The Goblin Wood
Grade 5-8-Fantasy and intrigue blend in a mythical medieval land where good and evil are  not always clearly distinguishable. When the story opens, 12-year-old Makenna has just witnessed  the murder of her mother, the local hedgewitch, by decree of a priest of the Hierarch, aided by  the villagers whom Makenna's mother had always helped. Angry and bitter, the grieving girl seeks  revenge on the village and runs away into the woods, where she encounters and befriends the  goblins-a small, magical race of people who are being systematically exterminated by the  Hierarch. Advance five years to another part of the Hierarch's territory and meet Tobin, a knight  who takes the blame for his younger brother's role in an attempted coup. Tobin will be allowed to  redeem himself by capturing the sorceress who has aligned herself with the goblins. This, of  course, is Makenna. When the two young people meet, they discover that the world around them  cannot be viewed as all good or all bad and together they attempt to provide a safe haven for  both humans and goblins. Fantasy novels for young people do not often explore the gray areas,  which makes for some interesting and thought-provoking reading here. However, Bell provides few  transitions between times and places, making it difficult to discern what has happened and where  readers are in this mythical world. This lack of transition detracts from an otherwise promising  political fantasy.Sharon Grover, Arlington County Department of Libraries, VACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.