Brigitta is a young Water Faerie from the village-nest of Tiragarrow. She s confused, moody, and anxious about going through The Change as she doesn t see how destiny markings on her wings should determine her life s path. A few days before the annual Festival of the Elements, Brigitta is flying an errand with Himalette, her tag-a-long sister, when a mysterious curse turns everyone in the White Forest to stone -- except for the two of them. The sisters have no idea why they were not cursed, but they do know if they don t turn everyone back in time for the festival rituals, the Hourglass of Protection will run out and so will its protective field around the forest. With no one in their forest left to help them, they must leave the protected realm to seek an exiled faerie they have only heard about in ancient tales. With assistance from a few allies they make along the journey, the girls find their way to Dead Mountain in search of the banished faerie. When they arrive, they find the help they are looking for, but soon discover that things are not what they seem. Running out of time, Brigitta and Himalette must use their wits to battle evil in order to lift the curse and save their forest. A book for those who enjoy fantasy adventure, Brigitta of the White Forest offers a new twist on the faerie tales so loved by young readers.
Brigitta of the White Forest
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About the Author
Danika Dinsmore has been working and playing with children in a variety of settings for almost twenty years. She co-created Washington State s first youth poetry slam and developed a curriculum guide for teaching poetry in the schools. She also produced the Seattle Poetry Festival s Emerging Voice spokenword program for teens. She has worked as an artist-in-the-schools for Learning Through the Arts and has taught writing courses at Vancouver Film School, Capilano University, and Creative Writing for Children. Her awards include the Washington State Poets Association award for Performance Poetry and the Best Fresh Voice Screenwriting Award from the Female Eye Film Festival.
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Danika grew up in Northern California. She is an award-winning writer, spokenword artist, and educator. She earned her MFA in Writing and Poetics from Naropa University's Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics (founded by poets Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman). Her early writing career was built on experimental poetry and collaborative spokenword performances. While living in Seattle, she organized and performed with the 12-person Word Orchestra as well as the performance group ForWord FourTete. Her inspired performances earned her the Washington Poets Association award for Performance Poetry. After moving to British Columbia she turned her attention to film, television, and new media. She has worked as an artist-in-the-schools and media literacy educator for Learning Through the Arts and has taught screenwriting courses in the Writing Department at Vancouver Film School and at Capilano University. She blogs about her multi-disciplined writing life as The Accidental Novelist. She currently lives with her husband and their spoiled cat in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Brigitta is a young faery of the White Forest, a oasis of safety in a wide, threatening world. Her concerns are familiar: attempting to impress the cool older fairies; wondering what she'll be when she grows up; and trying not to let Himalette, her younger sister, drive her completely insane.
Just days before the Forest's Hourglass of Protection is reset for another cycle, Brigitta chases after the troublesome Himalette. A sprite casts a spell that tints them both blue just before a blinding light flashes through the trees. The sisters soon discover that all creatures in the White Forest, except themselves, have turned to stone. Worst of all, the sands of the Hourglass have nearly run out. If the faery Elders can't be restored in time to conduct the necessary ritual, the White Forest will cease to be.
The sisters' only hope is to traverse the dangerous Dark Forest in search of Hrathgar, a faery banished long ago for an unknown, unspeakable crime. Will the faeries learn to work together? Will their quest be completed in time? And will Brigitta figure out, not only who she is, but who she's meant to become?
No, I'm not going to tell you. You have to read the book.
First, how much do I love this cover? It is absolutely stunning, as are, I've discovered, all the works of artist Julie Fain. In full awareness that I'm a total geek, I'm seriously tempted to purchase several prints to give to my friends and/or hang in my office. This cover will sell Brigitta of the White Forest all by itself.
I was very impressed by depth of imagination represented in this book. The fairies of the White Forest have history, mythology, culture, and class structure. Their setting is detailed right down to the creatures, flowers, and stones, each with its characteristics and interconnections. Dinsmore's world-building is so complex and extensive that Brigitta of the White Forest contains a 20-page lexicon, a feature that younger kids will appreciate. I found myself drawn into the setting with the interest of a biologist exploring a new ecosystem.
Because the world is so fascinating, I was especially disappointed that I never quite connected with the characters. As I reader, I felt I was living on the surface of Brigitta's skin, rather than experiencing her story from the inside out. I suspect this may have something to do with the author's background as a script writer, because in plays and movies, the actor contributes as much to our understanding of, and empathy with, a character as the script itself. In this interview, Dinsmore says that getting into her characters' heads is both freeing and scary. I hope that in future volumes of Faery Tales From The White Forest, she'll allow her characters to be as rich and deeply imagined as their world has become.
