Sang Spell (Mass Market Paperback)

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Author), Jana Duda (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor earned countless fans with the touching morality of Newbery Award-winning Shiloh and the laugh-out-loud realism of Achingly Alice. But aficionados may be surprised to find that Naylor's Sang Spell reads more like a haunting mystery. Grieving over the sudden death of his mother, Josh Vardy is reluctantly hitchhiking to Dallas (to begin a new life with his aunt), when he is mugged and left beside a remote mountain road. A woman driving a horse and cart takes him to a strange, fog-bound, primitive village, where there are no cars or telephones or electricity. The homespun villagers turn out to be a long-lost people of mixed ethnicity, called Melungeons. They accept Josh into their community, but will only answer his questions with evasiveness and enigmas. Mavis, a broad-shouldered young woman his own age, befriends Josh when he is put to work with the others gathering ginseng, a valuable root they refer to as "'sang" and trade once a year to Chinese merchants. Over and over again Josh tries to escape--by road and by river--but finds that somehow all routes lead back to this village that time has forgotten. When Josh finally joins in the villagers' rituals and celebrations, his feelings of despair about his own future begin to transform and heal. And after his loyalty to the Melungeons is tested, Josh finds that he is free at last to make the decision to leave. (Ages 11 to 15) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
In a starred review, PW said that the author "combines elements of Brigadoon and Lost Horizon with little-known historical lore to create a haunting story of a youth's journey from dissolution to wholeness." Ages 11-up. (Apr.)n
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689820062
• ISBN-13: 978-0689820069
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #639,505 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Take a chance..., March 20, 2000

By A Customer

and read this book. I wasn't sure if it would be good or not, but I desperately needed something to read and ordered it from a book club. I was hooked from the first compelling sentence. Josh had to go to Texas to live with his aunt after his mother's death. Hitchiking to his destination, he got beaten up by a man who offered him a ride. Later, a woman in a horse and buggy took him to Canara, an alternate universe. He was confused about the unusual civilization, but time unraveled the mysteries and his grief. Soon, he made friends and developped loyalty towards the town. Will he ever be able to leave? Does he want to? I highly suggest you read it to discover what happens.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a compelling, wonderful novel., May 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sang Spell (Hardcover)

I picked this book up for a book report after looking at the recommended books list. I wasn't expecting much because most of the books on the list aren't that great. Sang Spell was very suspenseful, and sometimes frusterating. It was a bit of a scary feeling to be trapped in an unknown world. The ending was good, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm not sure how I would have ended it. Another great story by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, April 24, 2001

A Kid's Review

Josh is an average teenager with a good life, until his mother is killed in a car crash. He decides that instead of taking the bus down to Texas to live with his aunt, he wants to hitch~hike. When he decided to turn off the main highway onto an isolated road, he is picked up by a stranger who gives him a ride instead of walking out in the rain and cold. When he is attacked by the driver, he is left by the side of the road with no money, no food, and a broken rib. Josh is picked up by a woman with a horse and a wagon and comes to live with the people of Canara. When he heals and makes friends, he decides to leave Canara, and be on his way. The only thing is, there's just no way he can get out...

I really liked this book mainly because it kept you in suspense chapter after chapter. Every time Josh tried to leave Canara, he couldn't, and that left me wondering what would happen to him next. The author made his adventures easy to understand, but sometimes I had to go back and read a chapter, to search for key events or clues. I also liked the fact that there was a little romance tied into the story. It added a realistic touch to the plot. The ending was good, and would make a great plot for a sequel to Sang Spell.

I didn't like when Josh was back in Canara for days at a time. It got boring when there was no action, and the pages seemed to go on forever.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an adventure as well as a fast, easy read book.