A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories - Hardcover

Mckinley, Robin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688092012 ISBN 13: 9780688092016

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 1994

Synopsis

A world of magic, hidden power, romance, and mystery abounds in a collection of five fantasy stories, including four tales set in the mythical kingdom of Damar. By the Newbery Medalist for The Hero and the Crown.

About this title

About the Author:

Robin McKinley's other books include the Newbery Award-winning The Hero and the Crown; Newbery Honor Book The Blue Sword; Sunshine; Spindle's End; Rose Daughter; Deerskin; The Outlaws of Sherwood; and the short story collections The Door in the Hedge; A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories; and, with her husband, the author Peter Dickinson, Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits. She lives in England with her husband, three whippets, and over five hundred rosebushes.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 7-12-The mythical world of Damar, featured in The Hero and the Crown (1984) and The Blue Sword (1982, both Greenwillow), is the setting for four of the five stories in this uneven collection. Damar's medieval atmosphere serves as a perfect backdrop for tales of magic and mysterious events. However, for those who haven't read the novels, there is little clarification of details that crop up from them. The sorcerer Luthe, an integral character in both Hero and Sword, appears in two of these stories, but his significance is not explained. The strength of plot development varies; it is at its best in "Touk's House." Less convincing is "The Stagman," in which the passive princess Ruen, rescued by the Stagman from her evil uncle who usurped her kingdom, now joins the beast/man, leaving her husband after 20 years of apparently happy marriage. The collection's anomaly, though delightful, is the title story. Set in the present day, it is the tale of a teenager who prevents the destruction of her small town by a superhighway-with the help of a mysterious box she finds in the attic. It is misplaced among the Damarian stories, but reveals this talented author's ability to utilize various settings, and whets readers' appetites for more modern-day fantasy from her. All in all, a mixed bag, but one that will be enjoyed by fans of McKinley's earlier books.
Mary Jo Drungil, Niles Public Library District, IL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0688092012
• ISBN 13: 9780688092016
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 195