The Thickety : a path begins

Format:

Book (regular print)

Title:

The Thickety : a path begins

Other title(s):

Path begins

Author:

White, J. A. author

ISBN:

9780062257246

9780062257239

9780606365086

9781489893642

Edition:

First edition.

Publication:

New York, NY : Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2014]

Physical Description:

488 pages ; 19 cm.

Series title(s):

Thickety ;

Number in series:

Summary:

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, 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.

Reading Level:

Ages 10 and up.

Program Information:

Accelerated Reader AR MG 5.1 11.0 Accelerated Reader Quiz #166192.

Reading Counts 6-8 4.5 17 63697.

Lexile 730L.

Subject(s):

Magic -- Juvenile fiction.

Trials (Witchcraft) -- Juvenile fiction.

Social isolation -- Juvenile fiction.

Mothers -- Death -- Juvenile fiction.

Magic paraphernalia -- Juvenile fiction.

Forests and forestry -- Juvenile fiction.

Genre:

Added Author:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	J White, J.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Library	YA FIC WHI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Dallas Public Library	+ FICTION - WHITE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Jefferson Public Library	J WHITE, J.A. THICKETY BOOK 1	Searching... Unknown
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	White, J.	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

A spellbinding tale about a girl, the Thickety, and the power of magic. Fans of Neil Gaiman will love this thrilling world.

A dark, forbidden forest. Vicious beasts. Deadly plants. An evil spellbook. Secrets. Mysteries. Witches, both good and bad . . . Welcome to the world of the Thickety.

Full of action, set in an intriguing and dangerous world, and illustrated with gorgeous and haunting line art, The Thickety: A Path Begins is a truly stunning book.

A Path Begins is the thrilling start of a middle grade fantasy series about a girl, a mysterious forest, and a book of untold magical powers. Kara and her brother, Taff, are shunned by their village because their mother was a witch. The villagers believe nothing is more evil than magic, except for what lurks in the nearby Thickety.

But when Kara enters the forbidden forest, she discovers a strange book, a grimoire that might have belonged to her mother. The events she then sets in motion are both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

And that is just the beginning of the story--there are three more adventures in the Thickety to explore after this first book in the series.

Publishers Weekly Best Book IndieBound Indie Next List Publishers Weekly Flying Start Amazon's Big Spring Books Washington Post Summer Book Club

Reviews (5)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-8-"There is no such thing as a good witch." These words, well known to all the villagers of De'Noran, haunt 12-year-old Kara Westfall. Ostracized and abused, she and her brother are the children of the last known witch, who was hanged on the edge of the Thickety when Kara was five. As the tangled branches of the dark, forbidden forest spread closer to the village, something strange and powerful awakens in Kara. Was her mother's magic truly evil? White's debut novel is darkly bewitching. The isolation of De'Noran and the fervor of its residents create a heady suspense, and White's well-crafted characters operate beautifully within the fantastical world he has created. Offerman's inky silhouettes perfectly complement the story. Readers will devour each twist and turn of the plot, right up to the startling conclusion.-Sara Saxton, Wasilla Public Library, Wasilla, AK (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

The followers of the Path have left the sinful world behind to live in the isolated community of De'Noran, which is increasingly encroached upon by the Thickety, the domain of the forest demon Sordyr. Kara Westfall's mother was executed for the crime of witchcraft, and now her family ekes out a living under the burden of the community's suspicion. It falls to 12-year-old Kara to keep her sickly younger brother and dysfunctional father alive. She negotiates the treacherous road of a pariah, attempting to persuade a proto-Puritanical society that she is harmless, even while the dangerously addictive powers she has inherited from her mother well up within her. In this darkly imaginative debut, White creates a fantasy world with creatures that are anything but sweet-a cyclopean bird, a multi-mouthed horror-and, after a deceptively satisfying resolution, he unfurls a twist that will make readers want the next chapter of Kara's story immediately. White's prose is evocative without being dense, and Offermann's sharp-edged silhouettes (not all seen by PW) add an ominous note. Absolutely thrilling. Ages 8-12. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, Janklow & Nesbit. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Horn Book Review

Kara has always doubted the accusations of witchcraft that led to her mother's execution. Yet when she discovers her mother's grimoire in the evil forest surrounding her home, her understanding both of magic and her mother's crimes is called into question. Kara's kindness and courage make her an appealing heroine as she and her brother defy human injustice and magical dangers. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

Nail-biting suspense is the hallmark of this long fantasy novel, from the terrifying prologue to the shocking epilogue. This pleasantly accomplished debut presents readers with a dystopian, theocratic society that fears and executes witches and magic users. The community lives on the island of De'Noran, where the habitable land is being devoured by strange forest called the Thickety. In the prologue, readers meet little Kara Westall, who is roused from her bed and dragged to watch her mother's execution as a witch. Years later, Kara, now 12, is responsible for herself, her younger brother, Taff, and their father, crippled by depression. When Kara finds her mother's grimoire in the Thickety and uses it, the already suspenseful narrative becomes nerve-wracking. The author's storytelling chops show in how he ratchets up suspense, delivers believable characters (both good and evil), and reveals information slowly and only when absolutely necessary. There is a stunning climax and a seemingly perfect resolution. Readers will know, however, that nothing is perfect, and the epilogue confirms this fact while providing hope for a sequel. The spellbinding story, lashings of suspense and stalwart heroine will draw in fantasy fans and keep them reading until the bitter ending. (Fantasy. 11-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

When Kara was just a child, she was accused of witchcraft and forced to watch her mother executed for the same crime. Ever after, she and her family have lived in their isolated theocratic community as pariahs. Now 12 (though mature beyond her years), Kara stoically tries to hold everything together for her sickly brother. It all starts to unravel when she's summoned to the deep wood, called Thickety, where she finds a dangerous grimoire that awakens her magical abilities. But her magic comes with a price, and soon she's not the only one trying to harness its addictive spells. In spare prose, debut author White follows Kara as she discovers sinister forces at work in her community and strives to combat the temptation to use her power for nefarious ends. Though much of the intriguing world, including Thickety, is left unexplored, an unsettling twist ending leaves a creaking door open for more stories. White's persistent dark imagery, along with Offermann's eerie silhouette spot illustrations, adds to the overall dark atmosphere.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2014 Booklist