Books by
Matt Haig

SAMUEL BLINK AND THE FORBIDDEN FOREST

SAMUEL BLINK AND THE RUNAWAY TROLL

SAMUEL BLINK AND THE RUNAWAY TROLL
by Matt Haig
Putnam Juvenile
ISBN: 9780399247408
Ages 8-12
384 pages

In SAMUEL BLINK AND THE FORBIDDEN FOREST, Samuel and his sister Martha --- recent transplants to Norway fjord country following the horrific deaths of their parents --- conquered the sinister forces at the heart of the Forbidden Forest and made it safe (or at least less forbidden) for humans. But that doesn't mean there still aren't plenty of secrets to be kept, especially as the children prepare to start their first year of school in a Norwegian one-room schoolhouse.

No one really needs to know, for example, that Uncle Henrik --- who has recently returned home --- spent the last 10 years magically transformed into a Norwegian elkhound. It's especially important that other people (especially the rich and overbearing businessman Magnus Myklebust) continue to think that the forest is teeming with life-threatening dangers --- otherwise, they'd chop it down and make money off its generally peace-loving inhabitants.

Some of those inhabitants are trolls, and it turns out that they have problems of their own. Troll-Son has lost the one eyeball he shares with his mother, father and sister (named, imaginatively, Troll-Mother, Troll-Father and Troll-Daughter), and his mother is at the end of her rope. She threatens to send Troll-Son to the infamous Betterer, who promises to transform an unruly troll child from a "disgusting creature" to one more like, well, an obedient, clean, well-behaved human child --- even if it means exposure to Itch Water or the suffocating Bettering Branch. Troll-Son, however, only wants to be like one very particular human child. So when he hears of his mother's plans, he runs clear out of the forest and to the only hero he knows can save him: Samuel Blink.

As Samuel --- and eventually the rest of the family --- tries to hide Troll-Son from prying eyes (especially those of Mr. Myklebust and his spoiled-rotten daughter Cornelia), wacky slapstick and genuine suspense break out in equal measure. With a smelly, impolite, emotionally vulnerable young troll on your hands, and with danger approaching from both town and forest, any family would be hard-pressed to keep its act together. Samuel, Martha, Aunt Eda and Uncle Henrik, however, are more than up to the challenge.

SAMUEL BLINK AND THE RUNAWAY TROLL is that unusual specimen in literature --- a sequel that is just as good as, if not better than, its predecessor. Having established the mythology of the Forbidden Forest in the first novel (and cleverly summarized it in a "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" essay for new readers), Haig tightens his focus here, choosing to concentrate on the dynamics of three very different families: Magnus Myklebust's, Samuel Blink's and Troll-Son's. As he explores the different ways family members both hurt and rescue one another, he also examines ideas of heroism, loyalty and revenge. That's not to say that the book is dark or ponderous. On the contrary, funny asides, witty descriptions and hilarious situations help keep readers laughing right along --- even as they have plenty to think about.

      --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

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