The Wolf of Cape Fen

by Juliana Brandt (Author)

The Wolf of Cape Fen
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Beyond the Bright Sea meets Echo in this story of a young girl who must break a magical bargain before an enchanted wolf steals her sister away.

First Frost has touched Cape Fen, and that means Baron Dire has returned. For as long as anyone can remember, Baron Dire has haunted the town come winter, striking magical bargains and demanding unjust payment in return. The Serling sisters know better than to bargain, lest they find themselves hunted by the Baron's companion, the Wolf.

And then the Wolf attacks Eliza's sister Winnie. They manage to escape, but they know the Wolf will be back. Because Winnie would never bargain, so that must mean that someone has struck a deal with Winnie as the price. Eliza refuses to lose her sister and embarks on a journey to save her. If Eliza can learn the truth, she might be able to protect her sister, but the truth behind the bargain could put her own life in danger.

"Unfolding gradually as Eliza relentlessly pieces the past together, this intriguing mystery culminates in a startling, literally transforming climax."--Kirkus Reviews

"Atmospheric...this fabulist middle grade effectively employs a dream-fueled magic system that reckons with consequences."--Publishers Weekly

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School Library Journal

Gr 4-8--Amid the storms of a cursed island near the turn of the 19th century, 12-year-old Eliza attempts to protect her younger sister Winnie. Now that winter has arrived, the magical Wolf and its master, Baron Dire, have followed. Many of the townsfolk have made bargains with him for the magic he offers. These bargains seem to turn against the people making them, with horrific results and sometimes even death. Eliza's own mother made a bargain to leave them four years ago, and now the Wolf is intent upon attacking her sister. Did someone bargain away Winnie's life? Eliza must work through silence and secrets to find the key to saving her sister. Brandt's debut novel is both chilling and thrilling--the wintry world hides horror in the dark corners with physical and emotional threats. The plot moves quickly, focusing on only one week, but balances action with the angst of emotion; even side characters seem to have deep backstory with their secret bargains and obscured motivations. Each chapter is prefaced with a different character dreaming, which enhances the ethereal tone. With themes of friendship, love, dreams, and sacrifice, this title will find a good home in any classroom or book group. There are some minor rough spots, such as the claim that Eliza's Pa hadn't said her mother's name in four years when he had just used it 10 pages earlier, and an ending that wraps things up slightly too speedily. However, they don't detract much from the tale's magical momentum and lasting sense of luminescence. VERDICT A mesmerizing piece of magical realism packed with mystery, suspense, and, most important, love.--Erin Reilly-Sanders, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Debut author Brandt's atmospheric, genre-bending middle grade novel brings grim fairy tale magic to a small peninsular town in the early 20th century. Eliza is just shy of her 12th birthday, yet since her mother's disappearance four years ago she has acted as both mother and sister to her incorrigible eight-year-old sibling, Winnie. A tourist mecca in the summer, Cape Fen has a dark secret: those born there can never leave, and many are tied up in uncanny bargains with the larger-than-life winter visitor Baron Dire and his fearsome companion, the Wolf. When the Wolf returns early and pursues Winnie, Eliza is pulled deep into the mythos of the bargains, determined to save the girl but learning that not all bargains end well for the bargainers. Eliza's courage and devotion to her sister form the nucleus of this tale, which finds a girl quickly growing both as a human and something other. Though the motivations of certain characters may feel nebulous, this fabulist middle grade effectively employs a dream-fueled magic system that reckons with consequences. Ages 8-up. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary. (Apr.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"A mesmerizing piece of magical realism packed with mystery, suspense, and, most important, love." - School Library Journal
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781728209616
Lexile Measure
790
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Sourcebooks Young Readers
Publication date
April 20, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV002250 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Wolves & Coyotes
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
Library of Congress categories
Magic
Sisters
Fantasy
Winter
Wolves

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