Staff Pick
This is a haunting, complex fantasy that deals in parallel worlds, both with their very real problems and risks. Highly recommended by Madeleine L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time. Recommended By Richard C., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Bonnie, a girl torn between the harsh reality of her mother's weaknesses and her grandmother's strong will escapes her home one day by sneaking into her neighbor's hot air balloon. But instead of flying into the clouds and back down, she lands in another world, something like her own, but both kinder and somehow much more terrifying. She's not sure if she can ever leave this nearly parallel world and return to her own. And if she did, she isn't sure she'll be able to bring back with her the sense of warmth and love she has grown to cherish. Amazingly, she does both.
Review
"Bonnie's solemn journey to an eerily similar world that holds everything she's ever yearned for and also her worst terrors is written with grace and pain....Entrancing and substantial." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"An enjoyable fantasy that offers food for thought." School Library Journal
Review
"The deft interplay of fantasy and reality leaves some questions for readers to answer." Booklist
Review
"Fisk's...debut novel should stimulate fantasy readers in search of more than simple escapism....Fisk leaves it to readers to make many connections for themselves, confidently allowing much of the story to remain just below the surface." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Pauline Fisk is the author of many wonderful books for children, including
The Secret of Sabrina Fludde.
Midnight Blue was her stunning debut novel and is only now available in the US. Her hobbies are walking, thinking, being by the sea, reading, enjoying her family, and music. Pauline lives in Shropshire, England, near the hills where
Midnight Blue is set.