The Moorchild (Aladdin Fantasy)

Rating:
Summary: We daren't go a-hunting for fear of little men
Review: Books about fairies, Old Ones, ferishers, etc. are as common as the day is long. There seems to be an insatiable need on the part of children to read about the mythical creatures that live within and yet not within our midst. Changelings are some of the oldest of these creatures and have been used to excellent use in a wide variety of literature. As you may know, a changeling is an object or creature exchanged for an unchristened baby. The changeling may at first look just like the baby it has replaced, but over time definite differences will come out. Most stories about changelings concentrate on the effort to locate the exchanged child. In the case of Eloise McGraw's, "The Moorchild", the author has cleverly written a tale of what it means to be different from everyone around you.

Old Bess knows something has gone wrong with the baby Saaski. Where once the child was docile and contained, now it cries and screams continually day and night. Old Bess suspects, rightly, that her grandchild has been exchanged for a changeling, an idea her daughter and son-in-law won't even consider. For her own part, Saaski is livid. A fairy, yes, she has been ousted from her home and fellows for the crime of not being able to do simple fairy tricks. It turns out that she is half human, and belongs neither in the fairy world nor in the human. As the baby Saaski grows up, she forgets her former life in the mystical Mound and thinks of herself as fully human, if a little odd. Certainly the village distrusts her, a feeling that becomes far more malignant and violent as time goes on. On her own, Saaski only feels truly free when she can wander the Moors, piping a tune on her grandfather's bagpipes. As time goes by, however, Saaski must rediscover who she is and solve the mystery of the child she replaced.

On the surface, the tale is a straightforward look at how difference breeds unnecessary hatred. Delving a little deeper into the text, this is a story about biracial children and the prejudices they face in society. In her dedication McGraw writes, "To all children who have ever felt different", giving her readers the chance to identify with this strange but beautiful creature. I was amazed at how well the author researched the classic fairy stories too. Saaski is afraid of salt, iron, rowan wood, St. John's Wart flowers, and other items as well. The fairies steal mostly food items and are lacking in such human emotions as love and hate. As a changeling, Saaski is similar to the boy Troy in Michael Chabon's recent fairy tale, "Summerland". She bears little resemblance to dangerous or evil changelings found in tales like Maurice Sendak's, "Outside Over There", (the melting baby changeling is particularly frightening) or the creature in John Crowley's, "Little Big" that crawls to the fireplace and starts eating the hot coals there like popcorn. The book is careful to admit that in some cases, changelings are enchanted sticks of wood or inanimate objects. Saaski's case is special because she is a halfling of sorts with a fairy mother and a human pa.

There are a lot of great fairy stories out there that don't give a whoopty-doo about the laws governing the Fair Folk and their kin. In a way, it's a great relief to read an accomplished writer like Eloise McGraw and her "Moorchild" book. The plot is enchanting, the characters lively and well written, and the story a fabulous metaphor for those people that must create their own worlds when the one around them becomes too intolerant. A delightful addition to any public or private library.

Rating:
Summary: A strange, but excelent book
Review: Moql is a 'Folk', a fairy-like being, and lives in the 'Mound' with her kind. Being half-human, she does not have all the abilities that the other Folk do - which, in their light, makes her a danger to them. So they switch her with a human child (they have their uses for them) in a human village. She takes on the age of the baby, but does not look normal. They name her Saaski.
Saaski has erased all knowledge of her Folk-life from her memories, so she does not know she's Folk. When she finds she can do things that the other children cannot, she tries to hide her abilities.
But things like that can not be hidden long: Will Saaski ever convince the villagers that she's not bad, or rejoin her fellow Folk?
And if she can't, will she ever find happiness?

Rating:
Summary: sweety,El Cajon
Review: The Moorchild is a great book for young people who have been teased or have teased someone, but only if you have a little amagination.This book is about A girl named Moql'nkkn who is a little cangeling girl who one day discover she doesnt have the ability to disappear when humans are .looking for the moorfolk. she never seems to fit even as a baby this poor young child was to differant for any one to understand and as a consiquicne She is traded to the humans in exchange for a human baby but still deos'nt quiet fit in with the rest of the world .But the author does a great job of making you think this fasinating fairytail is real the begining of the the story is a little slow but after you get to the plot the story never stops to amaze you. This fantastic story of a young changeling girl I'm sure is a one of a kind and is worth reading. but don't take my word for it read it yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story
Review: This is a beautifully written book that I read several years ago, and have recently re-read. My one complaint is that, while I enjoyed reading the book both times, a younger audience might miss a few things in the story, and an older audience won't be as affected by it as a younger one. I think that this story's projected audience was written for older children or preteen females, though an older audience would enjoy it as well. Beware, though: some of the scenes where the villagers are after Saaski are pretty disturbing and heart-wrenching. This book, while simple, isn't just a flaky fairy tale- it's an intense and often sweet fantasy that combines olden lore with the emotional traumas that all of us must face at some time in our lives. A very enjoyable read- I recommend it enthusiastically.

Rating:
Summary: Five stars? It deserves thirty!
Review: This was one the best books I ever read. From the dedication: To all children who have felt different, to the very end it seemed as if this beautiful story had been written solely for my benefit. In it, Saaski begins life as a happy elf child, untill the other elves discover that she is half human, and thus cannot perform many of the essential elf magic spells. They then change her for a human child and put her in it's place. At first she is confused and angry, but gradually her memories begin to fade and she believes herself a human. All her young life she has to deal with the cruel prejudices of the simple village folk, as she also deals with confusion of her own strangeness. Untill that fatefull time when she is eleven years old.... Any way, this was an excellent book with some of the best writing and characterizations I have ever seen in a book, and I would reccamend it to anyone, but most especially, as the auther herself put it, To all children who have felt different.