The Wayfinder [Library Binding]

Darcy Pattison (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

Young Winchal Eldras is a Wayfinder, one of the gifted few of G'il Rim who have the ability to locate anything: a lost ring, the way home, a blue dress in the marketplace, a lost child. "Finding" is a valuable talent in this city that sits dangerously close to the Rift, a mysterious, unexplored chasm. When the Rift claims his little sister in a bizarre accident, though, Win is reduced to a Wayfinder who's lost his way.

But suddenly there's no time for grief--the plague has come to the Heartland. And only healing water from the Well of Life, on the other side of the Rift, can stop it. A prophecy commands that Win must make the terrible journey to seek the Well. But no one has ever braved the dangers of the Rift and returned to tell about it! To make matters worse, Win suddenly has a traveling companion in Lady Kala, a prized-and royally stubborn--Tazi hound with a few gifts of her own. A Wayfinder with no direction can't possibly manage this imperious creature from the King's kennels, much less save a civilization on the edge of destruction.

Or can he?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-Eleven-year-old Win is a Wayfinder, blessed with the ability to find anything-a highly prized talent in G'il Rim, where dense and dangerous fogs swirl up from the nearby Rift, obscuring everything in the city for days at a time. Lady Kala is a telepathic Tazi hound, used to a life of luxury in the King's kennels, but secretly yearning for some excitement. They meet when the dog accompanies Prince Reynard to G'il Rim in search of a Wayfinder. They need to brave the Rift in order to find the Well of Life, which contains the only cure to the plague that is attacking the Heartland. Prophecy indicates that Win is the only one who can succeed, but a tragic accident has left him unable to find anything. When the Prince falls ill, Lady Kala and Win brave the unknown terrors of the Rift, including a giant eagle, a sly cave monster, and the desperate Wolf Clan. There is little humor, and the relationship between Win and Lady Kala isn't particularly involving, but Pattison has created an intriguing universe and some interesting secondary characters, especially Win's mother, the only person known to have survived the Rift, and the story is fast paced.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. Winchal Eldras, 11, is an apprentice Wayfinder, a member of an elite group of people who can locate anything or anyone. When Win's little sister slips out of the house one foggy night, he tracks her to the edge of the Great Rift, where his fear of heights causes him to freeze, and she falls to her death. Bereft, Win retreats into himself. Then a prince of the Heartland arrives with news of a rapidly spreading plague and taps Win to journey through the Rift to find the Well of Life, whose waters are the only cure. With resignation, Win begins the arduous trek, joined by Lady Kala, a royal gazehound with her own special powers. The pair winds its way past a giant eagle, a deadly crocodile, a venomous tatzelwurm, and other dangers. The relationship between the haughty dog and the boy is handled well, growing from mutual abrasiveness to bonding. The plot is simple, but the adventures will keep readers turning the pages. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding: 208 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow (October 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060291575
• ISBN-13: 978-0060291570
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,605,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Darcy Pattison is an Arkansas children's book author and writing teacher.

WRITING TEACHER:
In 1999, she created the Novel Revision Retreat, which she now teaches across the nation. For more, see http://www.darcypattison.com/speaking/ Books about how-to write include:

NOVEL METAMORPHOSIS: Uncommon Ways to Revise
PAPER LIGHTNING: Prewriting Activities to Spark Creativity and Help
Students Revise Better

CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR:
Translated into eight languages, her four picture books and one middle grade novel, have been recognized for excellence by starred reviews, Book of the Year awards, state award lists and more. She is the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor's Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children's literature. Titles include:

THE JOURNEY OF OLIVER K. WOODMAN
SEARCHING FOR OLIVER K. WOODMAN
19 GIRLS AND ME
THE RIVER DRAGON
THE WAYFINDER (Now in Kindle format!)

2011 TITLES:
THE SCARY SLOPES
PRAIRIE STORMS
11 WAYS TO RUIN A PHOTOGRAPH

2012 TITLES:
WISDOM THE ALBATROSS: SURVIVING THE JAPANESE TSUNAMI
DESERT BATHS

For more see darcypattison.com/about

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Find the way, April 13, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wayfinder (Hardcover)

A thoughtful and unique fantasy, well-crafted and enjoyable to curl up with. I only hope that Ms. Pattison writes more in future...

