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Title details for The Cottage in the Woods by Katherine Coville - Available

The Cottage in the Woods

by Katherine Coville
Katherine Kellgren
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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For fans of Shannon Hale, Adam Gidwitz, and Michael Buckley comes a luminous new twist on a tale readers only thought they knew. . .
 
Once upon a time, there was a girl with golden locks. But that’s just the beginning of this tale. The real story begins with a bear.
 
Ursula is a young she-bear who has come to work as a governess at the Vaughn estate. Although she is eager to instruct her young charge, Teddy, she is also frightened, especially when inexplicable things happen in the huge house after dark. Ursula is sure she has heard footsteps in the hallways at night, and that something is following her during her walks in the Enchanted Forest. Then there is Mr. Bentley, a young bear also employed by Mr. Vaughn, whose superior disposition is enough to drive Ursula to tears . . . and yet why does he also make her heart race? As Ursula works to unravel the mysteries of the Vaughn manor, she will have to be very, very careful. After all, true love, justice, and a girl with golden locks are at stake. And in the Enchanted Forest, not every fairy tale is destined for a happily ever after.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    February 10, 2015

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780553556230
      • File size: 367550 KB
      • Duration: 12:45:43

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 1030
    • Text Difficulty: 6-8

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Settle in, listeners, for an epic adventure in the Enchanted Forest, where humans, anthropomorphic animals, and fairy-tale characters attempt to coexist. When Ursula Brown arrives to be governess for young Teddy Vaughn, what does she encounter but a slew of oddball characters--including a girl in a bear suit, an inscrutable nurse, townspeople who are ready to come to blows, and a love interest--all brought together amid mystery and melodrama. Katherine Kellgren's high-intensity narration brings all the characters to life. When the doorknob rattles at night, Kellgren's high pitch portrays Ursula's quaking under her covers. Kellgren fills Mr. Vaughn's Latin quotes with aristocratic authority. And she makes Mrs. Shoe sound just as repulsive as someone who cares more about money than her daughter should sound. Kellgren's interpretations are to be treasured. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 15, 2014
      Coville’s clever, heartwarming fantasy initially seems to be an anthropomorphic version of an English gothic romance, à la Jane Eyre or Rebecca, with echoes of Jane Austen. But the story of Ursula, a young bear who arrives at an English estate to serve as governess, soon segues into fairy-tale lore. In the Enchanted Forest surrounding the estate, some animals are enchanted (able to speak and behave as humans) and some not; some humans are friendly and accepting of them, while others are less so. Expected plot developments—love interests, strange footsteps following Ursula down the mansion’s dark hallways—occur, but the developing hostilities between different populations give the story a more serious framework. What to make, though, of the silent blond girl in a bear suit? Then there’s the especially nasty old woman who lives in a shoe, homeless Bremen Town Musicians, and a revelation as to the fate of one of the Pied Piper’s followers. Artist Coville, in her debut, fuses classic English mystery elements with fractured fairy tales amid questions of prejudice, with droll, satisfying results. Ages 10–up. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1030
  • Text Difficulty:6-8

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