Windswept

July 18, 2022
Newbery Honoree Preus presents an intriguing dystopian fantasy steeped in fairy tales. Thirteen-year-old Hyacinth, called “Tagalong,” has lived her entire life indoors, safe from the treacherous wind that snatched under-15-year-old “youngers” and whisked them away to places unknown. Seven years after her own three sisters were windswept in a sudden snow squall, having sneaked away from the once-prosperous family’s guard, a map to a secret gathering is slipped through a knothole in the door that Tag peers out of daily. Spurred to break out of the boarded-up house, Tag heads to the meeting with a forbidden book of fairy tales and a seemingly magical ribbon, only to witness the deep corruption of the “olders” tasked with keeping the “youngers” safe. Tag and a motley group of new friends set off on a quest to find their missing siblings, encountering witches, trolls, and enchanting magic along the way. Via sensate prose (outside “tasted sweet and spicy and slightly dangerous”) and jam-packed worldbuilding that borrows from Norwegian fairy tales, Preus smartly employs the fairy tale form to investigate ethics around avarice, exploitation, and communal priority. Veve’s occasional graphite illustrations contribute to the fairy tale feel. Characters read as white; back matter includes a list of referenced fairy tales. Ages 10–14. Author’s agent: Stephen Fraser, Jennifer De Chiara Literary.

August 1, 2022
Grades 5-8 Children are no longer allowed outdoors, since they might be swept up by the wind that drives swirling snowflakes and never seen again. Years ago that was the fate of Tag's older sisters. Now determined to find them, she joins a ragtag band of other "youngers" with similar stories, bound together by their determination to rescue the lost children. They struggle to reach the distant mountains where the captives might be held, while Tag occasionally reads aloud to her companions from a forbidden book of fairy tales, in hopes of learning practical techniques for dealing with trolls. Along the way, they occasionally encounter helpful strangers. In the end, though, they must rely on one another. Preus grounds the fantasy by detailing the skewed reality of Tag's everyday life before leaving home and by keeping her thoughts and emotions at the forefront during her journey. Written in third person, the narrative becomes increasingly involving as Tag and her companions reveal more of themselves to one another and to readers. An engaging adventure story well suited to reading aloud.

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Starred review from September 1, 2022

Gr 5 Up-When children (or Youngers) venture Outside, they are often Windswept, or blown away by the wind, never to be seen again. This was the case of Hyacinth's sisters Iris, Lily, and Rose, when they broke the rules and went to the Outside. The youngest sister Hyacinth, also known as Tagalong or Tag, is a step behind her sisters when the sisters go to the forbidden Outside and are separated from her. Years later, Tag receives a note asking her to attend a meeting on the forbidden Outside. She leaves her home and is soon leading an adventure to find her siblings. The unlikely crew of Youngers-Finn, Boots, Ren, Ant, and Tag, with the dog BlueTooth-journey into the Unknown to find their windswept siblings, meeting many magical characters along the way. They take a forbidden fairy-tale book with them, and it becomes their field guide for an adventure of a lifetime. Preus's latest is a modern and slightly dystopian fairy-tale based on Norwegian folklore. Her hypnotic writing will tug at readers' hearts and keep them mesmerized. Veve's illustrations and maps add interest and enhance the text. VERDICT This must-read grand adventure with unlikely heroes will appeal to all fantasy lovers.-Nancy Hawkins

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2022
The time is the future. The "Powers-That-Be" are kidnapping children -- using a meteorological weapon of windstorms that sweep them up, to then be sold to mountain trolls for profit. Parents are instructed to protect their offspring (the "youngers") by keeping them imprisoned inside day and night. A band of rebel youngers -- Ant, Boots, and Ren, led by our narrator Tag and accompanied by a dog named Blue Tooth -- make their escape and set off on a quest to rescue their abducted siblings. It's a classic folktale journey, with magical objects, helpful old women, gnomic advice, monsters, the unleashing of unusual talents, outwittings, and a glorious eleventh-hour comeuppance. Along the way we are deftly reminded of the "Other Times" (i.e., now) of climate change, pollution, political corruption, neglect of the young, and racial injustice. The tone here is pitch-perfect, capturing that particular fairy-tale flavor of the absurd mingling with the deeply serious; slapstick alongside real suspense; and language being bent, re-purposed, and enjoyed for its own deliciousness. Veve's distinctive and quirky textured black-and-white art is interspered. Preus is so confident in this genre that it is no surprise to learn in an afterword that she grew up listening to her father tell Norwegian fairy stories. She appends an intriguing list of tales that inspired this fresh, rich, and buoyant fantasy. Sarah Ellis

