ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Strange, Lucy

Sisters of the Lost Marsh

304 pp. | Scholastic/Chicken House | January, 2023 | Trade ISBN 9781338686463 $18.99
(2) 4-6 Because of a (fictional) traditional rhyme that claims--or threatens--six motherless sisters' destinies according to birth order, their violent, often-drunk Dadder trades the beautiful eldest, Grace, as wife in exchange for a horse. When Grace escapes to avoid her fate and disappears with the seasonal fair, Willa, the second sister, sets off to fetch her back. Pursued by Dadder and his nasty fiancé, Willa and the horse traverse marsh and mire to retrieve Grace and, somehow, persuade Dadder to undo her betrothal. But Willa can't find Grace with the fair: could it be she has become prey to the fabled Marsh King? Strange (The Ghost of Midnight Lake, rev. 3/22) draws on the horror of folktales of Britain's Romney Marsh in this quasi-medieval gothic fantasy. Girls are at the mercy of their fathers; reading is suspect; clever, articulate elders are punished with the ducking stool or murdered as witches. The story has a strong "and then" quality, as Willa rides off now here, now there; there's a certain ebullience (vigorously enhanced by the irrepressible youngest sisters), a handful of mysteries, and plenty of mire-y, marsh-lit atmosphere to keep readers immersed.
Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?