Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest

SAMUEL BLINK AND THE FORBIDDEN FOREST
By Matt Haig
G.P. Putnam's, 2007. 316pp. Children's Fiction.

Samuel and Martha move in with their javelin-throwing aunt in Norway after their parents are killed in an accident. Martha has stopped speaking since the accident, and Samuel resents his aunt's rules, especially the one to keep out of the forest. When Martha wanders into the woods alone, Samuel goes after her, and they both meet trolls, huldres, slemps, and--scariest of all--the Changemaster. Samuel Blink ... may be one of those books children like better than adults. The humor is not terribly funny and tends to defuse the tension rather than relieve it. Consequently, one never senses that the children are in any real danger. Still, kids might enjoy the Truth Pixie and his poisonous soup and Troll the Left and Troll the Right. To see Matt Haig's true talent, see The Dead Father's Club, an adult/young adult book.

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