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2022
The time is the future. The "Powers-That-Be" are kidnapping children -- using a meteorological weapon of windstorms that sweep them up, to then be sold to mountain trolls for profit. Parents are instructed to protect their offspring (the "youngers") by keeping them imprisoned inside day and night. A band of rebel youngers -- Ant, Boots, and Ren, led by our narrator Tag and accompanied by a dog named Blue Tooth -- make their escape and set off on a quest to rescue their abducted siblings. It's a classic folktale journey, with magical objects, helpful old women, gnomic advice, monsters, the unleashing of unusual talents, outwittings, and a glorious eleventh-hour comeuppance. Along the way we are deftly reminded of the "Other Times" (i.e., now) of climate change, pollution, political corruption, neglect of the young, and racial injustice. The tone here is pitch-perfect, capturing that particular fairy-tale flavor of the absurd mingling with the deeply serious; slapstick alongside real suspense; and language being bent, re-purposed, and enjoyed for its own deliciousness. Veve's distinctive and quirky textured black-and-white art is interspered. Preus is so confident in this genre that it is no surprise to learn in an afterword that she grew up listening to her father tell Norwegian fairy stories. She appends an intriguing list of tales that inspired this fresh, rich, and buoyant fantasy. Sarah Ellis

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from July 15, 2022
An unlikely hero embarks on a quest to find her missing sisters. In Tagalong's world, youngers under 15 are not allowed Outside their homes to avoid being swept away by snow squalls. The Powers-That-Be preserve the status quo while outlawing books and fairy tales as dangerous. Seven years ago, Tag's three sisters--Lily, Rose, and Iris--vanished in a squall. Tag, now 13, has never been Outside until the day she receives an invitation to a meeting. Discovering a book of fairy tales hidden in an attic wardrobe, Tag takes it with her as she escapes Outside to meet Finn, the boy who invited her, and three younger boys. They're poised to journey into the Unknown to find their windswept siblings. Not sure she really belongs with them, Tag nevertheless joins along and, after Finn vanishes, distracts and inspires them with remarkable stories from her book. Aided by three spellcasting sisters, various magical objects, and some trickery, Tag emerges as a determined and creative hero as she confronts treacherous danger alone in a dramatic climax. Inspired primarily by the Norwegian fairy tale "The Three Princesses in the Mountain Blue," this edgy, somewhat dystopian tale set in a world where race holds no significance masterfully blends European fairy-tale motifs with timely warnings about human greed, waste, and destructiveness while extoling the power of storytelling. Richly descriptive prose and delicate, atmospheric black-and-white illustrations enhance the fairy-tale flavor. An inventive, memorable must-read. (map, author's note, list of fairy tales, bibliography) (Fantasy. 10-14)

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July 1, 2022
The time is the future. The "Powers-That-Be" are kidnapping children -- using a meteorological weapon of windstorms that sweep them up, to then be sold to mountain trolls for profit. Parents are instructed to protect their offspring (the "youngers") by keeping them imprisoned inside day and night. A band of rebel youngers -- Ant, Boots, and Ren, led by our narrator Tag and accompanied by a dog named Blue Tooth -- make their escape and set off on a quest to rescue their abducted siblings. It's a classic folktale journey, with magical objects, helpful old women, gnomic advice, monsters, the unleashing of unusual talents, outwittings, and a glorious eleventh-hour comeuppance. Along the way we are deftly reminded of the "Other Times" (i.e., now) of climate change, pollution, political corruption, neglect of the young, and racial injustice. The tone here is pitch-perfect, capturing that particular fairy-tale flavor of the absurd mingling with the deeply serious; slapstick alongside real suspense; and language being bent, repurposed, and enjoyed for its own deliciousness. Veve's distinctive and quirky textured black-and-white art is interspersed. Preus is so confident in this genre that it is no surprise to learn in an afterword that she grew up listening to her father tell Norwegian fairy stories. She appends an intriguing list of tales that inspired this fresh, rich, and buoyant fantasy.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)