Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Out of the Woods by Lyn Gardner

"Out of the Woods" is a classic good vs. evil story that has numerous references to Greek myths and common fairy tales. Underneath all of the magic and action the theme of the story is really about family. Three sisters, who all have their own differences, all miss their mother and wish their father would be home more often than not. When one of the sisters faces several problematic encounters with a magic pipe the family begins to live in fear. They all look for something to make them feel safe so when a mysterious stepmother walks into their lives they cling to her. Only after many long quests does the family realize that they have each other and that's all that matters.


I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characters were very relatable and the imagery was wonderful. At many times I felt like I was in the book with them. The book can make you laugh or cry. It was fun finding all of the connections and predicting what would happen next. Unlike some stories it was highly unpredictable and the entire time I was "on the edge of my seat" so to speak. I was moved by the love of the family members at some points in the book. I would classify this book as a preteen to early young adult level. It was a fantasy story teeming with magic. The book had very clean content and little to no disturbing scenes. I would recommend "Out of the Woods" to all of my friends.

Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Braintree, Massachusetts United States of America