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In Darkling Wood: 'The Queen of Historical Fiction at her finest.' Guardian

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In Darkling Wood: 'The Queen of Historical Fiction at her finest.' Guardian by Emma Carroll

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By Emma Carroll

avg rating

5 reviews

The end of the war . . .
Two hopeful sisters . . .
A magical wood . . .

’You’re telling me there are fairies in this wood?’

When Alice’s brother gets a longed-for chance for a heart transplant, Alice is suddenly bundled off to her estranged grandmother’s house. There’s nothing good about staying with Nell, except for the beautiful Darkling Wood at the end of her garden – but Nell wants to have it cut down. Alice feels at home there, at peace, and even finds a friend, Flo. But Flo doesn’t seem to go to the local school and no one in town has heard of a girl with that name. When Flo shows Alice the surprising secrets of Darkling Wood, Alice starts to wonder, what is real? And can she find out in time to save the wood from destruction?

‘Absorbing, sensitive and genuinely magical.’Independent

Reviews

15 Aug 2023

I loved this book as it is about history and fantasy together.l would recommend this book to someone who believes in magic or likes to protest against deforestation.

09 Jul 2023

I adored this book. Emma Carroll is an amazing writer and i would recommend any of her books.

22 Jul 2021

I'm a big fan of Emma Carroll. Her writing is top drawer, her subject matter is always thought provoking, she pitches the plots perfectly for Middle Grade readers, she challenges your perceptions, and her characters are very relatable. In Darkling Wood adds suitably to this canon. The plot, loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Cottingley Fairies hoax, is intriguing and suspenseful; the characters are honest and down to earth; and the emotional ties of family, love, loss and hope are beautifully interwoven without being forced or shoehorned into the story. The author is always excellent at leaving the reader to ponder and think about the issues that are raised by the writing and you are allowed to draw your own conclusions. This always leads to great questioning and discussions in class.

18 Jun 2021

I really liked this book it is magical

30 Aug 2017

It was intrestinh and had a lot of emotions

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