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The Tales of Annwn #1
Hidden World
Maeve is disgruntled and depressed when she is sent for the summer to her aunt's house in Newfoundland while her parents try to work out problems in their marriage and careers. But she does enjoy Newfoundland's rustic charms and the closeness she feels there to her favourite grandmother, now dead. Maeve's grandmother was the author of a fantastic book about the secret world of Annwn and Maeve is delighted to discover her grandmother's diary and a beautiful Celtic brooch that was stored with it. Then something strange begins to happen, something that convinces Maeve she is leaving Newfoundland, and in no ordinary fashion. Before long, Maeve finds herself in the Hidden World, a place she is sure her grandmother has visited too, a place that is alive with magic and danger. As she struggles to help her new-found friends in Annwn and unravel the mystery of her grandmother's time there, she finds herself immersed in a world of legend, where Celtic myths, tales of the sea and the secrets of Avalon come together in a fantastic and horrifying way.
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1999
3 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
About the author
Alison Baird
23 books49 followersAlison Baird is a resident of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, and a graduate of Trinity College, University of Toronto, where she earned her Honours B.A. in English and her M.A. degree.
As an author she had an early start, publishing her first poems when she was 12. Her first book, The Dragon's Egg, was published by Scholastic Canada: it was a national bestseller and a Regional Winner of the Silver Birch Award (a children's choice award). It is now featured on school curricula across the country. The Hidden World and White as the Waves: A Novel of Moby Dick were both CCBC "Our Choice" selections, and White as the Waves was shortlisted for the IODE Violet Downey Book Award. Baird has also written two trilogies, the Willowmere Chronicles and The Dragon Throne. The Stone of the Stars, the first book of The Dragon Throne, received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly.
Baird's short fiction has appeared in On Spec magazine, a Canadian periodical of original science fiction and fantasy for adults. Her story "Dragon Pearl" received an Honourable Mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror published by St. Martin's Press. Another short story, "Moon Maiden," appeared in the acclaimed young adult anthology What If. . .? Amazing Stories Selected by Monica Hughes (Tundra Books), which was an ABA Kids’ Pick of the Lists and was featured on the New York Public Library’s Recommended List.
As an author she had an early start, publishing her first poems when she was 12. Her first book, The Dragon's Egg, was published by Scholastic Canada: it was a national bestseller and a Regional Winner of the Silver Birch Award (a children's choice award). It is now featured on school curricula across the country. The Hidden World and White as the Waves: A Novel of Moby Dick were both CCBC "Our Choice" selections, and White as the Waves was shortlisted for the IODE Violet Downey Book Award. Baird has also written two trilogies, the Willowmere Chronicles and The Dragon Throne. The Stone of the Stars, the first book of The Dragon Throne, received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly.
Baird's short fiction has appeared in On Spec magazine, a Canadian periodical of original science fiction and fantasy for adults. Her story "Dragon Pearl" received an Honourable Mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror published by St. Martin's Press. Another short story, "Moon Maiden," appeared in the acclaimed young adult anthology What If. . .? Amazing Stories Selected by Monica Hughes (Tundra Books), which was an ABA Kids’ Pick of the Lists and was featured on the New York Public Library’s Recommended List.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 18, 2020
I revisited this book, which I loved dearly in my youth, and found that it aged well—granted, I have a soft spot for Celtic mythology. This book is beautifully written, and while more geared towards adolescents in storyline, the writing is well developed. I enjoyed journeying with Maeve on her grand adventures, watching her face her fears and grow.
July 1, 2019
3.0 ⭐
This book was a very interesting reading experience for me, mostly because it is not a very popular read and it was interesting going into a book having not heard anything about it previously.
❤️What I liked❤️:
- Reading a book set in Canada was really refreshing. I love that I got to learn a little bit about Newfoundland and its history through this book.
- I love the main character's name, Maeve. A silly thing to mention? Maybe, but true all the same.
- I liked how a lot of the folklore I was familiar with was intertwined with lore and fantasy that I was unfamiliar with. I'm not certain how much of the lore in this book was of the author's own making and how much was previously established, but I enjoyed the union of the familiar and unfamiliar all the same!
❌What I disliked❌:
- The writing felt dated. This book came out in the late 90s/early 2000s which normally wouldn't strike me as "old" especially since I loved the writing in Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic book I read last month, which was published earlier. I think the writing style was just a bit simple and matter-of-fact for me. I like having things explained to me in a creative manner rather than a textbook-like manner throughout the entire narrative.
- The excessive lore. Again, I did enjoy the lore in this book but there were many instances where it was just too much. There was a glossary in the front of the book which explained the pronunciation of a bunch of the names and terms used in the story which was great and interesting, but there were just too many wordy info. dumps within the story for me to stay interested in the storyline. This short book took me much longer to read because bits like this made me hesitant to pick the book up time after time.
- The plain plot. The plot was a very simple very plain story. I did enjoy it but it just felt like nothing interesting was really happening until the last 20- 25% of the book. Would have liked some more build up.
- Characters were fairly bland. The characters were just as simple as the plot and I think some more character building moments earlier on in the story would have made this more enjoyable.
All in all I'm not very interested in picking up more from this author. I think her simplistic approach to writing characters and plot made this a bit too boring for me.
This book was a very interesting reading experience for me, mostly because it is not a very popular read and it was interesting going into a book having not heard anything about it previously.
❤️What I liked❤️:
- Reading a book set in Canada was really refreshing. I love that I got to learn a little bit about Newfoundland and its history through this book.
- I love the main character's name, Maeve. A silly thing to mention? Maybe, but true all the same.
- I liked how a lot of the folklore I was familiar with was intertwined with lore and fantasy that I was unfamiliar with. I'm not certain how much of the lore in this book was of the author's own making and how much was previously established, but I enjoyed the union of the familiar and unfamiliar all the same!
❌What I disliked❌:
- The writing felt dated. This book came out in the late 90s/early 2000s which normally wouldn't strike me as "old" especially since I loved the writing in Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic book I read last month, which was published earlier. I think the writing style was just a bit simple and matter-of-fact for me. I like having things explained to me in a creative manner rather than a textbook-like manner throughout the entire narrative.
- The excessive lore. Again, I did enjoy the lore in this book but there were many instances where it was just too much. There was a glossary in the front of the book which explained the pronunciation of a bunch of the names and terms used in the story which was great and interesting, but there were just too many wordy info. dumps within the story for me to stay interested in the storyline. This short book took me much longer to read because bits like this made me hesitant to pick the book up time after time.
- The plain plot. The plot was a very simple very plain story. I did enjoy it but it just felt like nothing interesting was really happening until the last 20- 25% of the book. Would have liked some more build up.
- Characters were fairly bland. The characters were just as simple as the plot and I think some more character building moments earlier on in the story would have made this more enjoyable.
All in all I'm not very interested in picking up more from this author. I think her simplistic approach to writing characters and plot made this a bit too boring for me.
August 24, 2017
This is a story of a girl who's not so special in this world, even bullied but is special and well liked in a parallel universe.
I found the mythology hard to follow in this story and I don't think the Gaelic or Celtic words enhanced the story for me. I also found the climax a little flat and boring.
I found the mythology hard to follow in this story and I don't think the Gaelic or Celtic words enhanced the story for me. I also found the climax a little flat and boring.
May 12, 2022
I picked it up again after about 15 years, and I enjoyed it! The spookiness of when the other world was coming for Maeve was just as horrifying as I remember, which is a good thing.
It's very "let's put a history/geography/folklore lesson into a story format so that we can better keep our students' attention" in that there are many many learning moments that don't advance the storyline at all. I don't mind that, and as a teen I didn't mind it, either. It's not helpful for the story, but I do like learning new things, and I'm never going to read through a textbook just for fun. (well, I might... depends on the circumstances, haha!) As long as you're not expecting an immersive "I didn't realize that I was reading a book" kind of experience, it's extremely enjoyable.
There was plenty of room for a re-telling of the tale from another perspective, as we stuck very heavily with Maeve's perspective. I think this is a good choice by the author. She can either write a sequel, or just leave us with lots of questions and things to think about after the book is done, which is the sign of a fine story, in my opinion.
It's very "let's put a history/geography/folklore lesson into a story format so that we can better keep our students' attention" in that there are many many learning moments that don't advance the storyline at all. I don't mind that, and as a teen I didn't mind it, either. It's not helpful for the story, but I do like learning new things, and I'm never going to read through a textbook just for fun. (well, I might... depends on the circumstances, haha!) As long as you're not expecting an immersive "I didn't realize that I was reading a book" kind of experience, it's extremely enjoyable.
There was plenty of room for a re-telling of the tale from another perspective, as we stuck very heavily with Maeve's perspective. I think this is a good choice by the author. She can either write a sequel, or just leave us with lots of questions and things to think about after the book is done, which is the sign of a fine story, in my opinion.
September 24, 2022
More like a 4.5 for the way that ending hit me.
Portal fantasies are a hard one to execute well, and I felt like this one was handled with care and precision. The magic, the way the worlds blended into each other was rather seamlessly done in my opinion.
The story was rich in the lore of several cultures and their history, myths, and legends, and though there was often a great deal of time taken from the story to describe these, I enjoyed the connections that were made to our world and its tales, both the factual and the imagined.
It was magical and filled with wonder, which always makes for a good story in my opinion.
P.S. I did very much enjoy that this was written by a Canadian and that the story was (in the beginning and parts throughout) set in Canada, with Canadian references.
Portal fantasies are a hard one to execute well, and I felt like this one was handled with care and precision. The magic, the way the worlds blended into each other was rather seamlessly done in my opinion.
The story was rich in the lore of several cultures and their history, myths, and legends, and though there was often a great deal of time taken from the story to describe these, I enjoyed the connections that were made to our world and its tales, both the factual and the imagined.
It was magical and filled with wonder, which always makes for a good story in my opinion.
P.S. I did very much enjoy that this was written by a Canadian and that the story was (in the beginning and parts throughout) set in Canada, with Canadian references.
May 26, 2020
I liked the combination of settings and myths and history. Interesting! The ending felt very rushed tho, like too many things were being squeezed in, and rather anticlimactic. I like the pacing of the first 70% of the book better.
January 31, 2024
2.5
This book reminded me strongly of the Narnia series, and I thought it had a very innocent and whimsical tone to it. That being said, it felt absolutely RIDDLED with Celtic jargon. There was a Celtic dictionary at the beginning, which helped some, but not all words I was looking for were present and the terms were so insanely overused within the story that I found myself getting completely lost. Additionally, it felt as though half of the story was just explaining the lore of Annwn; this might be appealing to some people, but I’d rather read the story itself, rather than have the author infodump a backstory to try and make the story make sense.
I did enjoy the fantastical elements and the unique concept of the book, but it just missed the mark for me.
This book reminded me strongly of the Narnia series, and I thought it had a very innocent and whimsical tone to it. That being said, it felt absolutely RIDDLED with Celtic jargon. There was a Celtic dictionary at the beginning, which helped some, but not all words I was looking for were present and the terms were so insanely overused within the story that I found myself getting completely lost. Additionally, it felt as though half of the story was just explaining the lore of Annwn; this might be appealing to some people, but I’d rather read the story itself, rather than have the author infodump a backstory to try and make the story make sense.
I did enjoy the fantastical elements and the unique concept of the book, but it just missed the mark for me.
