Winnie Foster’s family owned Treegap, the wood that grew across the road from their house. It was a place of deep shadows and whispered secrets. Winnie and her family never went in there but she often thought about it. Winnie was a bit fed up with her life and often entertained the thought of running away. Was it fate that brought the Tuck family to Winnie, was it the magical lure of Treegap, or was it the yearning in her heart for something new, something different, something exciting? Whatever it was, when the Tucks met Winnie it set in motion a series of events: some delightful, some intriguing and some catastrophic. Winnie could truthfully say that her life was never the same.

This is an evocative tale; a skilful combination of ‘old world’ and ‘otherworldliness’. There is a brooding sense of inevitability. The reader is gently but firmly drawn in, just as Winnie is drawn into the Tuck family’s embrace, and we are left with almost as many questions as are answered already. Is it a good thing to live forever?

Reviewed by Wendy Noble
Age Guide 8+