Additional information
by Kelly Barnhill (Author)
Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal ★ A New York Times Bestseller ★ An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2016 ★ A New York Public Library Best Book ★ A Chicago Public Library Best Book ★ An Amazon Top 20 Best Book ★ A Publishers Weekly Best Book ★ A School Library Journal Best Book ★ A Kirkus Reviews Best Book ★ A Booklist Youth Editors' Choice
With more than a million copies sold, acclaimed fantasy author Kelly Barnhill's Newbery Medal winner is a must-read for fans of classic children's literature or timeless fantasy fables, described as "impossible to put down... As exciting and layered as classics like Peter Pan or The Wizard of Oz" (The New York Times Book Review). Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey. One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna's thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge, with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth's surface. And the woman with the Tiger's heart is on the prowl . . . Don't miss these other acclaimed books by Kelly Barnhill:The Mostly True Story of Jack
Iron Hearted Violet
The Witch's Boy
The Ogress and the Orphans
Back Jacket
"There is magic in starlight, of course. This is well known. Moonlight, however. That is a different story. Moonlight is magic. Ask anyone you like."
PRAISE FOR THE WITCH'S BOY: "Barnhill is a fantasist on the order of Neil Gaiman."--Minneapolis Star Tribune "[The Witch's Boy] should open young readers' eyes to something that is all around them in the very world we live in: the magic of words."
--The New York Times "This spellbinding fantasy begs for a cozy chair, a stash of Halloween candy and several hours of uninterrupted reading time."
--The Washington Post
Author Biography
Kelly Barnhill is a bestselling author of books for children and adults, including The Girl Who Drank the Moon, winner of the Newbery Medal; The Ogress and the Orphans, a National Book Award finalist; and the highly acclaimed novels for young readers The Witch's Boy, Iron Hearted Violet, and The Mostly True Story of Jack. She is also a winner of the World Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award, the Andre Norton Nebula Award, and the PEN America Literary Award. Kelly lives in Minnesota with her husband and three children, and she invites you to visit her online at kellybarnhill.com or on Bluesky @kellybarnhill.bsky.social.
