Eidi

December 1, 2009
Gr 4-7-In "The Crow-Girl" (Farrar, 2004), Bredsdorff introduces readers to a group of characters composed of tattered remnants of families that death or pain have dissolved. That background is missing here, leaving readers a bit puzzled as to how they are related, but it soon doesn't matter as Eidi takes over the tale. The daughter of Foula, who has a new husband and a new baby, Eidi feels uncertain of her place in the household. She travels with a kindly neighbor, Rossan, to the city, where she finds a needy orphan, a young boy named Tink, cruelly mistreated by his stepfather. Eidi gradually grows to understand her own desires, abilities, and power as she nurtures Tink and fights for his survival and her own. The time and place are quite vague; the author brings to life a simply functioning world similar to that found in fairy talesa place that is both specific and universal. Lyrically told, the narrative provides apt descriptions of events and of the natural world. Readers easily decode the motivations and inner thoughts revealed in the actions and words of the characters who are vividly and quickly delineated but possess lively complexities. An excellent follow-up for fans of the first book."Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, CO"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2009
Grades 4-6 *Starred Review* A secondary character in The Crow Girl (2004), a Batchelder Honor Book, Eidi here emerges as the center of her own story. After the birth of a son to her mother and stepfather, Eidi becomes restive in her Crow Cove home and sets out to gain a measure of independence. She takes a job spinning wool for Rossan, a kindly shepherd, and accompanies him to a nearby town where she befriends Tink, a young boy abused by his master. Depending on her courage and guile as well as the loyalty of friends, Eidi rescues Tink, whose story has become entwined with a mystery from her past: the identity of her father. Eidis clear-eyed search for independence has more to do with creating new links than with destroying old ones, and occasional flashes of magical realism seem believable within this quietly told story. Like the previous book in the Children of Crow Cove series, this unassuming yet compelling story is notable for the simplicity and power of the storytelling, the clarity of description and characterization, and the humanity of the ideas at the novels heart.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)