Hero Winchal Eldras, in the fantasy land of G'il Rim, is scarred by the untimely death of his little sister, when she wanders too close to the Rift and falls in. As his fear of heights caused him to hesitate at the last moment, he blames himself and locks himself away. But Winchal is not just a boy, he is a Wayfinder, part of a special group that has the ability to find ANYTHING and ANYONE.

But he is drawn out of his unhappy solitude when Prince Reynard arrives at his home, searching for a Wayfinder who could end a plague by going to the Well of Life. With the prince comes a telepathic Tazi hound named Lady Kala, who has never before endured the dangers that will confront both of the questers on their journey.

As uninspired as the cover is, the story itself is rich and unique. The concept of Wayfinder is intriguing, one of those It's-so-obvious-why-hasn't-someone-thought-of-it-before?, and seems to fit quite nicely with the almost alien surroundings. The writing style is a little better than usual, not as descriptive as I like but not too stark.

Both Winchal and Lady Kala are nicely drawn, good in their dialogue and good foils for each other. Winchal in particular was deeply written, with his guilt about his younger sister and how he dealt with that deep-rooted fear.

I hope that this isn't the only book to be written about this unique duo!

5.0 out of 5 stars Good on many levels, October 18, 2011

By 

V. Byrd (Higden, AR) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wayfinder (Paperback)

As a teacher, I try to read books that I can recommend to students. This book strikes me as appropriate for a great many audiences. For parents, it is a moral, ethical book without undo, inappropriate content. For teachers, Darcy includes questions and items for discussion at the end. For young people, it provides answers for the grieving process. For everyone, it is an adventurous tale that keeps interest at a high level, urging the reader on. I, too, would love to read "what's next" for these fresh characters.

3.0 out of 5 stars Finding Hope, August 13, 2011

By 

Lindsay Pasch "VaBookworm87" (Virginia Beach, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wayfinder (Paperback)

There are those in G'il Rim who are born with the ability to find things- anything or anyone you might be looking for. Called Wayfinders, they are an important guild that assists the people of the city, especially during the wet season when a dense fog envelops the city and makes it impossible to navigate. Win is a gifted young apprentice Wayfinder, hoping to soon finish his apprenticeship.

Everything appears to be working in his favor until tragedy strikes and Win blames himself. Win determines to never use his finding ability again, but fate has something else in mind. The plague arrives in G'il Rim, and only one cure exists. A man instructs that a Wayfinder must venture into the Rift, a chasm bordering their land, and selects Win for the task. Win goes on an adventure that will not only heal the land, but hopefully bring some peace to him as well.

The Wayfinder was a good read! The coming of age story is reminiscent of popular young adult works such as Lowry's The Giver or Spinelli's Wringer. The book has strong fantasy influences, existing in a pseudo-medieval land governed by a monarchy and full of magic in the form of talking animals and healing waters. Pattinson doesn't flood the story with descriptive details, building enough of a setting for the reader to visualize the lay of the land but leaving a large amount up to the reader's imagination. This may work well for younger readers who would grow easily bored with too much detail, but I occasionally found it difficult to visualize the appearance of a location or a character.

The primary characters or Win and his canine companion, Lady Kala, were well developed, although there were some gaps in the story. A bit of background is given on Win's mother, but Pattison provides little more than a sentence when alluding to Win's father. Considering the significance of his parentage, I can only hope there will be a sequel which will build on that detail. Otherwise, it seems like a pointless, undeveloped plot device. As with many quests, the tale is built around the hero and his trusted companion, and together they face dangers and trials through which they grow.

I'd recommend this book for anyone looking for a light, quick read (I finished it within a 4 hour flight, so it's a quick one)! It's a fun, quick-paced, adventure, written for youngsters but suitable for readers of any age! I'd be interested to see if there will be a sequel. The way this book left off, there's certainly potential for it. If so, I'll definitely give it a read!