Under the Green Hill

October 1, 2010

Like Edward Eager's Half-Magic, this debut contemporary fantasy pays homage to E. Nesbit, but it goes further, mirroring Nesbit's narrative quirks, syntax and even vocabulary. To escape an epidemic, six American kids—the four Morgan siblings and two classmates—are bundled off to the siblings' elderly relatives in rural England. Arriving just in time for Beltane, they discover that the Seelie and Unseelie courts are housed nearby; the countryside is awash in fairies. Disregarding warnings not to leave the premises, the kids are soon up to their necks in dangerous fairy politics. Rowan is recruited as the Fairy Queen's champion, Meg meets a brownie, Finn stirs up trouble and Dickie meets a learned Wyrm. The often-archaic language sometimes jars—the Morgans call their parents "Mother" and "Father" and use expressions like, "that's the ticket"—and the chatty narrator repeatedly pauses the action to reflect on it or spell out a moral. Happily, Sullivan also channels vivid Nesbit-style storytelling and characters, and while the discursive asides diminish suspense, they're a refreshing departure from breakneck pacing and breathless narration. (Fantasy. 9-14)

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September 1, 2010

Gr 5-8-When a life-claiming illness sweeps across the United States, college professors Tom and Glynnis Morgan send their children to England to stay with elderly relatives they have never met. Rowan, Meg, Priscilla, and James are accompanied by malicious Finn Fachan and timid Dickie Rhys, sons of other professors. When great-great-aunt Phyllida Ash gives her six guests a list of rules the first evening (stay out of the forest, never accept food from outside the Rookery, do not tell strangers your names), they view her warnings as old superstitions. However, these admonitions have a practical basis: it is a seventh summer. Phyllida's ancestors have always been the human guardians of the Green Hill, a sacred place to the fairies since the beginning of time, and it is now her job to mediate between the two remaining fairy courts, and to keep the balance between humans and fairies. Despite Phyllida's warnings, the children are drawn into the forest, where they meet the queen of the Seelie Court. Every seventh summer, the Midsummer War must be fought between the two fairy courts if the land is to remain verdant, and tradition holds that each court will choose a human champion who will fight to the death. When the Fairy Queen asks Rowan if he will champion the cause for the Seelie Court, he gladly accepts. Meg must weigh keeping her older brother from what she believes will be certain death against interfering with an age-old practice whose absence could destroy the land. Sullivan draws heavily on her knowledge of Middle English folklore and creates a story rich with memorable characters and evocative language. The ending begs for a sequel in which readers can learn more about the history between the two opposing fairy courts and how the Morgan children fulfill their destinies.-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2010
Grades 4-7 When a virulent fever sweeps across America, the four Morgan children are sent to stay with elderly relatives in a remote part of England. Arriving on May Day, they are given rules for their protection from certain . . . dangers. Ignoring warnings, they venture out that evening to the Green Hill, where the fairies emerge, and their queen chooses Rowan as her champion, to fight to the death at Midsummer. The narrative follows Meg as she struggles to understand the magic around them and discover how to protect her brother. With nods to Arthurian legend and the Narnia tales, this fantasy is firmly planted in reality but uses traditional fairy lore in a convincing way. The cast of characters is large, and the subplots add to the storys complexity more than its strength. Still, Sullivan makes shape-shifting and enchanted weapons seem natural and believable in context. With colorful characters, from Jenny Greenteeth to the dragonlike Wyrm, this engaging fantasy will attract readers intrigued by English folklore.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)