The Light Between Worlds: A Lyrical YA Fantasy About Sisters, Loss and Healing, and Finding Home in Post-WWII England($17.99Value)

Description

What happens when you return to the real world after being in a fantastical one like Narnia? This YA debut by Laura E. Weymouth is perfect for fans of Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood and Lev Grossman’s The Magicians. Six years ago, sisters Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell were swept away to a strange and beautiful kingdom called the Woodlands, where they lived for years. But ever since they returned to their lives in post-WWII England, they have struggled to adjust. Ev desperately wants to return to the Woodlands, and Philippa just wants to move on. When Ev goes missing, Philippa must confront the depth of her sister’s despair and the painful truths they’ve been running from. As the weeks unfold, Philippa wonders if Ev truly did find a way home, or if the weight of their worlds pulled her under. Walking the line between where fantasy and reality meet, this lyrical and magical novel is, above all else, an exploration of loss and healing, and what it means to find where you belong. This edition uses deckle edges; the uneven paper edge is intentional. Gr 8 Up{amp}ndash;During a bombing raid on London at the end of World War II, Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell, along with their brother Jamie, were transported to a magical realm called the Woodlands. There they stayed for six years, fighting a war against the mighty Tarsan Empire alongside Cervus, the Guardian of the Woodlands. But now, they've abruptly returned home, to the exact point in time they were swept away from, and ever since then, they've struggled to adjust to life in England. Jamie and Philippa just want to forget the Woodlands. But Evelyn, who fiercely believes that she belongs there, just wants to go back, and spends her days wandering the woods searching for reentry. When Evelyn goes missing, Philippa must confront the fissures in the Hapwell children's lives{amp}mdash;and come to terms with the fact that either Evelyn did find a way back, or was consumed by the grief that had haunted her since their return. In this emotional and poignant debut, Weymouth explores the story that The Chronicles of Narnia did not tell: how would someone cope with returning to the real world after living their lives in a magical realm? Told in alternating flashbacks between life in the Woodlands and life in England, the lyrical and moving prose paints a portrait of a family torn apart desperately struggling to heal itself. VERDICT A powerful, magical debut for all YA fantasy shelves. Hand this to anyone who ever wondered what may have happened to the Pevensie children after Narnia.{amp}mdash;Tyler Hixson, Brooklyn Public Library “Even as Evelyn and Philippa navigate their exile from another world, Laura Weymouth reveals to us the real magic--born of sisterhood, nature, love and resilience--that resides in our own. THE LIGHT BETWEEN WORLDS is transfixing and unforgettable.”   - Sara Holland, New York Times bestselling author of Everless “More than just an entertaining read…[ The Light Between Worlds is] filled with great characters, a timely theme, a perfectly captured setting, and a willingness to not only ask but dwell with the most enduring question in fantasy literature, ‘what happens when our heroes and heroines return home?’ I can think of no better fantasy book to share with a young adult.” - The NarniaFans Book Reviews “More than just an entertaining read. I can think of no better fantasy book to share with a young adult.” - The NarniaFans Book Reviews “Emotional and poignant… a powerful, magical debut for all YA fantasy shelves. Hand this to anyone who ever wondered what may have happened to the Pevensie children after Narnia.” - School Library Journal (starred review) “Anyone who knows that feeling of being in love with a fantasy world as a child can understand the longing that Evelyn feels for the Woodlands…. I am so compelled by this story and by these sisters who have lived in another world and must find contentment in our own.” - NPR “The perfect story for anyone who’s ever searched for magic in the everyday, THE LIGHT BETWEEN WORLDS will break your heart and then make it whole again. Laura Weymouth wields words like she’s casting spells, and the result is utterly enchanting.” - Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of the Reign of the Fallen series “Haunting and beautiful, The Light Between Worlds is a love story to siblings, to the belief in magic, to discovering where you belong.” - Lori M Lee, author of the Gates of Thread and Stone series “ The Light Between Worlds is a lyrical exploration of one’s true place – in the people we love, in ourselves, or in woodland realms beyond our ken – and the lengths we take to chase it.” - Destenie Fafard, Celler Door Books (Riverside, CA) “The Narnia archetype of children finding passage to an adjacent world is given a powerful new perspective in The Light Between Worlds … Exceptional!” - Kenny Brechner, Devaney, Doak & Garrett Booksellers (Farmington, ME) “In this love letter to portal fantasies and Narnia, Weymouth i