Midwinter Blood

Sedgwick, Marcus. 2013. MIDWINTER BLOOD. New York: Roaring Brook. ISBN 9781596438002. [Suggested Grade Level 8-12]

REVIEW
This Printz winner is an unusually constructed novel consisting of seven independent by interwoven tales. It begins in 2073 when a visitor discovers that on this remote island, there are no children and no one ever gets old. On the far side of the island, there is something hidden but life on the island is seen through a dreamlike state making it impossible to follow through on his concerns. From there the reader “hears” the stories of others whose lives have intertwined with the island: an archaeologist, an airman, a painter, a ghost, a vampire, a Viking. And at the heart of the story, a tale of primal love and passion “that slips the bounds of time.”

This complex narrative is a page turner, a mystery, a legend. Sedgwick is a master at unusual settings and characters, of linking the past to the present in an unending spiral. Each section, vignette if you will, is perfect in its conception. It’s a book that leaves the reader wanting for mer.

CONNECTIONS
Use as part of a study of ancient religions or myths and legends. For a GT or Honors class or a student writing group, use it as a pattern for a series of linked stories, each written by a different author.

RELATED BOOKS
Bray, Libba. THE DIVINERS. ISBN 9780316126113
Wasswerman, Robin. THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW. ISBN 9780375872778

Other books by Marcus Sedvwick:
WHITE CROW. ISBN  9781596435940
REVOLVER. ISBN  9780312547974