Once a year, the youngest baby in the Protectorate is taken and left in the woods for the witch. The witch steals the baby and eats it . . . .
Once a year, a witch finds an abandoned baby in the woods and rescues it. She takes it to a loving family on the other side of the forest . . . .
One year, Xan the witch discovers a baby girl that steals her heart. That year, Xan falls in love with the baby and feeds it moonlight enmagicking her. This is the year that everything starts to change . . . for Xan, for the baby, for the forest, for the Protectorate, for the world.
I have loved all of Kelly Barnhill's books. They are very sophisticated original fairy tales for children. So I was looking forward to reading her latest. Then it was declared the winner of the Newbery Award and I immediately checked it out. I absolutely loved this book. It's probably my favorite Newbery winner since The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The characters capture your interest while the plot twists keep you reading. This is a great read for all children and teens.
