A Ranger's Guide to Glipwood Forest

The Wingfeather Saga

by Andrew Peterson

Whether a first-time visitor or a repeat traveler to the always mysterious and sometimes treacherous Glipwood Forest, this illustrated guide is an invaluable addition to any Wingfeather fan’s knapsack.

A Ranger’s Guide to Glipwood Forest is a detailed exploration of the most dangerous forest in Skree, the temporary refuge of the Igiby family. Through detailed line-art, maps, and directions, travelers can safely marvel at the majestic glipwood trees, poke around the (possibly haunted) Anklejelly Cave, dip toes into the mighty River Blapp (if you dare!), and avoid falling off a cliff edge into the Dark Sea of Darkness and being swallowed by a sea dragon. 

Both longtime Wingfeather fans and readers new to the series will be enthralled, tickled, delighted, and occasionally disturbed by never-before-known nuggets, familiar factoids, and all new stories about the forest and the brave Rangers who made passage into its dark depths possible. Get a closer look than ever at the place where Janner, Tink, and Leeli first started their adventures!

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Christian, Christian Fiction, Childrens, Audiobook

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2023

About the author

Hey, folks. If you're just discovering me or any of my work, it can be a little confusing because there are several facets to it. Here’s the rundown:

• I write songs. I also record them to these cool things called CDs and put on concerts around the country. (And beyond! To my great delight, I get to play in Europe every year or so.)

• I write books. I’ve written a four-part fantasy series for young readers called the Wingfeather Saga, along with Pembrick's Creaturepedia and A Ranger's Guide to Glipwood Forest. The Wingfeather Animated Series is wonderful, and you can watch for free over at Angel.com. I've written two memoirs: Adorning the Dark, and The God of the Garden.

• I'm the founder of the Rabbit Room, a community of songwriters, authors, and artists interested in storytelling, faith, and fellowship.

• I'm married to Jamie, and we have three sweet (grown) children, each of whom has a (grown) spouse (who is also sweet), and one very sweet granddaughter. We live in a magical place we call the Warren, just south of Nashville.

The common thread in all this is my love for Christ and his Kingdom, my belief in the power of story and art, and my need for family and community. If I had to boil it all down, I'd say this: I want to use my gifts to tell the truth, and to tell it as beautifully as I can. Andrew-peterson.com

Reviews

[Morgan's Endless Bookshelf]

As usual, Andrew Peterson does not disappoint!

[Caleb Renich]

There’s something magical about this book. It’s no sweeping tale like the Wingfeather Saga, and some people might be disappointed to hear that it’s more of a fictitious travel guide than a true story. But I love it. Peterson’s whimsical prose has really found its stride, weaving delightfully weird words like “lunching,” “gristletoe,” and “eggmunchery” into a tapestry that feels like an ancient, tattered map in an old bookstore—natural, inevitable even, but foreign and strange all the same. The subdued, secondhand (or thirdhand, if you count the diligent translation of one Andrew Peterson) narrative woven through the descriptions of Glipwood forest was equal parts heartwarming and hilarious. I almost felt that I was sitting by a wood-burning fire and listening to Owin Groverly himself recounting his adventures. (Aided by the author’s occasional greetings and compliments left in the text for his son, the illustrator.) Also, I will never get tired of reading Peterson’s wonderfully ridiculous names. Seriously. They’re the best.

Now I want some tiny toast.

[Jon Meyers]

This has reintroduced me to a familiar place that i guess wasn't familiar after all. I'm a BIG fan of the illustrations too, they might be the best part. Can't wait for a rangers guide to the doonlands! (I'm assuming that's what's next because of the mention of it in this one)

[Lou Allen]

I would say this is a book mainly for dedicated fans of the Wing Feather Saga. This small book, resembling a tour guide parody, explores one of the saga's most dangerous forests.
The book's humour and eccentricity are enjoyable as it follows a journey and shares stories of a traveller and ranger of Glipwood Forest and the people and dangers he meets. However, it may not be worthwhile if you haven't read the Wing Feather Saga, as it lacks significant plot or character development.
While I appreciated the humour and eccentricities, I found it a little dull compared to the main books. As a collector's item for Wing Feather Saga enthusiasts, I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10 for story enjoyment and a 0.5 out of 3 for its one mention of something spiritual.

[jaycee ann]

A fun little read for Wingfeather fans! I enjoyed it. Appropriate for ages 8+

[Rachel { dazai’s version } 🐾]

Honestly, I prefer the Creaturepedia. This is more of ‘this is glipwood forest, and this is the landmarks,’ etc, etc.
Wingfeather books ARE AMAZING. This one just doesn’t really fit, in my opinion, in the mouth of the Wingfeather digtoad.

Beware the Gargan Rockroach. Nasty things. They will steal all of your life right out of you and spit out your bones.

Rachel

[Artham]

Absolutely loved the random nods to the series in this book! It was very enjoyable, and added even more life to the world of Aerwier!