Brigitta of the White Forest is a good choice for middle-graders who enjoy the Kendra Kandlestar Chronicles, R. J. Anderson's Faery Rebels, and kids who've outgrown the Rainbow Magic series.
Just days before the Forest's Hourglass of Protection is reset for another cycle, Brigitta chases after the troublesome Himalette. A sprite casts a spell that tints them both blue just before a blinding light flashes through the trees. The sisters soon discover that all creatures in the White Forest, except themselves, have turned to stone. Worst of all, the sands of the Hourglass have nearly run out. If the faery Elders can't be restored in time to conduct the necessary ritual, the White Forest will cease to be.
The sisters' only hope is to traverse the dangerous Dark Forest in search of Hrathgar, a faery banished long ago for an unknown, unspeakable crime. Will the faeries learn to work together? Will their quest be completed in time? And will Brigitta figure out, not only who she is, but who she's meant to become?
No, I'm not going to tell you. You have to read the book.
First, how much do I love this cover? It is absolutely stunning, as are, I've discovered, all the works of artist Julie Fain. In full awareness that I'm a total geek, I'm seriously tempted to purchase several prints to give to my friends and/or hang in my office. This cover will sell Brigitta of the White Forest all by itself.
I was very impressed by depth of imagination represented in this book. The fairies of the White Forest have history, mythology, culture, and class structure. Their setting is detailed right down to the creatures, flowers, and stones, each with its characteristics and interconnections. Dinsmore's world-building is so complex and extensive that Brigitta of the White Forest contains a 20-page lexicon, a feature that younger kids will appreciate. I found myself drawn into the setting with the interest of a biologist exploring a new ecosystem.
Because the world is so fascinating, I was especially disappointed that I never quite connected with the characters. As I reader, I felt I was living on the surface of Brigitta's skin, rather than experiencing her story from the inside out. I suspect this may have something to do with the author's background as a script writer, because in plays and movies, the actor contributes as much to our understanding of, and empathy with, a character as the script itself. In this interview, Dinsmore says that getting into her characters' heads is both freeing and scary. I hope that in future volumes of Faery Tales From The White Forest, she'll allow her characters to be as rich and deeply imagined as their world has become.
Brigitta of the White Forest is a good choice for middle-graders who enjoy the Kendra Kandlestar Chronicles, R. J. Anderson's Faery Rebels, and kids who've outgrown the Rainbow Magic series.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Brigitta and her younger sister, Himalette, are the only two faeries in their entire village of White Forest that have not been affected by a mysterious curse. During the preparations for the annual festival, every living being in the White Forest is turned to stone. Brigitta suddenly finds herself faced with a great challenge. She doesn't know how to reverse the curse--or where to go for help--but she knows she must do something before the magical protection around her village is destroyed. With a great responsibility weighing on them, Brigitta and Himalette start their journey to Dead Mountain, where they hope to find help from the banished faerie, Hrathgar.
Along the way to Dead Mountain, Briggita and her sister encounter many dangers and make new friends. Together, Brigitta, Himalette, and Minq (a character that seems to resemble Jar Jar Binx from StarWars) head off to Dead Mountain. When they get there, they meet Hrathgar. Brigitta and Himalette are mesmerized by her kindness and can't seem to understand why she has always been described as evil in the stories of faerie lore. Minq is not so easily impressed by Hrathgar's innocent appearance. Through several twists and turns of events, the young faeries quickly learn that everything is not what it appears to be. Hrathgar is actually two separate people! Hrathgar Good (the faerie they first meet) and Hrathgar Evil (the faerie from the stories) are split personalities that share the curse from ancient times. Brigitta and her friends find themselves faced with an even more difficult challenge: they have to end the curse on their village and defeat Hrathgar Evil. But they aren't sure if they are capable of destroying such a powerful faerie all by themselves.
I must start off saying that this book was great! Overall, it's a great story about discovering your destiny and courage. Brigitta is brave, even though she doesn't realize it. She's determined to make things right in her village, so she sets off on what seems to be an impossible task. After everything is resolved, she is shocked to find that her destiny markings have finally revealed themselves. While she's trying to understand the great change that she will face, she has a pretty deep conversation with Ondelle, the High Priestess of the faeries, about destiny. Ondelle shares some words of wisdom with Brigitta when she tells her "to allow all destinies to unfold as they should." Brigitta tries to let this set in, but it's still a hard concept for such a young faerie.
