This is Not a Werewolf Story
by Sandra Evans
Middle Grade Fantasy
Hardcover & ebook, 352 pages
July 26th 2016 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Middle Grade Fantasy
Hardcover & ebook, 352 pages
July 26th 2016 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
This is the story of Raul, a boy of few words, fewer friends, and almost no family. He is a loner—but he isn’t lonely. All week long he looks after the younger boys at One Of Our Kind Boarding School while dodging the barbs of terrible Tuffman, the jerk of a gym teacher.
Like every other kid in the world, he longs for Fridays, but not for the usual reasons. As soon as the other students go home for the weekend, Raul makes his way to a lighthouse deep in the heart of the woods. There he waits for sunset—and the mysterious, marvelous phenomenon that allows him to go home, too. But the woods have secrets . . . and so does Raul. When a new kid arrives at school, they may not stay secret for long.
Sandra Evans is a writer and teacher from the Pacific Northwest. Her forthcoming middle grade novel, This is Not a Werewolf Story (Simon & Schuster July 2016), was inspired by her favorite 12th century French tale, Bisclavret, by Marie de France. Born in Washington state, Sandra spent her childhood on U.S. Navy bases from Florida to Hawaii, and returned to the Northwest as a teenager. Since then, she has lived and traveled in France and Europe, but has never strayed far for long from the Puget Sound region.
Tour Giveaway
A hardcover copy of THIS IS NOT A WEREWOLF STORY by Sandra Evans plus Swag
Open internationally
Ends December 16th
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Schedule
November 28th: Launch
November 29th: The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
November 30th: Brooke Blogs & Katie's Clean Book Collection
December 1st: Beck Valley Books
December 2nd: Wishful Endings
December 4th: With Love for Books & Moonshine Art Spot
December 5th: Falling Leaves
December 6th: Letters from Annie (Douglass) Lima & Mel's Shelves
December 7th: Life as Leels
December 8th: deal sharing aunt & Books, Books the Magical Fruit
December 9th: 100 Pages A Day
December 11th: Nish Homeschool Blog
December 12th: Grand Finale
Tour Giveaway
A hardcover copy of THIS IS NOT A WEREWOLF STORY by Sandra Evans plus Swag
Open internationally
Ends December 16th
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Review:
Raul is a young man who attends a boarding school on an island in the Puget Sound. Raul has been there since he was a little boy when his mother disappeared and his father had a hard time raising him alone. Raul is a bit of a loner at the school and he chooses not to talk very much. This is because Raul knows that he is different. Raul has discovered the secret of White Deer Woods and every weekend he goes out to a special place in White Deer Woods and transforms. When a new kid, Vincent, arrives at the school, Raul thinks the Woods has shared the secret with Vincent as well. As Raul finally comes into his own as a young man with Vincent’s friendship, a threat comes to White Deer Woods that affects Raul deeply and will test his friendship.
This book was extremely intriguing, right from the title. Aimed for middle-grade readers, this fantasy is written in a way that will excite and engage. There are many mysteries on the island to be solved and the writing from Raul’s point of view pulled me into the story and the island. Just what is the secret of White Deer Woods, how does it work and who else is like Raul? The extreme personalities of the students and staff on the island made the people jump off the page; Mean Jack who has taken on the personality of an old-time mobster, Mary Anne who has a calming persuasiveness, Dean Swift who cares too much and shares too much, Cook Patsy who is a protective wrestler and of course Tuffman, a sadistic PE teacher who has it out for Raul. I loved how the mystery of the island and Raul’s transformative process took place and how it is loosely modeled after a twelfth century story called Bisclavret. Overall, an interesting and different middle-grade coming of age story with elements of beauty, forgiveness, magic and mystery that is anything but a werewolf story.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Raul is a young man who attends a boarding school on an island in the Puget Sound. Raul has been there since he was a little boy when his mother disappeared and his father had a hard time raising him alone. Raul is a bit of a loner at the school and he chooses not to talk very much. This is because Raul knows that he is different. Raul has discovered the secret of White Deer Woods and every weekend he goes out to a special place in White Deer Woods and transforms. When a new kid, Vincent, arrives at the school, Raul thinks the Woods has shared the secret with Vincent as well. As Raul finally comes into his own as a young man with Vincent’s friendship, a threat comes to White Deer Woods that affects Raul deeply and will test his friendship.
This book was extremely intriguing, right from the title. Aimed for middle-grade readers, this fantasy is written in a way that will excite and engage. There are many mysteries on the island to be solved and the writing from Raul’s point of view pulled me into the story and the island. Just what is the secret of White Deer Woods, how does it work and who else is like Raul? The extreme personalities of the students and staff on the island made the people jump off the page; Mean Jack who has taken on the personality of an old-time mobster, Mary Anne who has a calming persuasiveness, Dean Swift who cares too much and shares too much, Cook Patsy who is a protective wrestler and of course Tuffman, a sadistic PE teacher who has it out for Raul. I loved how the mystery of the island and Raul’s transformative process took place and how it is loosely modeled after a twelfth century story called Bisclavret. Overall, an interesting and different middle-grade coming of age story with elements of beauty, forgiveness, magic and mystery that is anything but a werewolf story.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
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