Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty
Disney Hyperion, 2018, 384 pages
Trigger warnings: Violence, environmental destruction
About the Author: Robert Beatty is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Serafina Series published by Disney-Hyperion, a spooky mystery-thriller about a brave and unusual girl who lives secretly in the basement of the grand Biltmore Estate, surrounded by the opulence of the Gilded Age and the rugged beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He won the Southern Book Prize in 2016. He is also the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Willa of the Wood Series, the story of a young forest girl with ancient magical powers who struggles for survival and understanding in the Great Smoky Mountains. Loved by both young readers and adults alike, the Serafina and Willa books are being taught in over a thousand classrooms nationwide, and have been translated into over 22 languages.
You can visit Robert at robertbeattybooks.com
“Suddenly, there was a part of her that felt as separated from Nathaniel’s world as she ever been. But there was another part of her, deeper down, that felt their connection, and knew that at this moment in the flow of time there wasn’t another person in the words who was closer to him than her. They had become twins of the soul.”
There is no I, only we. Willa is a jaetter. At night she creeps into the homes of the day-folk and she steals for the benefit of her dying clan in the Great Smokey Mountains. Willa would do anything to win the approval of the clan and their leader, the padaran—anything but ignore the old ways that have been preserved by her mamaw, her grandmother. That means speaking the old and forbidden Faeran language, blending into the natural world, and spreading her spirit into the world around her so that plants may act under her gentle commands.
Knowing brings death. Uncover the truth with Willa as she immerses herself in tradition. Discover that things aren’t always what we believe; and that acts of kindness—big or small—can make a world of difference in the lives of others.
PRR writer, Cheyenne Lopex
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