The Witch's Boy

Starred review from August 4, 2014
In a story of an unexpected hero, a thief’s daughter, and some very tricky magic, Barnhill weaves a powerful narrative about the small tragedies that happen when parents fail their children, even with the best intentions. After Ned’s twin brother, Tam, drowns, his mother, the village’s Sister Witch, binds Tam’s soul to Ned, who grows up as an awkward, stuttering boy ostracized by the rest of his village. Áine’s widower father loves her, but he loves his life as a Bandit King more. The magic that touches both Ned and Áine draws their lives inexorably together as they are caught up in the machinations of King Ott’s selfish empire-building. Barnhill (The Mostly True Story of Jack) makes bold character choices: Ned is soft, but never weak, while Áine is tough, prickly, yet sympathetic. Peripheral adults are well fleshed out, from Ned’s father, devastated by the loss of one child and afraid to show his love for the other, to a sensible queen who knows the value of a good witch. Barnhill elegantly joins the story’s diverse threads in a complex tale whose poignancy never turns sentimental. Ages 9–up. Agent: Steven Malk, Writer’s House.

Starred review from August 1, 2014
Nine enormous boulders are awakened from their long sleep by the actions of a seemingly powerless boy and the daughter of the Bandit King. Since his identical twin's death and his own near-drowning, Ned has spoken with a stutter, and villagers believe that "the wrong boy" survived. Ned doesn't know that his mother, Sister Witch, in desperation, used the magic she holds and protects to join his brother's soul to his, despite the fact that "[i]t was a dangerous thing, her magic. With consequences." Aine, meanwhile, is growing up with a father whose behavior increasingly worries her, especially the way he fondles a pendant he's begun wearing and the fact that he has been bringing home a frightening group of bandits. In fact, the Bandit King is after Sister Witch's magic, and when she leaves town, he tries to force Ned to surrender it to him. Instead, Ned takes the magic upon himself, at a cost of great physical pain as the words burn into him and the magic keeps talking to him, and he is kidnapped. Barnhill skillfully interweaves the stories of Ned, Aine, Sister Witch and the stones, along with an intriguing group of secondary characters. The third-person narration switches perspective smoothly, and it's all related in a precise, flowing prose that easily places readers into the fantastic setting and catches them up in the story. The classic fantasy elements are all there, richly reimagined, with a vivid setting, a page-turning adventure of a plot, and compelling, timeless themes. (Fantasy. 10-15)

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Starred review from August 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-When Ned was young, he and his twin brother built a raft and tried to sail to the sea. The raft sank, and one boy survived-the wrong boy, if you ask the villagers in Ned's tiny town. Alternately whispered about, teased, and outright ignored, Ned survives his brother's death with a stutter and an air of palpable sadness that seems to weigh down his weak frame. Meanwhile, in the middle of a formidable forest the villagers claim used to be home to nine stone giants, a young girl named Aine lives a fractured life with her father, who leads a horde of bloodthirsty bandits. When the raiders attempt to steal the magic Ned's mother guards so faithfully, Ned and Aine end up as unlikely allies on a journey to right an ancient wrong. Careful, confident Aine; whose skills, both domestic and wild, make her a formidable ally (and excellent heroine), is a studied contrast to the weaker, shy Ned. The boy's growing confidence and ability to wield and protect his mother's magic adds elements of a classic origin-quest tale to a story that's already brimming with a well-drawn, colorful supporting cast, a strong sense of place, and an enchanted forest with a personality to rival some of the best depictions of magical woods.-Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla, Darien Library, CT

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
Grades 5-7 Ned's parents kept him safe at home after the accident that led to his brother drowning. But he is unknowingly burdened by his brother's soul, which his mother (a village healer) magically stitched to his chest following the disaster. Ned knows little about the ancient magic his family is sworn to protect, but when the magic becomes physically bound to him, he must bear that burden while fending off villains who covet its power. Aiding him are new allies: a wolf and another strong-willed, independent child, ine, the daughter of the Bandit King, who deals with her own troubles with equal determination. The narrative shifts frequently among characters and subplots, and the story's intricate connections are gradually revealed as the story moves forward. While the story's broad, complex canvas seems to diffuse the novel's focus, Barnhill writes well, with vivid characters, well-turned phrases, and imaginative story lines, and many readers will respond to the two courageous protagonists and their unusual adventures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015
After the accident that killed his twin brother, Ned stutters badly, so he assists his mother with the magic entrusted to her. When the magic is threatened, Ned flees with it and encounters confident and crafty Aine. Together they head off on a journey to save their kingdoms, their families, and the world. This atmospheric, elegantly told literary fairy tale sustains and subverts the usual tropes.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2014
Ned is the wrong boy. It was his smarter twin brother Tam who should have survived the accident, not he. Ever since that near-drowning, Ned stutters badly; and so, near-silent and unable to read, he assists his mother as she uses the magic that has been entrusted to her to heal and help all. Meanwhile, in the woods nearby lives the confident and crafty Aine, who has begun to worry about her bandit father, as the mysterious pendant he wears around his neck seems to be changing him, and not for the better. Elsewhere, a mysterious group of ancient stones mutter amongst themselves; a petulant and self-absorbed king considers expanding his kingdom; and a briskly warm Victoria-like queen copes with palace politics. When there is an attempt to steal his mother's magic, Ned flees with it into the woods, where he befriends a wolf and encounters Aine. Soon after, with war threatening, the three head off on a journey to save their kingdoms, their families, and the world. Barnhill tells a complex story, one that sustains and subverts the usual fairy-tale tropes. For example, within richly evoked scenes of traditional village, palace, and forest life, gender roles are quietly upended (with a female soldier here or coach-driver there). Through the eyes of the brave and increasingly shrewd Ned and Aine, young readers consider the complications of magic, the corrupting desire for power, and the conflicting natures of good and evil in this atmospheric and elegantly told literary fairy tale. monica edinger

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)