Merriwether (Merry) Morgan lives in Candlecott with her Da. She hates witches and those that wield magic but is living a happy life spending time with her best friends Sol and Teddy. She’s recently jointly won Dux of her school with the big snobbish and rich Caraway. She can’t stand him and the glamour he uses to hide his true face.

When Teddy is offered a chance to join the secret society of the Toadmen, Merry tries her best to talk him out of it. She suspects they are a sinister group hiding magic and is frightened for her best friend who she secretly holds a crush for.

When Caraway offers her a chance to travel with him to Deeping Fen where the Toadmen meeting will be held and Teddy will be initiated, she swallows her pride and hatred of Caraway and agrees. She is determined to change Teddy’s mind and save him from the Toadmen’s clutches.

But what Merry finds at Deeping Fen is much worse than she ever imagined. There is much more to a Toad than she first thought.

What a great writer Lili Wilkinson is. Her writing is so self assured as she leads me along a journey with Merry. There is an almighty climax before the final climatic scene which drove me to read through to the end of this book.

Wilkinson’s fabulous imagination has been let loose with Deep is the Fen. I often found myself thinking that this is a story from far left-field if I’ve ever read one. With eye-opening moments, I found myself thinking, how did she invent this or that? This certainly kept me engaged from start to finish.

It’s a love story, a thriller and a fantasy, with just a touch of horror. It’s a fabulously inventive read.

A highly recommended croak from me.

Reviewed by Emily Ross

Age Guide 13+

Teachers’ Resource – Deep is the Fen

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lili Wilkinson is the award-winning author of 19 books for children and teenagers, including A Hunger of Thorns, After the Lights Go Out, The Erasure Initiative and How To Make A Pet Monster.

She established the Inky Awards at the Centre for Youth Literature, State Library of Victoria. With has a PhD in Creative Writing, and lives happily in Melbourne with her partner, child, dog and three chickens.

Visit Lili Wilkinson’s website