Book Description
for The Little Grey Girl by Celine Kiernan
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Mup’s grandmother ruled Witch’s Hollow in the world of magic with cruelty. Mup’s mam does not want to lead the same way, but has a hard time building trust. And although Mup’s grandmother may have been defeated she isn’t altogether gone. Watching Mup’s family through the eye of the moon, she sends a curse down on the castle where they now reside: snow that won’t stop, muffling everyone’s magic. There’s a threat inside the castle grounds, too: The ghost of a girl whose scribbled drawings are full of sadness so great that anyone who sees them begins weeping uncontrollably, or rage so fierce that they are at risk of losing control. The girl was witness to the suffering in the castle dungeons under Mup’s grandmother. Once she consoled prisoners with her compassion, now she is full of hatred for Mup’s family. As the adults fall under the spell of the snow and the girl’s powerful drawings, Mup and her friend Crow must come up with a way to stop her. The second book in “The Wild Magic” trilogy that began with Begone the Raggedy Witches continues to examine cruelty and pain, the corruption of power, and the power of forgiveness in a forthright, astonishing story featuring a biracial (Black/white), courageous young girl. (Ages 8–12)
CCBC Choices 2020. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2020. Used with permission.