ABOUT THIS BOOK

The Printz Award–winning classic
gets a new look.

"It was very deep, Kit. Very dark. And every one of us was scared of it. As a lad I'd wake up trembling, knowing that as a Watson born in Stoneygate I'd soon be following my ancestors into the pit," so Kit's grandfather tells him.

The Watson family moves to Stoneygate, an old coal-mining town, to care for Kit's recently widowed grandfather. When Kit meets John Askew, another boy whose family had both worked and died in the mines, Askew invites Kit to join him to play a game called Death. As Kit's grandfather provides stories of the mine's past and the history of the Watson family, the boys search the mines to find the childhood ghosts of their long-gone ancestors.

Written in haunting, lyrical prose, Kit’s Wilderness examines the bonds of family from one generation to the next, and explores how meaning and beauty can be revealed from the depths of darkness.

A Michael L. Printz Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Book


REVIEWS

Praise for Kit's Wilderness:

"A thrilling and spine-tingling ride."                                                          --Starred, Publishers Weekly

"A heartbreakingly real world fused with magical realism. . . . [The book's] ruminations about death and the healing power of love will strike children in unsuspected ways."                                                  --Starred, Booklist

"A whirl of ghosts and dreams, stories-within-stories, joy, heartache, and redemption."                  --Kirkus Reviews




Praise for David Almond:


"Kit's Wilderness establishes Almond as the most exciting new voice in children's books of this decade."                    --Literary Review, London


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Almond grew up in a large family in northeastern England. He worked as a postman, a brush salesman, an editor, and a teacher but began to write seriously after he finished college. He lives in England with his partner and their daughter.


AWARDS

WINNER 2001 - Michael L. Printz Award Winner
WINNER 2001 - ALA Notable Children's Book
WINNER 2001 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults
WINNER 2001 - New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
WINNER 2002 - Kentucky Bluegrass Master List
WINNER 2001 - Maine Student Book Master List



RELATED LINKS

Click here for the Kit's Wilderness BookTalk
Click here for David Almond's printable Author Bio
Visit David Almond's Web site