[Kristi Drillien]

This travel guide through the dangerous and wondrous Glipwood Forest was written by one of the founding members of the Glipwood Official Rangers Guild (GORG). Not only does he share the best and safest (relatively speaking) path through the forest, he also tells of how he met each of the other original eight members of the GORG.

I really wasn’t sure what this book would be like when I first picked it up, and it turned out to be a really fun, quick read. The humor and whimsy of the original series can be found throughout this book. At times I felt like Andrew Peterson was making up as outlandish of names and descriptions of items as he could to try to stump his son, who drew sketches of Glipwood Forest flora as well as the members of the GORG for the book. I particularly loved the sketches of Owin and Chonis Ponius Groverly, the “in-world” author and illustrator of the guidebook. Fans of The Wingfeather Saga will enjoy this return to the land of Skree, with many references to locations they’ll remember from the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.

[Kalmar Shuffler]

Andrew Peterson has done it again!
ARGtGF is another excellent companion book to The Wingfeather Saga. This 125 page book is filled with exciting Easter eggs, superb illustrations, hilarious humor, and insightful insight to the perils of Skree's most dangerous forest. It is a must for Featherheads, whether or not they end up trekking through Glipwood Forest.

(I also freaking love the references to Andrew's own family in the book!)

[Lorelei Angelino]

Excellent guide to Glipwood forest! I'd recommend reading it with a copy of Pembrick's Creaturepedia nearby.

I also love that it was more than just a guide and had a story woven in (although I still have questions about Trindan and Feeby)

[DeAnna Witzenburger]

This was entertaining but lacking a little of the story feel that the Creaturepedia book included.

[Julianne S]

I thank the Maker for untroubled laughter, surprise Christmas presents, and the seemingly endless creativity of my favorite living author. This is pretty much exactly what it sounds like - a travel guide to a place I wish I could visit for real (but now feel like I’ve come as close as possible to truly seeing), complete with brilliant details and beautiful illustrations. But there’s also a short and sweet story nestled in its pages about friendship and bravery and the drive to see the world in all its wonder. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect final read of the year.

“Pay a little extra to have your name or initials engraved on the blade. First, this gives you a way to claim it if the sword is ever lost or stolen, and second, one of your descendants may find it hidden in a secret chamber in your cellar and feel fluttery in their tummy when they see your name. One never knows, so it pays to be thorough.”

“Gristletoe is known for its bright red berries, and its branches are cut in the winter festivals to hang over doorways. Tradition demands that if two people are standing beneath a sprig of gristletoe, they must take turns stomping on each other’s feet until one of them cries, ‘Gunkee’s uncle!’”

“A journey by foot is best enjoyed with the easy part last.”

[Meagan | The Chapter House]

True confession: I have not (yet) read the Wingfeather Saga. I will be rectifying that in short order, in no small part because of this book exposing me to its wonders to come.

_A Ranger's Guide_ is clever, humorous, helpful, witty--and brilliantly illustrated. I love it.

The one downside was the formatting on the eARC I received; I'm confident the actual published ebook and hardcover editions are much more better, and I look forward to exploring either to more fully appreciate its goodness.

Regardless, this is an excellent companion resource to Wingfeather, and I can only imagine how much more I'll enjoy it once I start reading the series.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Haley Durfee]

If you wish to take a walking tour of Glipwood Forest, be sure to bring your sword (preferably monogrammed), and keep note of all the discounts you can get from Glipwood muncheries by mentioning Owain Groverly.

Absolutely hilarious; highly recommend. Lots of fun Easter eggs (laid by a local flabbit) for Wingfeather fans.

Content:
None! Yay! A middle grade book with no questionable stuff!

Ages 8+

[BooksNCrannies]

'A Ranger’s Guide to Glipwood Forest' is filled with all of the qualities one would expect from Andrew Peterson: wit, imagination, humor, and artistic writing. An interesting, little book that any Wingfeather Saga fan will enjoy!

[Maeve]

I'm kind of biased...I absolutely will love anything that Andrew Peterson writes! Aedan Peterson did a wonderful job with the pictures as well!

[Nathaniel Miller]

This is a fun little book with great illustrations. Makes me want to go through Glipwood Forest, as foolhardy as that might be.

[Ellie Ann]

This book was amazing. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going in(honestly, do you ever with Andrew Peterson?) but it was really good. A mix of second person guide book and fictional autobiography, the wit and adventure expected from any Wingfeather book is definitely there! I thought the tale of how the forest rangers were formed was really cool and getting a tour of Glipwood Forest not involving anyone running for their lives(most of the time) was so fun. I loved the slight romance. Also, if Oskar or Janner had read this before North! Or Be Eaten, there would've been a bit less running-for-our-lives happening. Just sayin'. But it was really cool to see a different era of Aerwiar and meet some new characters! Highly recommend for all Wingfeather fans! 8+.

[James Brixey]

The start rating is meant to convey how much I would recommend this book, or how objectively good it is, which is very hard to do. This is an undeniably fun read (listen).

It is very strange as well. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but that was as a chaser to the much beloved Wingfeather saga. I don't know how this book would read out of that context? I expect it would still be a lot of fun. Enjoyable for the two hours of n entertainment it provided.