October 31, 2016
I read this book in junior high, and soon forgot most of the important details. What stayed with me was that it was filled with rich imagery of the foggy and mysterious coast of Newfoundland. I remembered that it was my first introduction to the somewhat dark "fairy world" of Celtic legends and mythology, which in the story lived on in an alternate, more real version of our world, and that the protagonist's name began with M. Armed with this information, I tried unsuccessfully to track this book down for a long time. Finally got a hold of it last week, and I was afraid it would be like other disappointing revisits of things that once fascinated me, like re-watching All Dogs Go to Heaven. Turns out it was almost as captivating as the first time I read it, and it was quite fun to "walk around" in that story again and recognize things as I went along.
I would say that the characters could use more depth; I did not really feel much for any of them, except that I think the true protagonist is not Meave, but the mythology itself. There is a lot more feeling and attention given to this rich tradition of stories, how it interacts and compares with religions and ideologies, how it is affected by current problems and how it continues to influence the lives of people who believe it and those who don't.
Therefore, while I found the plot and characters slightly lacking, the setting and the history were wonderful. The pronunciation guide was interesting and helpful, but there were still so many words that I had to skim over without getting to "hear" how they sounded.
I'm glad I found this book again.
I would say that the characters could use more depth; I did not really feel much for any of them, except that I think the true protagonist is not Meave, but the mythology itself. There is a lot more feeling and attention given to this rich tradition of stories, how it interacts and compares with religions and ideologies, how it is affected by current problems and how it continues to influence the lives of people who believe it and those who don't.
Therefore, while I found the plot and characters slightly lacking, the setting and the history were wonderful. The pronunciation guide was interesting and helpful, but there were still so many words that I had to skim over without getting to "hear" how they sounded.
I'm glad I found this book again.
April 19, 2010
I borrowed this book from my local library at the beginning of high school without knowing that there was a prequel to it. If you read this one, or are reading it, and having difficulty understanding some references, read the prequel and it will explain everything. It's more like the first book than a prequel, but whatever. I've always enjoyed reading stories about faeries ever since I read OR Melling's work when I was a kid, and I'd have to say that Alison Baird comes very close to being on par with her. And they're both Canadian, plus!
November 19, 2011
I read this book when I was in high school, and really enjoyed it. Especially considering I had to read it for school work. I just read it for a second time and it really is a great book.
It's a Canadian book, so it tickles the Canadian pride when you read about a town or city and have been there before.
There are things I didn't like, but only minor things (I think the word"presently" is over used) and overall it's a great story that ended far too quickly.
It's a Canadian book, so it tickles the Canadian pride when you read about a town or city and have been there before.
There are things I didn't like, but only minor things (I think the word"presently" is over used) and overall it's a great story that ended far too quickly.
January 8, 2019
This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The way Baird seamlessly integrates present-day Newfoundland with Avalon is simply stunning. The prose flows along wonderfully, and the story is great. I definitely recommend this book!
January 10, 2015
Wonderful read, a true page turner. Not a challenging read, but it was steeped in mythology and was an amazing middle grade novel. I loved it as a child and I still love it as an adult. Suspenseful and wonderful till the last page!
February 4, 2016
Loved this book even though it's aimed at younger readers. If you like stories with a Celtic theme you may want a read of this one. Alison Baird has blended all these different aspects of Celtic history and mythology into this parallel world. Fabulous.
February 6, 2015
You usually hear from my generation that they got into reading because of Harry Potter--but for me it was this book. This book really takes me to another world.
November 25, 2009
Arthurian legend lovers only, lots of celtic stuff, little story, but not bad.
July 25, 2011
Pretty good book I must say. Definitely something to either read to your kids or pick up at the library for them ( maybe even for yourself for a light read)
November 23, 2012
Another "loved and adored as a kid" book.
March 2, 2019
An okay portal fantasy set in Newfoundland. Nothing ground-breaking or especially memorable, but decent enough.
August 5, 2014
the book was intriguing, captivating and interesting.its totally a hidden world.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews