realistic, magical coming of age story of readers of all ages. Highly recommended 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

One of my favorite books from my childhood and still a joy to reread, Wise Child is the story of one magical child's coming of age. Spoiled but abandoned at a young age, Wise Child is taken in my a woman named Juniper. Juniper lives apart from the small, poor Christian village that Wise Child comes from, and she is a fair but tough mentor, making Wise Child work hard and learn much. In her house on a hill, Juniper teaches Wise Child languages, math, and astronomy, how to grow, harvest, and use herbs, and how to heal the sick in the village below. Slowly, Juniper begins to initiate Wise Child into the way of a doran, a class of magical women who live in the rhythm of nature and use their magic to help those around them. Wise Child's powers blossom, but dark shadows hang over her peaceful life with Juniper: her beautiful, powerful, dangerous mother calls to her from afar, and the close-minded town threatens their safety up on the hill. The book is a magical story of the hard work of coming of age and the love and power than can result from it. Wise Child must find confidence in herself, faith in her future and her powers, and love for her others in order to grow, creating a life-affirming, strong, true message. Furlong's writing style is smooth, her characters are easy to identity with and to love, and the magic in her story is both realistic and exciting. I highly recommend this book to readers of all age groups, and I love coming back to it myself.

The best thing that a coming of age story can do is show us not only the trails and tribulations of adolescence but also the good things about it and the wonders that we reap from it. This book does exactly that. In Juniper's house, Wise Child works hard, learns to do things she doesn't necessarily want to do, and is tested, but her abilities and successes are also celebrated. Juniper is perhaps the idea parent-figure: she coaches, supports, loves, but also forces Wise Child to be strong and stand on her own two feet. As such, Wise Child's story is easy to identify with but also uplifting and promising--the reader comes away knowing that they are not alone in their difficulties, but also that there is something to be gained from it all. The balance between sacrifice and gain is perfect, making this a wonderful read for adolescents and the still-maturing of all age.

Not only is the basis of the story a strong one, the actual aspects of it, including characterization, writing style, and details such as the role of magic are all incredibly well done. Juniper is a mysterious, open-hearted, independent woman, a real role model and inspiring character. Wise Child is realistically selfish and doubtful, but also shows realistic growth and strength that the reader can imitate. Wise Child's POV is in character without being limited, aggravating, or immature, and the overall writing style is smooth, clean, and incredibly fluid and easy to read. The role of magic in the story is well thought out: Furlong makes it quite clear, through Juniper, that there are different realms of what it means to be "real," and her conception of magic manages to make sense in the visible world while still containing enough fantasy and originality to sweep the reader away. Truly this is a skillful book, perhaps the most skillful that Furlong as written. In holds up well when reread and works well for any audience.

I highly recommend Wise Child. To the adolescent, it is a story they can identify with and be inspired by; to those chronically out of adolescence, it is a way to look back and reassess our own journeys, and also a reminder than learning, maturity, and increasing strength is a never ending, never easy, entirely worthwhile journey. The book is a quick read, engrossing, and enjoyable. I'm happy to own it and return to reread it every year or two.

Editorial Review:

This engrossing novel about a young girl's apprenticeship to a "good" witch is set in the British Isles soon after King Arthur's time.

Reading level: 5.9.

Juniper

Monica Furlong

List Price: $5.99 By: Laurel Leaf Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $0.08

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Good for reading to your children 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I'm a guy (you know the drill - testosterone has me rooting for the robots in the terminator movies) with 3 young daughters and so story time for me can be it's own kind of hell, overpopulated with too many thoughtful ponies, joyous princesses and other terrors from the Id.

Juniper at least is a story that can engross a child while being satisfying to the adult reader. I never once had the urge to plunge my head through the sheetrock in the bedroom whereas when forced to read stories like the Pony Pals, that's all I can think about. The wise women in Juniper are are a bit too knowing and all seeing, the plot a bit formulaic but other than that, it's a story of growing up, persistence against adversity good and evil, courage and adventure and some things in between. Same holds through the rest of the trilogy: Wise Child and Colman though they're not written in order.

I suspect that these stories catch the mind of young girls more than boys and are aimed more at a female audience. I don't know if I would have read it by myself, but with mission to read to my daughters, it was an enjoyable journey. I could see adult women enjoying this for it's own sake. In any case the books of this trilogy are well above the average children's fare for girls or for boys. Definitely worth the price of admission.

Editorial Review:

"This prequel to Wise Child recounts the childhood and spiritual

initiation of Juniper, who will in turn pass down the secret teachings of the

dorans to Wise Child. Readers will again enjoy the details of

herb-gathering, spell-casting and mystic rituals. An atmospheric story that

will both satisfy confirmed fantasy fans and involve readers new to the

genre."--Bulletin, Center for Children's Books.

Colman

Monica Furlong

List Price: $15.95 By: Random House Books for Young Readers Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $19.90

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( F ) -> Furlong, Monica

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

who wrote it? 2 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I find it very hard to believe that Monica Furlong wrote Coleman- none of the characters is in character, so to speak, the "magic" is less than weak, and the pleasant outlook on life in the present is entirely missing.

Such a dramatic difference in style from previous work. 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This book did not nearly rise to the quality of 'Juniper' and 'Wisechild'. It seems to lack knowledge of the context, which is very unlike the prior books. It almost seems to have been written in a different voice. Ahem. In my opinion.

Don't trust the beautiful cover 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 7 people found this review helpful.

The cover is gorgeous, but the book was bland and boring. the characters were all the same; the dialogue was so wooden it drove me up the wall. the characters talked like a textbook. the kids used the same exact voice as the adults. the entire book is so over-simplified and over-explained that i felt like i was reading a paticularly boring school book for first-graders. here's a quotation (colman narrates): "I could not get away from the feeling that Wise Child was angry with me. This made me sad because i loved Wise Child and felt that she was not happy." (p. 20) if you find the above sentence brilliant and insightful, then you're welcome to Colman. I, 20 pages into the book, was already sick of the bland and boring writing style (or lack of style), so much so that i marked that quote. i struggled through the rest of the book, which was full of blah sentences like the one above.

the entire book is quite boring as far as plot goes. There are Bad Guys who have taken over Juniper's home, so the Good Guys have to save it in as unexciting a way as possible. while there are various parts where colman and wise child "clutch each other in terror," i did not feel any suspense, or much care about whether evil meroot catches them. one of those books you want to kill yourself over just to stop the awful plodding writing.

Editorial Review:

Set in very early Christian times, Colman is a spellbinding fantasy of a faraway age, when the mystical and the commonplace walked hand in hand. The healer, Juniper, and her apprentice, Wise Child, are accused of witchcraft and forced to flee their small town. Wise Child’s devoted cousin, Colman, escapes with them. This is his story of their arrival to the land of Juniper’s birth, where she is, in fact, a princess.

Robin's Country

Monica Furlong

List Price: $4.99 By: Knopf Books for Young Readers Amazon Marketplace: 17 new & used starting at $0.01

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A delightful Robin Hood tale 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Dummy, a young boy who is unable to talk, runs away from his cruel master. Though he has heard there are wolves and outlaws in Sherwood Forest, it's the only place he can hide. Delirious with fever, he stumbles into a cave, part of Robin Hood's tiny "kingdom," hidden by a dense thicket and protected by Our Lady of the Forest. At first, Robin and, especially, Marian are afraid that Dummy might be a spy for the wicked Prince John, but soon he is accepted by the green-clad outlaws. It's Marian who teaches him to use a bow and arrow, because she's the best archer. Robin becomes Dummy's hero, and the boy hopes, one day, to be just like him. This is an inspiring story of faith, honor, courage and friendship. The descriptions of the greenwood are lovely, and the characters come alive. There are many exciting, often humorous, adventures. And there's a delightful surprise happy ending. Although "Robin's Country" is written primarily for young readers, I think anyone interested in Robin Hood would enjoy it. Some other good books based on the Robin Hood legend are Theresa Tomlinson's "The Forestwife" and "Child of the May" and Robin McKinley's "The Outlaws of Sherwood."

Editorial Review:

Dummy, a mute servant boy, flees his cruel master, stumbles upon Robin Hood's secret hideaway, proceeds to unravel the mysteries of his own origins, and finds the opportunity to prove his bravery and worth. By the author of Wise Child.