[Lindsay 5] The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw

This is a great young adult fantasy novel that I picked up on a whim at Borders a couple months ago. It's about a young girl named Saaski, who is half human and half Moorfolk (a magical people with their own magical land). Saaski faces prejudice from the people of her village because they can sense something different about her, and they believe that she is a changeling and not the real child of her parents. Throughout the course of the book, Saaski comes to learn and remember things about herself, and with the help of her friend Tam, tries to set things right for herself and her family.

I really enjoyed the way this book is written, because the author uses a lot of dialect in the different characters' speech, and I liked that the setting wasn't completely defined in terms of time and place. It's very old time-wise, and seems slightly Celtic, but by not placing the story anywhere specific, the author adds to the element of fantasy and helps to make the themes more universal. The core of the story is really the dual nature of Saaski's character, and the feeling that she doesn't belong anywhere. McGraw's dedication at the front of the book is to "all children who have ever felt different," and Saaski's character is definitely a good model of that. This is important in a young adult work, since I don't think there are any young adults who haven't at one time felt different, and like any good piece of young adult fiction should, it can help young readers tap into and try to make sense of their own personal feelings.

The only thing I wish the book had was a greater sense of mystery about Saaski's beginnings. Everything about her past is revealed in the first couple chapters, and I feel like it would have been slightly more interesting for me if I as the reader was learning about her past at the same time she was. However, between the main theme and the quality of the writing, it's no wonder the book was awarded a Newbery Honor.