If you look at the book from a literary stand point--which I would be inclined to do with my students-- you can see several similarities to the classic struggles of good against evil in literature. There are evil villains with dubious plots and young heroes that have to discover their inner strengths and final destinies. Young Brigitta begins the story as a faerie that doesn't fit in or understand her place in the faerie society. By the end of the book, she has an idea of what her future holds, even though she doesn't think she can fulfill the high expectations. I couldn't help but think of The Lord of the Rings as I read through this book, which isn't a bad thing, considering I liked those books as well.
The plot is fast paced and starts quickly. You are sucked in to the story within the first two chapters. I was very thankful that it did not take long to develop the plot, and that the plot moved quickly throughout the book. The names were highly original, but I also found them a mouth full. If I had to read this book aloud, I might have some difficulty pronouncing all the names and places. Of course, that is a minor detail that doesn't interfere with the story at all. My favorite aspect of the entire book is the great detail that went into describing the setting and characters. The touchy relationship between Brigitta and Himalette was very believable. I could picture the looks of irritation on Brigitta's face as her younger sister sang her invented nonsense songs. The characters were very well developed and enjoyable, and I enjoyed them all.
I would say that this book is intended for the younger readers (10-12 year olds) that enjoy E.D. Baker's books. It might seem a bit childish for the traditional YA reader. Brigitta is just reaching the point of "The Change," so she isn't as mature (in some aspects) as some of the more well known characters in YA literature. Brigitta of the White Forest is a clean, fast paced adventure that I would certainly recommend to any reader that enjoys stories about faeries and a good light-hearted read.
For those interested, the second book in the series is set to come out in the spring of 2012. I personally can't wait to see how Brigitta matures in this story, and to find out if some of the lingering mysteries from the first novel are solved.
Along the way to Dead Mountain, Briggita and her sister encounter many dangers and make new friends. Together, Brigitta, Himalette, and Minq (a character that seems to resemble Jar Jar Binx from StarWars) head off to Dead Mountain. When they get there, they meet Hrathgar. Brigitta and Himalette are mesmerized by her kindness and can't seem to understand why she has always been described as evil in the stories of faerie lore. Minq is not so easily impressed by Hrathgar's innocent appearance. Through several twists and turns of events, the young faeries quickly learn that everything is not what it appears to be. Hrathgar is actually two separate people! Hrathgar Good (the faerie they first meet) and Hrathgar Evil (the faerie from the stories) are split personalities that share the curse from ancient times. Brigitta and her friends find themselves faced with an even more difficult challenge: they have to end the curse on their village and defeat Hrathgar Evil. But they aren't sure if they are capable of destroying such a powerful faerie all by themselves.
I must start off saying that this book was great! Overall, it's a great story about discovering your destiny and courage. Brigitta is brave, even though she doesn't realize it. She's determined to make things right in her village, so she sets off on what seems to be an impossible task. After everything is resolved, she is shocked to find that her destiny markings have finally revealed themselves. While she's trying to understand the great change that she will face, she has a pretty deep conversation with Ondelle, the High Priestess of the faeries, about destiny. Ondelle shares some words of wisdom with Brigitta when she tells her "to allow all destinies to unfold as they should." Brigitta tries to let this set in, but it's still a hard concept for such a young faerie.
If you look at the book from a literary stand point--which I would be inclined to do with my students-- you can see several similarities to the classic struggles of good against evil in literature. There are evil villains with dubious plots and young heroes that have to discover their inner strengths and final destinies. Young Brigitta begins the story as a faerie that doesn't fit in or understand her place in the faerie society. By the end of the book, she has an idea of what her future holds, even though she doesn't think she can fulfill the high expectations. I couldn't help but think of The Lord of the Rings as I read through this book, which isn't a bad thing, considering I liked those books as well.
The plot is fast paced and starts quickly. You are sucked in to the story within the first two chapters. I was very thankful that it did not take long to develop the plot, and that the plot moved quickly throughout the book. The names were highly original, but I also found them a mouth full. If I had to read this book aloud, I might have some difficulty pronouncing all the names and places. Of course, that is a minor detail that doesn't interfere with the story at all. My favorite aspect of the entire book is the great detail that went into describing the setting and characters. The touchy relationship between Brigitta and Himalette was very believable. I could picture the looks of irritation on Brigitta's face as her younger sister sang her invented nonsense songs. The characters were very well developed and enjoyable, and I enjoyed them all.
