The Moorchild

by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Book Overview

Half moorfolk and half human, and unable to shape-shift or disappear at will, Moql threatens the safety of the Band. So the Folk banish her and send her to live among humans as a changeling. Named Saaski by the couple for whose real baby she was swapped, she grows up taunted and feared by the villagers for being different, and is comfortable only on the moor, playing strange music on her bagpipes. As Saaski grows up, memories from her forgotten past...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416927689
• ISBN13: 9781416927686
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Not just for children...

I'm a little chagrined that the recommended age level for this book is 9-12. I'm middle-aged and thoroughly enjoyed it. Previous reviewers have give ample plot analysis - the only thing I will add is that it was well-written and had a satisfactory ending. (I hate reading books that end badly, no matter how enjoyable they were up to that point!) I read this book yesterday, and woke up today still thinking about it, which is always a sign to me of a good book. My only "criticism" is that, as a former teacher who loves to read out loud to children, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to pronounce her fairy name!

Moving and tender story about a child half-human, half-fairy

My daughter and I listened to the Recorded Books version read by Virginia Leishman, one of the most beautiful readings of a children's book I have ever heard. The story is suited for older children and might be too upsetting for some children under the age of 9 or 10. There is a scene which will be upsetting to anybody--as well it should--but it should be "digestible" for most older children exposed to the evening news or history books, and the scene is sensitively resolved by the courage of the child's human father's quite heroic behavior.The character of the child's human family members is one of the most comforting aspects of the book, as their courage and integrity is contrasted with the ignorance and fear of the villagers and the mob among both the fairies and the human villagers. The similar ignorance of both groups with regard to anyone "different" is also an illuminating and sensitively depicted facet of a truly excellent book.The story is about a child half-fairy, half-human, and as one character in the book states, "neither here nor there"....she doesn't belong anywhere, and that is the story's dilemma. However, the story is so beautifully told that even for children who don't feel "different", it is hard to imagine a sensitive child of 10-14 who wouldn't enjoy hearing this story or reading it themselves.The child in the story, Saaski, inspires hate in the medieval villagers who fear her difference as a threat to their well-being. She also inspires deep abiding love in her human "family" whose real baby has been stolen by the fairies to make a place for the half-fairy child they have rejected as "dangerous" as well.The examination of the origins of feelings of hate and love via the tale is illuminating for both children and adults, and I enjoyed the book as much as my daughter. There are elements of the story which are reminiscent of the witch hunts in American history and legend, and common elements shared with stories which detail more recent racist hatemongering.At the same time, the life of the "folk" or the fairies from the Celtic tradition is well-illustrated and explained. My daughter recently had a passage in one of her homework assignments that talked about the time difference between the fairy and the human worlds which was very much in tune with the interpretation of fairy or folklore as told by McGraw. This pleased my daughter a great deal and helped make the story feel more "authentic" for her.I recommend this book highly for both classroom and personal reading as there is sufficient depth to generate active and relevant classroom discussions, as well as tremendous enjoyment for avid readers.

Five stars? It deserves thirty!

This was one the best books I ever read. From the dedication: To all children who have felt different, to the very end it seemed as if this beautiful story had been written solely for my benefit. In it, Saaski begins life as a happy elf child, untill the other elves discover that she is half human, and thus cannot perform many of the essential elf magic spells. They then change her for a human child and put her in it's place. At first she is confused and angry, but gradually her memories begin to fade and she believes herself a human. All her young life she has to deal with the cruel prejudices of the simple village folk, as she also deals with confusion of her own strangeness. Untill that fatefull time when she is eleven years old.... Any way, this was an excellent book with some of the best writing and characterizations I have ever seen in a book, and I would reccamend it to anyone, but most especially, as the auther herself put it, To all children who have felt different.

BEST BOOK!

I loved this book! After getting through the very beginning of the book, which is a little slow and confusing, the rest of the book is great. The plot picked up and became very exciting. The book is one big mystery and made me so curious I wanted to keep reading. The plot is full of supense. During the last part of the book I was on the edge of my seat. I love the characters because they are very different and unique. The author does a great job making fantasy seem real. After reading this book I wondered if faries and elves really exist. Read this book if you like fantasy!

I loved it!

This was a very heart-warming book and I recomend it to anyone who loves fantasy and fairies. I also advise reading it if you feel 'out of place' because you can definately relate to the main character Saaski.