[Claire]

I hate giving a two and a half star rating to anything by Andrew Peterson, but it has to be done. This book had none of the spark the Wingfeather Saga possesses, and was disappointing after the extremally entertaining Creaturepedia. There wasn't really much of a plot, and yet it wasn't just a book of facts, like the Creaturepedia is. It felt unfished, like an early draft, and it was so short it left the characters very underdeveloped. And although I love Aedan's illustrations and think he's very talented, once you've seen one fictional illustrated plant you've kinda seen them all, and there were A LOT of plant pictures in this one.

However... I would probably recommend this to Wingfeather fans, because it is still fun and opens up the world a little bit more. Also the cover is beautiful and looks great with the rest of my Wingfeather collection!

This book leaves me hoping that Mr. Peterson will let go of this series and starting working on something brand new that can sweep me away once more.

[Bob]

This is a very amusing companion to the Wingfeather Saga, a light-hearted short story (or series of stories) set in the world of Glipwood Forest.

[Jill]

The companion guide to The Wingfeather Saga by the same author, readers will be treated to part map, part history, and part travel guide. Fans of the series will eat up every page of this delightful book!

The origin (and adventures) of the Glipwood Official Rangers Guild (GORG) offers fresh insight into the series. With this guide in hand, readers will feel like they are actually traveling through Glipwood. Complete with a beast guide, travelers will be well prepared to face all the dangers they may encounter. Landmarks and how they were named are also covered in this book along with a glossary of suggested gear to be fully prepared.

Love the author's creativity in building the world of the Wingfeather series. With this step-by-step guide through the forest, I hope children will be inspired to explore their own forests with an equal measure of creativity and imagination.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of A Ranger's Guide to Glipwood Forest through NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

[Laure Hittle]

Little and delightful.

[Alanna]

I was first introduced to Andrew Peterson's wonderful world of Aerwiar during the early days of the pandemic when I enjoyed listening to him livestream his reads of the wonderful Wingfeather Saga. It is no exaggeration to say that he has become one of my favourite authors and musicians. He writes with a humour that makes me laugh out loud, and has a wonderful way of describing things so that you really get a picture of the people and places. This book was no exception and I greatly enjoyed his description of the places throughout Glipwood forest, some familiar from the Wingfeather Saga and others new, as well as the tales that make those landmarks important. It makes me want to go and travel the path described in the book and experience the adventures to be found. After listening to him read the original books, I was able to hear his voice as I read this book, which really made it come alive for me
The Illustrations by Aiden Peterson are also wonderful and add to the story and the ability to envision the events. Aiden is incredibly talented and that he and his father can work together in this way is a wonderful gift. I especially enjoyed the illustrations of Owen Groverly the "author" of the guide, and his son Chonis the "illustrator" who look suspiciously like more rugged Glipwood versions of Andrew and Aiden.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the Wingfeather Saga, or a good travel guide.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Erik Rostad]

This was so funny and clever. I read the Wingfeather Saga last year and was just amazed at the level of imagination that went into the series. This book carries on the humor, storytelling, and delightful tidbits.

[Erin]

Very cute and well-illustrated addition to the Wingfeather universe. It's not really a story but it does stand alone.

[Lucille M. Wilde]

i could confidently say i would not eaten, maimed, or otherwise snacked on by the creatures of Skree, and now i am able to say with utmost enthusiasm that i shall now be able to tell the difference between a redberry and a deadberry.

I love the creativity in this book, and the artwork is so peak. The stories that accompanied the road-map were just what this book needed, and the level of humor and quirkiness is unparalleled. I thought this was indeed a most perfect addition to the Wingfeather collection. :)

Onward, I must go mention Owin Groverly to Hurgle's Foldy Things to receive my free folding map!!

Thank you, Andrew Peterson, for satisfying my constant need for more Wingfeather content!!

this will earn a special spot on my shelf <3

Age Rating
10-12 - ★★★★☆
13-15 - ★★★★★
16-18 - ★★★★★
19-21 - ★★★★★
22+ - ★★★★☆

thank you for taking the time to read this honest review, and happy reading!

:)

[Nicole]

I was given an e copy of this book, to review and give my honest opinion, and the following is my honest opinion. READ THIS BOOK. I really really enjoyed this book. I HIGHLY recommend it. If you enjoyed the Wingfeather Saga you will really enjoy this book. It is a little history of Glipwood Forest, and gives you a little more info on the flora and fauna (with pictures) of Glipwood and you cannot forget about the GORG (also some pictures)!! Your kiddo's will love this book and so will you. I am hoping they will do more books like this in the future.

[Jennifer Varnadore]

This made me want to read the rest of this series (which I was unaware was a series until I went to rate this.) It was very interesting. A vast world building exercise to try and visualize all of the stuff that was mentioned. I liked the mentions of freebies and discounts as well. That was a nice touch.

[Rubi]

Fun book!

Fun illustrations, the style of writing was always fun to read, just fun little book overall 😄
Read like a travel journal! With tips on how to do our own and an invitation to explore! Haha