Spooky Summer Reading

I am really amazed at how much summer reading I have been able to get done this year. Normally it's just a few books here and there but I am seriously cruising through them. It helps that I listen to most of them on audiobook as I illustrate. Something I believe everyone should try at least once—audiobooks are so full of imagery and can really heighten the emotions. I'm still blazing through Protected, by Cindy M. Hogan, book 2 in the Watched series, and I just started reading The Hidden Kingdom, by R.K. Hinrichsen, with my girls. I'll let you know what I think of those soon.

The Thickety: The Whispering Trees, by J.A. White, is just as creepy-crawly as its predecessor, hands down! When Kara’s father becomes possessed by some deranged witch hunter from long ago she and her brother Taff are driven out of the village into the Thickety itself. There Kara comes face to face with Mary Kettle, a dark witch who used to boil children for magic, and if that’s not spooky enough, she meets the forest demon and his coven of followers. Some of the themes discussed in this book I believe are a little too dark for younger middle-grade readers but I think older tweens and teens would get a kick out of these creepy pages. I enjoyed this book just as much as the first book and I can hardly wait for book three to be released. YES! This book ends on a HUGE cliff hanger like in book 1. What I especially liked about this book was the redemptive qualities explored. This book begs the question: even if someone has committed the worst of crimes, can they find forgiveness from others? Can they be redeemed? It’s a very hopeful thought. Over all a super fun and spooky read!

Summary: After Kara Westfall's village turns on her for practicing witchcraft, she and her brother, Taff, flee to the one place they know they won't be followed: the Thickety. Only this time the Forest Demon, Sordyr, is intent on keeping them there. Sordyr is not the Thickety's only danger: unknown magic lurks behind every twist and shadow of the path. And then they discover Mary Kettle, an infamous witch with a horrifying past. She offers to lead them out of the Thickety while teaching Kara how to cast spells without a grimoire. The children are hesitant to trust her . . . but this could be their only chance to escape. Or the first step down a dark and wicked path.

Book three, The Thickety: Well of Witches, is expected for publication February 2016.Make sure you add it to your list on Goodreads so you don;t miss it when it hits the shelves.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Thickety-Whispering-Trees-J-White/dp/0062257293/

Even More Summer Reading

Another great read this summer ... or maybe save it for the fall ...

The Thickety: A Path Begins

by J.A. White

This is a delightfully creepy tale of magic and greed. I feel some of the concepts in this book are a little dark for younger readers but older tweens, ages 11-12, might be able to handle it. I think adults would really enjoy reading it. It starts out very suspenseful as a girl named Kara’s mother is being hung for witchcraft and she is then accused of being a witch. You get the feel of the book from the very beginning. It’s haunting, suspenseful, and at times down right spooky—a perfect book for Halloween or just to put you in that special mood that comes only on that one night. It leaves off on quite the cliff hanger to make sure you have book two ready to go. Lucky for me, I do!

Synopsis:

When Kara Westfall was five years old, her mother was convicted of the worst of all crimes: witchcraft. Years later, Kara and her little brother, Taff, are still shunned by the people of their village, who believe that nothing is more evil than magic…except, perhaps, the mysterious forest that covers nearly the entire island. It has many names, this place. Sometimes it is called the Dark Wood, or Sordyr's Realm. But mostly it's called the Thickety.

The villagers live in fear of the Thickety and the terrible creatures that live there. But when an unusual bird lures Kara into the forbidden forest, she discovers a strange book with unspeakable powers. A book that might have belonged to her mother.

And that is just the beginning of the story.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Thickety-Path-Begins-J-White/dp/0062257234