The Wolf of Cape Fen

by Juliana Brandt

Overview

Beyond the Bright Sea meets Echo in this story of a young girl who must break a magical bargain before an enchanted wolf steals her sister away.

First Frost has touched Cape Fen, and that means Baron Dire has returned. For as long as anyone can remember, Baron Dire has haunted the town come winter, striking magical bargains and demanding unjust payment in return. The Serling sisters know better than to bargain, lest they find themselves hunted by the Baron's companion, the Wolf.

And then the Wolf attacks Eliza's sister Winnie. They manage to escape, but they know the Wolf will be back. Because Winnie would never bargain, so that must mean that someone has struck a deal with Winnie as the price.

Eliza refuses to lose her sister and embarks on a journey to save her. If Eliza can learn the truth, she might be able to protect her sister, but the truth behind the bargain could put her own life in danger.

Wolf of Cape Fen is the perfect…

• fantasy book for girls 9-12
• middle school chapter book for fans of the supernatural
• tween book for girls age 9-12
• preteen gift for girls

"Brandt's striking debut is eerie and intriguing, set in a deftly built world that feels both cozily familiar and unsettlingly odd. A stunning seaside fairy tale that will absorb readers until the very end."—Booklist

"Unfolding gradually as Eliza relentlessly pieces the past together, this intriguing mystery culminates in a startling, literally transforming climax."—Kirkus Reviews

"Atmospheric…this fabulist middle grade effectively employs a dream-fueled magic system that reckons with consequences."—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728221458
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	03/02/2021
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	606,459
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Juliana Brandt is an author and kindergarten teacher with a passion for storytelling that guides her in both of her jobs. She lives in her childhood home of Minnesota, and her writing is heavily influenced by travels around the country and decade living in the South. When not working, she is usually exploring the great outdoors. She is the author of The Wolf of Cape Fen and A Wilder Magic. You can find her online at julianalbrandt.com

Editorial Reviews

04/27/2020

Debut author Brandt’s atmospheric, genre-bending middle grade novel brings grim fairy tale magic to a small peninsular town in the early 20th century. Eliza is just shy of her 12th birthday, yet since her mother’s disappearance four years ago she has acted as both mother and sister to her incorrigible eight-year-old sibling, Winnie. A tourist mecca in the summer, Cape Fen has a dark secret: those born there can never leave, and many are tied up in uncanny bargains with the larger-than-life winter visitor Baron Dire and his fearsome companion, the Wolf. When the Wolf returns early and pursues Winnie, Eliza is pulled deep into the mythos of the bargains, determined to save the girl but learning that not all bargains end well for the bargainers. Eliza’s courage and devotion to her sister form the nucleus of this tale, which finds a girl quickly growing both as a human and something other. Though the motivations of certain characters may feel nebulous, this fabulist middle grade effectively employs a dream-fueled magic system that reckons with consequences. Ages 8–up. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"A stunning seaside fairy tale that will absorb readers until the very end." — Booklist

"A mesmerizing piece of magical realism packed with mystery, suspense, and, most important, love." — School Library Journal

"An atmospheric, mysterious tale of magic, community, and the true meaning of family, The Wolf of Cape Fen is a gorgeous debut that will hook its readers from the first page." — Diane Magras, author of The Mad Wolf’s Daughter

"A hauntingly gorgeous fable full of lofty dreams, terrible bargains, and accepting who you are. Cape Fen’s secrets and magic had me enthralled from the start, and the conclusion to this dark and wondrous tale will stick with me forever." — Sean Easley, author of The Hotel Between series

"Debut author Brandt’s atmospheric, genre-bending middle grade novel brings grim fairy tale magic to a small peninsular town in the early 20th century." — Publishers Weekly

"Eliza's story weaves its magic around you, as wild and wondrous as the dreams at the book's heart. Cape Fen and its inhabitants will haunt you long after the book is closed!" — Cindy Baldwin, author of Where the Watermelons Grow

"This intriguing mystery culminates in a startling, literally transforming climax." — Kirkus Reviews

"Juliana Brandt's The Wolf Of Cape Fen is an enthralling, atmospheric tale of two sisters, their hopes and dreams, and their unwavering love amid threats of mysterious bargains and treacherous magic. It is a remarkable debut filled with haunting details and unraveling secrets that are sure to captivate readers till the very end." — Gail D. Villanueva, author of My Fate According to the Butterfly and A Potful of Magic

From the Publisher

03/01/2020

Gr 4–8—Amid the storms of a cursed island near the turn of the 19th century, 12-year-old Eliza attempts to protect her younger sister Winnie. Now that winter has arrived, the magical Wolf and its master, Baron Dire, have followed. Many of the townsfolk have made bargains with him for the magic he offers. These bargains seem to turn against the people making them, with horrific results and sometimes even death. Eliza's own mother made a bargain to leave them four years ago, and now the Wolf is intent upon attacking her sister. Did someone bargain away Winnie's life? Eliza must work through silence and secrets to find the key to saving her sister. Brandt's debut novel is both chilling and thrilling—the wintry world hides horror in the dark corners with physical and emotional threats. The plot moves quickly, focusing on only one week, but balances action with the angst of emotion; even side characters seem to have deep backstory with their secret bargains and obscured motivations. Each chapter is prefaced with a different character dreaming, which enhances the ethereal tone. With themes of friendship, love, dreams, and sacrifice, this title will find a good home in any classroom or book group. There are some minor rough spots, such as the claim that Eliza's Pa hadn't said her mother's name in four years when he had just used it 10 pages earlier, and an ending that wraps things up slightly too speedily. However, they don't detract much from the tale's magical momentum and lasting sense of luminescence. VERDICT A mesmerizing piece of magical realism packed with mystery, suspense, and, most important, love.—Erin Reilly-Sanders, University of Wisconsin-Madison

School Library Journal

2020-01-12
Eliza Serling embarks on a transformative quest when a strange wolf attacks her younger sister.

Eliza, nearly 12, lives on Cape Fen with Pa and Winnie, her sister. After her mother's mysterious disappearance four years ago, Eliza stopped dreaming about a future away from Cape Fen and tries to be a sister and mother to Winnie. Baron Dire, descendent of the first Dire Witch, who arrived on Cape Fen in 1811, controls the island, imprisoning its inhabitants for the magic their dreams provide. When the baron's Wolf companion unexpectedly lunges at Winnie, Eliza's stunned: Dire and his Wolf cannot hurt someone unless they have bargained with him, and neither Eliza nor Winnie has ever bargained. Determined to protect Winnie, Eliza searches for clues explaining the Wolf's attack. Did Pa bargain with Dire? Did Aunt Zilpha? Could her missing mother have bargained with Dire to escape Cape Fen? With the Wolf lurking, Eliza discovers surprising things about her origins and her family and eventually realizes she, too, must bargain with Dire if she hopes to save Winnie and herself. Unfolding gradually as Eliza relentlessly pieces the past together, this intriguing mystery culminates in a startling, literally transforming climax. Black-and-white chapter heads echo the dream theme.

Laced with dreams, this perplexing fantasy rewards persistent readers. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews