The Pictish Child: Tartan Magic, Book Two

By Jane Yolen

Book Overview

Even witches have to retire from magic sometime. When Peter, Jennifer, and their four-year-old sister, Molly, visit the Eventide Home, they find just what their gran promised: a coven of kindhearted,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 015216359X
• ISBN13: 9780152163594
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Length: 156 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.3" x 0.5" x 5.5"
• Age Range: 8 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 3 and higher

Customer Reviews

Very enjoyable!

This is the second book in Jane Yolen's Tartan Magic trilogy, and picks up soon after the events in The Wizard's Map. In this book, Jennifer, Peter and Molly, three American children on vacation in Scotland are taken by their Scottish grandmother to visit three sisters living in a home for the elderly. But, there's strange magic at work here, and when an ancient amulet brings to life a Pictish child that died some 1000 years ago, the children are in for the ride of their lives. An ancient wrong needs to be set right, and a modern wrong needs to be averted.My thirteen-year-old daughter first introduced me to these books, and I must say that I enjoy them as much as she does. Jane Yolen does an excellent job of bring Scotland to life for the American reader (please remember that there is a Scottish glossary at the back!). In general, the author does not spend too much time on character development (outside of the children and their grandmother, the characters are very two-dimensional), but for many young readers, this will not prove a problem. So, let me just say that my daughter and I both enjoyed this book, and we highly recommend it to you!

A new story in an old tradition!

This wonderful story is one of three (so far) chronicling the adventures of three American children on vacation in Scotland, visiting their grandmother. They have come to realize that Scotland is filled with the magic of centuries, and the magic lives in 13-year-old Jennifer. However, there are others working magic in Scotland, and the children soon find themselves caught up in a magics both new and old!This is a great story, harkening back so clearly to ancient folk stories. I especially liked the traditional idea of women as possessors of ancient wisdom and power, beyond men and their science. This is a great book that I recommend to everyone with children, especially girls.

A trip through time

The second book of the "Tartan Magic" series trips back through time, space, and lots of evil witchery. Following up on the first book (which you should read to fully understand the plot of this one), this is an excellent second entry.Three American kids -- twins Peter and Jennifer, and younger sibling Molly -- are still in Scotland, while Da and their parents are away. During a "dreech" day, Gran takes the girls to a nearby nursing home, where three old ladies -- a coven of sweet old witches -- play a card game and dote on Molly. One of them gives her a little stone with an engraving. It turns out to be a talisman -- one that soon calls a Pictish girl to the present day.The little Pictish girl, Ninia, is not the only visitor. Just after her arrival, a mighty Pict warrior appears, and a sinister dark mist begins following them. Gran can hold it off for a short while. But why is Ninia in the present, how can she go home -- and what evil presence wants to destroy her?This is a really charming little book, full of twists and turns and the occasional odd comment ("American has electricity. Scotland has power"). There's also a little educational value in this, which parents might like; Yolen is too talented to let this info on the Picts and their civilization be boring, and it is very vital to the plotline. The pace is snappy and full of Scottish words (there's a guide to them at the back of the book, if you want to know what "dreech" means), and descriptions that cause images to pop into the mind.There's a little more comedy in this book than in the last: we have the smart-alecky talking dog, who trades barbs with anyone who will respond. Also, there is Peter's turn as an early teenage driver, which will elicit winces from any parents who read it. The menace is, possibly, even better than the wizard Michael Scot -- you probably won't even be able to guess who it is.Delightful little story, really charming. A must-read for any lovers of magic or Scotland.

A Book of magic.

I thought this book was enchanting. The way she wrote it made you want to read more. The way she described the pictish child was very specific. This book was magical and exciting. It was not the kind of book with all describing and no adventure though. She managed to include both. I enjoyed the way she put the glossary in the back of the book. It helped me understand the books Scottish words, and it was fun to say them and nobody would know what I was saying!