Wildwood

I loved this wild and unruly story for its whimsical course, poetic prose, and indomitable heroine. She is a fiercely independent 7th grader who is so wonderfully Portland. She's vegan, her hobbies include yoga and single-speed bicycle repair. She's fantastic. While she grew up hearing stories of how she should never set foot in The Impassable Wilderness of Portland, she never dreamed it was because it encompasses Wildwood; a massive Narnianesque pocket with its own history, civilization, perils, and magic. Prue sets off into the wild in search of her baby brother, Mac, who's been abducted by a murder of crows. She is intimidated by neither royalty nor witchery and tenaciously discovers all she can to rescue Mac from the Wildwood. I love that the villainous Dowager Empress comes across as both miraculous, and realistic. Nothing is black and white in the Wildwood, and you eventually find that every story has many sides. With no objectionable material, this makes an excellent read-aloud and Audible's audiobook version is great.