The Wild Hunt (Point Signature) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jane Yolen (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Series: Point Signature

Jerold and Gerund live in the same house--but in parallel times. A talking white cat living in all times brings the two boys to her home to prepare them for The Hunt, a bizarre adventure in which one of them will become prey to a huntman with an evil plan.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Thoughtful Jerold and the more reckless, appropriately named Gerund are two boys living in similar houses, somehow in parallel universes, in the dead of winter. As he does every year, Herne the Hunter, Lord of Winter, is battling the Queen of Light, She Who Is Ever, She Whose Word Is Law, she who is also Jerold's and Gerund's house cat. As a blizzard rages, Herne hunts, and Gerund gets himself captured. Jerold must try to be a hero and rescue Gerund. As it does every year, the battle ends in a draw, and the world continues as before, neither descending into the dark nor controlled by the light. Jerold reluctantly but bravely tries to perform the task given him by the Queen, the action vividly described in suitably C.S. Lewis-like prose. But Yolen (The Wizard's Hall) does not stop there; she crams this thickly plotted story with symbolism, literary allusions (the cat points out that a hero can also be a sandwich) and mannerisms. Though she produces an unusual fantasy novel, this self-consciousness kills passion, and readers may well do as the boys do at the end of the story-walk out with no desire to return. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9?In short chapters labeled "almost" and "sort of," Yolen relates the tales of Jerold and Gerund, two very different boys who "almost" share the same house and "sort of" spend their time with a sharp-tongued white cat who won't give her name. Into this odd configuration comes the Hunt, complete with invisible riders and an antlered Huntsman. A battle of light v. dark follows, ending with the death of Gerund's dog, Mully. The children return to the house together, and the story ends with them walking out on the cat. The language and writing are rich and precise. The unusual chapter headings add a rather detached tone to the work, which may be why the boys' grief over Mully's death never reaches readers, and why the ending lacks closure. There is a great deal packed into each sentence, and the cat's half-riddles and the sly jokes (about Gerund's name, for instance) require some knowledge of motifs and wordplay to make sense of the story. The placement of the black-and-white illustrations and generous amounts of white space make this an attractive volume. However, it's not a book that most children will find easily accessible. It is for scholars who are more interested in the roots of fantasy than the actual story. For a rousing hunt tale, try Pat O'Shea's The Hounds of the Morrigan (Holiday, 1986). For heartbreak over good v. evil, recommend Lloyd Alexander's The High King (Holt, 1968).?Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059052836X
• ISBN-13: 978-0590528368
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful mythic fantasy, November 23, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wild Hunt (Point Signature) (Mass Market Paperback)

Jane Yolen taps into mythos and folklore for "Wild Hunt," a short and sweet kids' fantasy with exquisite writing and amazing illustrations. Yolen also experiments with a unique chapter format, as often chapters are split into "Chapter One; Chapter One - Almost; Chapter One - Sort of" which adds extra charm.

Jerrold and Gerund are young boys who live in parallel versions of a huge house, "surrounded by rowan trees that are proof against magic." With each one lives the beautiful, chilly white cat; with Gerund also lives the overenthusiastic Mully the dog (who tends to echo the last few words of each sentence).

Outside, the Wild Hunt has begun; the chaotic, frightening king of winter is on the search for the Lady, who is "She Who Is Ever, She Whose Word Is Law, The Once and Future Queen, Maiden Mother and Crone, Summer and Goodness and Light." (Those last are highly debateable) Gerund and Jerrold are swept into the snowy wilderness, full of frightening hounds and the Moss-man, and the result of the clash between Summer and Winter is something that they never could have dreamed of.

One interesting fact about this book is that since the forces in motion are so much greater than the boys, they are not really able to change much. (I enjoyed the mentions of Aragorn, Ged, and Will Stanton by one of the boys, as fictional heroes) The ending is intriguing -- I really didn't see that coming, but after the events of the climax, I can't imagine it any other way.

Jerrold and Gerund are both brave and interesting, yet freaked enough by what is happening for them to be realistic. Mully's antics may grate on readers, but certain plot developments make him poignant rather than irritating. The horned man is menacing and nasty, but intriguing in his showdown with his wife. She's a bit more of a dark horse, as she seems much sweeter and more refined, but at the same time she is very cold and perhaps as menacing as her husband.

The writing is lovely, lyrical and very evocative. The pictures are simple black and white, very lifelike while retaining a slight softness and candlelit appearance. As far as quality goes, like some Point books it is printed on thick white paper, with a tight binding. No cracks on the edges of the binding, like many mass market paperbacks!

Some parents may not want their younger kids to read this, given the death of a couple characters, the idea of a young boy being used as "bait," a river of blood, and a forest of fruit that is actually maggots, flies, and insects. Additionally, younger children won't be able to fully appreciate the richness and background of this tale, though they may like it. Short as it is, this strikes me as more a YA novel than a children's.

Overall, this is a beautiful tale worthy of many rereadings on a winter's night.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wild Hunt, September 29, 2003

By 

David Kelley - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wild Hunt (Hardcover)

The Wild Hunt is a slow-moving, easily comprehendible book. The book has a unique and intriguing set-up that had me hooked by the second chapter. The book has three parts in a chapter, each tells a similar story from a different point of view. The story is full of action and suspence, which kept me hooked. When I started reading I could not put the book down. This book cannot be made better. If you love adventure this book is for you. I give it a great rating.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Hunt is On, February 13, 2004

By 

James L. Cook II (Diamondhead, MS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wild Hunt (Point Signature) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is one of the better books I have ever read. It is one of those books that makes you want to just keep reading and reading until its done. Its plot and suspenseful hunt is extrodinary. If you havn't read a book from Jane Yolen this book will suprise you.