Kimber here. Reminding you that one of us has long maintained that some of the best writing in all literature is children’s literature. Not sure what that means. Methinks it may have something to do with puppies. But if Mom likes it, so do I!

And lemme tell ya, she really liked a “Juvenile Fiction” book she recently read. Totally out of the blue. Never heard of the book or the author before. They just kinda jumped off a shelf at the library right into her book bag. Ya know how that happens sometimes, right? Well. What a find!

I’ll let Her Momness tell you more:

The Silver Gate

By Kristin Bailey

Published by: Katherine Tegen Books, 2017

Genre: Juvenile Fiction/Fantasy/Fairy Tale

Pages: 311

Via: Library

“You will see what you believe you see.”

Wynn and her brother Elric are from the Otherworld. Can they find the Between before it’s too late?

Wynn has had plenty of scares in her eleven years. Born with developmental delays, Wynn should have been abandoned in the woods at birth according to the rules of her tiny village. But her mother refused, hiding Wynn in a remote hut in the forest instead. They’re poor as church mice. But their simple home is filled with love and laughter. Wynn’s mother teaches her a song about the Silver Gate, a beautiful fairy realm where all children are welcome.

Elric is Wynn’s older brother. The thirteen year-old is a shepherd and lives a life of servitude with his father. They work the land for the lord to whom Elric’s family is indentured, with very little to show for their toil.

Elric visits his mother and sister when he can. But one day he arrives at the hut to find it cold. The fire has gone out. Mother is dead. And Wynn is alone, at the mercy of the elements, their raging father, cruel villagers, and the evil Grendel.

Flee!

Elric gathers his sister. Together they flee into the woods in search of  safety and a home. Running and hiding, wet and hungry, tired and cold, Wynn recites a song about a Fairy Queen and a Silver Gate.

It’s not real, says Elric. None of Wynn’s songs and rhymes are real.

Or are they?

Touching & Tender

The Silver Gate is a touching and tender story about loyalty, perseverance, hope, and love. It also includes magic and adventure. Cruelty and compassion. A prince and a princess. A hero and a heroine. It has a delicious Middle-Earth-ish feel to it in places. Also one heckuva surprise ending! YOWZA!

Hums Along

The action hums along crisply as Wynn and Elric flee their cold-hearted father, using their wits to survive. Danger stalks their every step. Their only weapons are an old ax, a pot, a plump black hen, and a song. At first Elric feels that his sister is a burden. That she only slows him down. Over time, however, Elric the skeptic slowly begins to realize that Wynn sees and understands things he doesn’t.

It’d make a great aloud. You know. For puppies and such. It’d also make a great movie. We loved it!

Our Rating: 4.5