I would say that this book is intended for the younger readers (10-12 year olds) that enjoy E.D. Baker's books. It might seem a bit childish for the traditional YA reader. Brigitta is just reaching the point of "The Change," so she isn't as mature (in some aspects) as some of the more well known characters in YA literature. Brigitta of the White Forest is a clean, fast paced adventure that I would certainly recommend to any reader that enjoys stories about faeries and a good light-hearted read.
For those interested, the second book in the series is set to come out in the spring of 2012. I personally can't wait to see how Brigitta matures in this story, and to find out if some of the lingering mysteries from the first novel are solved.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Alice Berger
Format:Paperback
A terrible spell has been placed on the fairies of the White Forest. All except Brigitta and her little sister, Himalette, have been turned to stone. The ceremony of resetting the Hourglass of Protection must take place as scheduled or the White Forest will be in danger. But the High Priestess will be unable to perform it as a stone statue.
Brigitta knows there is one fairy who might be able to help. Hrathgar hasn't been affected by this stone spell, since she lives outside the White Forest. Brigitta and Himalette head out to find her in the hopes that she can offer assistance. But the area they need to travel through is treacherous, and Hrathgar has been banished from the White Forest for something evil she did a long time ago. Even though they know they are in great danger, the two young fairies are determined to save the White Forest and restore everyone back to normal.
Brigitta of the White Forest is fantasy and adventure in a delightful combination. Readers will love Brigitta's bravery in facing Hrathgar, while trying to protect her little sister. She is also clever in determining if their unusual companions, Minq and Gola, are allies or enemies in their quest. The story is fast-paced, with lots of imaginative elements to keep the reader interested until the very end. I highly recommend this enjoyable novel.
Reviewer: Alice Berger
Brigitta knows there is one fairy who might be able to help. Hrathgar hasn't been affected by this stone spell, since she lives outside the White Forest. Brigitta and Himalette head out to find her in the hopes that she can offer assistance. But the area they need to travel through is treacherous, and Hrathgar has been banished from the White Forest for something evil she did a long time ago. Even though they know they are in great danger, the two young fairies are determined to save the White Forest and restore everyone back to normal.
Brigitta of the White Forest is fantasy and adventure in a delightful combination. Readers will love Brigitta's bravery in facing Hrathgar, while trying to protect her little sister. She is also clever in determining if their unusual companions, Minq and Gola, are allies or enemies in their quest. The story is fast-paced, with lots of imaginative elements to keep the reader interested until the very end. I highly recommend this enjoyable novel.
Reviewer: Alice Berger
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read!
Brigitta of the White Forest is a fast-paced, fun, middle-grade novel about two faerie sisters who escape a frightening curse upon the White Forest. Read more
Published 4 months ago by 4amWriter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book for Kids
My daughter loves this book!! The author paints a picture of a new world with her clever use of words.
Published 5 months ago by Angela Faust
2.0 out of 5 stars
This was a book for pre-teens.
I was looking for a well developed fantasy. This book was not intended for adults - should have been listed for pre-teens.
Published 8 months ago by Dee in
5.0 out of 5 stars
A finely crafted fantasy
When the faeries and all other living creatures in the realm turn to stone except Brigitta and her lively little sister Himalette, Brigitta determines that she has no choice but to... Read more
Published 11 months ago by laurie cameron
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very imaginative!
This is a middle grade fantasy book about fairies (specifically 2 young fairies--Brigitta and Himalette). Read more
Published 12 months ago by Char in Boise
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fairy adventure
Brigitta sees everyone around her has been marked for a specific destiny. Her father's wings have the markings of the Inventor. Her mother's of the Feast Master. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Elemillia Ucselub
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great story, great characters, well executed!
I'm a father of a nine year old girl and I have to say, I hate fairy books. Or at least I did until I read Brigitta of the White forest. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Donald Anthony Ollivier
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fast-moving coming of age with action, adventure and responsibility
Teen fairy Brigitta watches her friends "change" as their wings receive the markings of their destinies. Read more
Published 13 months ago by S. Deeth
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great story. Girls will love it!
I received this book as an ARC.
Let's start by saying that I have never read a book about fairies before. Read more
Let's start by saying that I have never read a book about fairies before. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Phaedra C Seabolt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully fresh fairy tale in a captivating setting. Loved it.
Brigitta is a young fairy who feels lost. Being the last of her age to receive her Mark of Destiny, she can't help feeling that there is more for her than just one task for the... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Inspired Langley
