This spellbinding fantasy begs for a cozy chair and several hours of uninterrupted reading time. The Washington Post When Ned and his identical twin brother tumble from their raft into a raging river, only Ned survives. Villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived. Across the forest that borders Ned s village, Aine, the daughter of the Bandit King, is haunted by her mother s last words: The wrong boy will save your life, and you will save his. When the Bandit King comes to steal the magic Ned s mother, a witch, is meant to protect, Aine and Ned meet. Can they trust each other long enough to cross a dangerous enchanted forest and stop the war about to boil over between their two kingdoms? Barnhill is a fantasist on the order of Neil Gaiman.
Minneapolis Star Tribune [The Witch s Boy] should open young readers eyes to something that is all around them in the very world we live in: the magic of words.
The New York Times This is a book to treasure.
Nerdy Book Club A Washington Post Best Book of 2014 A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2014 A Kirkus Reviews Best Children s Book of 2014 A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2014