โ Scribed by Susan Cooper
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Gr 5-8-While recovering from hepatitis, Will Stanton is sent to a farm in Wales where he is soon caught up in the battle against "the Dark." He struggles to recall the prophetic lines he once memorized and gradually, as he learns the local place names of the geographic features around him, the meaning of the lines becomes clear to him. Through Bran, a young boy with mysterious origins who becomes Will's friend, Will fulfills the prophecies and once again defeats the Dark. This fourth book of Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series (S&S Childrens, 1975) won the 1976 Newbery Medal. Twenty-five years later, it is still as powerful and mesmerizing as when it was first published. Richard Mitchley's reading is excellent and heightens listeners' enjoyment of Cooper's prose. His ease with Welsh pronunciation and the distinctive cadence of Welsh English adds greatly to the authenticity of the story's setting, which is an essential element of this book. He gives the characters distinctive voices without actually doing voices for each. Children not familiar with the earlier books in the series may find the basic premise a bit confusing since Will's status as an "old one" and the conflict between the light and the dark are not given much explanation. However, this audiobook is so well done that those who enjoy fantasy will relish it. It will also be a good choice for older children with reading disabilities when they need to "read" a Newbery title.
Louise L. Sherman, formerly Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Psychology Today "Susan Cooper is one of the few contemporary writers who has the vivid imagination, the narrative powers, and the moral vision that permit her to create the kind of sweeping conflict between good and evil that lies at the heart of all great fantasy. Tolkien had it. So did C.S. Lewis. And Cooper writes in the same tradition."
๐ SIMILAR VOLUMES
There is a Welsh legend about a harp of gold, hidden within a certain hill, that will be found by a boy and a white dog with silver eyes -- a dog that can see the wind. Will Stanton knew nothing of this when he came to Wales to recover from a severe illness. But when he met Bran, a strange boy who o
SUMMARY: "Fire on the Mountain Shall Find the Harp of Gold Played to Wake the Sleepers,Oldest of the Old..."With the final battle between the Light and the Dark soon approaching, Will setsout on a quest to call for aid. Hidden within the Welsh hills is a magical harpthat he must use to wake the Sl
SUMMARY: "Fire on the Mountain Shall Find the Harp of Gold Played to Wake the Sleepers,Oldest of the Old..."With the final battle between the Light and the Dark soon approaching, Will setsout on a quest to call for aid. Hidden within the Welsh hills is a magical harpthat he must use to wake the Sle