Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2020
368 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
Elana K. Arnold, author of the Printz Honor book Damsel, returns with a dark, engrossing, blood-drenched tale of the familiar threats to female power—and one girl's journey to regain it.
You are alone in the woods, seen only by the unblinking yellow moon. Your hands are empty. You are nearly naked. And the wolf is angry.
Since her grandmother became her caretaker when she was four years old, Bisou Martel has lived a quiet life in a little house in Seattle. She's kept mostly to herself. She's been good.
But then comes the night of homecoming, when she finds herself running for her life over roots and between trees, a fury of claws and teeth behind her.
A wolf attacks. Bisou fights back. A new moon rises. And with it, questions.
About the blood in Bisou's past, and on her hands as she stumbles home.
About broken boys and vicious wolves.
About girls lost in the woods—frightened, but not alone.
"Arnold artfully spins a dark, magic-tinged 'Little Red Riding Hood' retelling in which a young woman discovers the power that is her birthright...At once a sharp critique of male entitlement and a celebration of sisterhood and feminine power, this story will linger with readers long after the final page." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"In the wake of her Printz Honor–winning Damsel, Arnold blazes a new and equally powerful trail through toxic masculinity. Read, shed your pelt, and be transformed—for blades are being sharpened." - Booklist (starred review)
"A fantastic novel in the #MeToo era, empowering women to share their stories by reaching out, speaking up, and demanding a change." - School Library Journal (starred review)
"Arnold uses an intriguing blend of magic realism, lyrical prose, and imagery that evokes intimate physical and emotional aspects of young womanhood...A timely and unabashedly feminist twist on a classic fairy tale." - Kirkus Reviews
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Elana K. Arnold is the author of critically acclaimed and award-winning young adult novels and children's books, including the Printz Honor winner Damsel and the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of. Several of her books are Junior Library Guild selections and have appeared on many best book lists, including the Amelia Bloomer Project, a catalog of feminist titles for young readers. Elana teaches in Hamline University's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program and lives in Southern California with her family and menagerie of pets.
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