About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
In the first book of the Faerie Woods series, Blue must find his way into the magical forest known as the Crosswood and through the dangerous Faerie lands beyond it.
Fourteen-year-old Blue Jasper takes his younger siblings, twins Indigo and Violet, out for a hike to give their mother a break. One moment the twins are scampering in the trees right ahead of him, and the next moment they are gone. As Blue frantically searches for them, a strange woman appears in the forest claiming to be the Faerie Queen Olea of Nearwood and the twins’ real mother. Now because of a magical pact, Blue's mother's life will be in danger if he can't find the twins before the next sunset. Will he be able to find the twins in time? And will they be able to find their way out again?
This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
Contributor Notes
Gabrielle Prendergast is an award-winning author who has written a number of books for young people, including Audacious, winner of the Westchester Award, Zero Repeat Forever, winner of the Sheila A. Egoff Prize for Children's Literature, and Pandas on the Eastside, which was shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily Award, the Red Cedar Award, the Diamond Willow Award and the Vancouver Book Award. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and has taught writing at Sydney University, San Francisco State University, UBC and Royal Canadian College. She lives in Vancouver.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 9 to 12
- Grade:
- 4 to 7
- Reading age:
- 9 to 12
Awards
- Short-listed, Chocolate Lily Book Awards
- , Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Awards - Diamond Willow
- Commended, BC Books for BC Schools
- Commended, Junior Library Guild (JLG) Gold Standard Selection
Editorial Reviews
“Excellent…A fast-moving urban fantasy with a likeable hero trying to do his best in an untenable situation...The Crosswood is a great high interest addition to the fantasy genre. Highly Recommended.”
— CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“Readers will appreciate Prendergast’s clever ideas…A solid plot.”
— School Library Connection (SLC)
