The Thickety: A Path Begins (Thickety Series #1)

by J. A. White, Andrea Offermann (Illustrator)

Overview

A spellbinding tale about a girl, the Thickety, and the power of magic. Fans of Neil Gaiman will love this thrilling world.

A dark, forbidden forest. Vicious beasts. Deadly plants. An evil spellbook. Secrets. Mysteries. Witches, both good and bad . . . Welcome to the world of the Thickety.

Full of action, set in an intriguing and dangerous world, and illustrated with gorgeous and haunting line art, The Thickety: A Path Begins is a truly stunning book.

A Path Begins is the thrilling start of a middle grade fantasy series about a girl, a mysterious forest, and a book of untold magical powers. Kara and her brother, Taff, are shunned by their village because their mother was a witch. The villagers believe nothing is more evil than magic, except for what lurks in the nearby Thickety.

But when Kara enters the forbidden forest, she discovers a strange book, a grimoire that might have belonged to her mother. The events she then sets in motion are both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

And that is just the beginning of the story—there are three more adventures in the Thickety to explore after this first book in the series.

• Publishers Weekly Best Book
• IndieBound Indie Next List
• Publishers Weekly Flying Start
• Amazon's Big Spring Books
• Washington Post Summer Book Club

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062257277
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/06/2014
Series:	Thickety Series , #1
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	512
Sales rank:	511,838
Lexile:	730L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

J. A. White is the author of the Thickety series, the Shadow School series, Nightbooks, and Gravebooks. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, three sons, and the ghost of their hamster, Ophelia. When he’s not making up stories, he teaches a bunch of kids how to make up stories. He wishes dragons were real because it would be a much cooler way to get to work. You can visit him online at jawhitebooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2014
Gr 5–8—"There is no such thing as a good witch." These words, well known to all the villagers of De'Noran, haunt 12-year-old Kara Westfall. Ostracized and abused, she and her brother are the children of the last known witch, who was hanged on the edge of the Thickety when Kara was five. As the tangled branches of the dark, forbidden forest spread closer to the village, something strange and powerful awakens in Kara. Was her mother's magic truly evil? White's debut novel is darkly bewitching. The isolation of De'Noran and the fervor of its residents create a heady suspense, and White's well-crafted characters operate beautifully within the fantastical world he has created. Offerman's inky silhouettes perfectly complement the story. Readers will devour each twist and turn of the plot, right up to the startling conclusion.—Sara Saxton, Wasilla Public Library, Wasilla, AK

School Library Journal

The Thickety is a sinister, magical debut with a marvelous and shocking heroine. J.A. White’s elegant writing and masterful plot kept me turning pages late into the night.” — Lisa McMann, author of the New York Times bestselling The Unwanteds series

“The Thickety may give you nightmares, but it is a gripping story with a great heroine.” — Angie Sage, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Septimus Heap series

“Absolutely thrilling.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Nail-biting suspense is the hallmark of this pleasantly accomplished debut. The spellbinding story, lashings of suspense and stalwart heroine will draw in fantasy fans and keep them reading until the bitter ending.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“White’s debut novel is darkly bewitching. The well-crafted characters operate beautifully within the fantastical world he has created. Readers will devour each twist and turn of the plot, right up to the startling conclusion.” — School Library Journal

“A startling plot twist at the end will have readers urgently waiting for a sequel, and it may even lead them right back into the book to see if they missed earlier clues.” — The Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

A startling plot twist at the end will have readers urgently waiting for a sequel, and it may even lead them right back into the book to see if they missed earlier clues.

The Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books

The Thickety may give you nightmares, but it is a gripping story with a great heroine.

Angie Sage

The Thickety is a sinister, magical debut with a marvelous and shocking heroine. J.A. White’s elegant writing and masterful plot kept me turning pages late into the night.

Lisa McMann