Reviews

"Fantasy mavens will find plenty here to enthrall them." --"The New York Times"

"Once in a great while a book comes along that is so powerful and so wise that you want to shout about it. Readers young and old will enjoy the adventure, relish in the characters, and ponder the meaning of this book." - Madeleine L'Engle

"All the elements of true fantasy are here: the hero, allies and enemies, strange creatures, battles, death, and a struggle between good and evil. Barron's descriptions of the Northwest wilderness are wonderful and he conveys the spirit of Native American mythology." - "The Book Report"

Gr 5-9-- Kate, who journeyed to a distant star in Heartlight (Philomel, 1990), now finds herself transported into the past. While visiting Blade, a town in southeastern Oregon, she is immediately embroiled in a battle between local loggers and her great-aunt Melanie, a retired teacher whose hobby is preserving the lore of a lost Native American tribe. At stake is a newly discovered crater containing several species of ancient trees. Events move swiftly as Kate accompanies her aunt to the crater to confront the loggers, who are determined to cut the trees down. Within the hollow of ``The Ancient One,'' the forest's oldest redwood, Kate slips back 500 years. Persevering on her mission, she encounters friends and enemies. While the story, with its rapid pace, inventive surprises, and feisty heroine, is entertaining, readers are left with unanswered questions. (How can a walking stick destroyed in the past exist in a present that is clearly a product of that past? Why does Barron undercut his repeated avowal of the interconnectedness of all life by casting reptilians in their cliched role as bad guys?) Also, by personalizing the conflict, the author chooses to ignore the complexities of international trade and corporate profit. Two deeply philosophical books, Ursula LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea (Bantam, 1984) and Patricia Wrightson's The Ice Is Coming (Atheneum, 1977; o.p.) serve the cause of environmentalism better. Purchase where fantasy adventures are popular.--Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA