Lightland - Hardcover

McCutchen, Heather; McCutchren, H. L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0439395658 ISBN 13: 9780439395656

Publisher: Orchard Books, 2002

Synopsis

When best friends Lottie and Lewis enter the magical world of LightLand, where distant memories become real again, they find themselves caught up in a battle between good and evil.

Until now, Lottie Cook and her best friend, Lewis Weaver, have lived fairly normal lives in Iowa. But when Lottie's father carves for her a magical box from an old cherry tree, she and Lewis are transported to LightLand, a fantasy world created by the memories of real-world people.
The wicked NightKing rules over LightLand, determined to destroy its citizens by stealing their memories. Soon, Lottie and Lewis are leading the struggle to overcome the NightKing, during which they must confront some painful memories of their own and find the strength to endure the

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

This debut novel set in Iowa relies on a tried-and-true plot device, the magic portal, but McCutchen weaves in memorable protagonists, a mysterious villain and plenty of humor to introduce fantasy fans to a new land to which they will long to return. "Lottie Cook's mother died the same minute that Lottie was born" and Lottie's best friend, Lewis Weaver, utters his first word when he is three years old-around the time his scientist father disappears. When Lewis does talk, it is only to Lottie, who loves remembering everything she can, including "the flat tinny taste of powdered baby formula." Both of them hate school, until sixth grade, when their new teacher seems to read their thoughts. When these best friends turn 11, first Lottie and, later, Lewis are transported to LightLand through a cherry-wood StoryBox made by Lottie's father. In this beautiful otherworld, created by the memories of real humans, the NightKing prowls, looking for sleepers whose memories he captures, stripping them of their sense of a past ("To forget is to be forgotten. And in LightLand, to be forgotten is to disappear"). When one of the friends has problems returning, the other has to attempt a marvelous and memorable rescue. McCutchen invests the adults in Lottie and Lewis's world with pasts that serve an important link to LightLand. A couple of seeds are planted for what readers can only hope will be a return trip. Ages 9-14.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-When a magic box made by her father transports Lottie and her friend Lewis to a dreamlike world called LightLand, they are drawn to the tower of the NightKing, who is stealing people's memories for his own diabolical use. The NightKing is Lewis's father, who vanished long ago, and both children battle with him, using Lewis's stalwart heart and Lottie's amazing memory. The strength of this book lies in the intriguing juxtaposition of the flat Iowa setting and straightforward prose with the dreamy, sinister world of magical LightLand. Similarly, Lottie is as sensible and plain as toast, but on the other hand, she wears only pajamas to school and remembers absolutely everything. Several other characters display this mixture of usual and unusual traits, bringing a whiff of mystery and magic to the Iowa cornfields. The fantasy elements are highly imaginative and often engrossing, but loose ends and unanswered questions abound, the flow of the plot sometimes bogs down, and some minor characters are interesting but do nothing to further the story. The writing is enchanting, however, and will pull many readers in and keep them hooked to the last page.
Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orchard Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0439395658
• ISBN 13: 9780439395656
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240