In Deep Dark Wood

by Marita Conlon-McKenna

The mysterious arrival of Bella Blackwell, 'The Bird Woman', to the village of Ballyglen disturbs the peace and quiet of the Murphy household next door. Granny Rose is suspicious of Bella, and Rory doesn't trust her, but ten-year-old Mia falls under the old woman's spell. Bella tells Mia of a faraway place, a world where dragons and giants and ancient magic still exists, and asks Mia to become her apprentice and learn the old ways.

One dark night Mia disappears and Rory, determined to find his sister, follows her to a world he does not believe in. Riding the 'Shadow Hound', he journeys to a strange land of legendary creatures and terrible dangers.

Bella uses all her powers to prevent the brother and sister finding each other, but Rory begins a brave quest to rescue his sister, break the strange enchantment that Bella has over her and find a way home.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Born in Dublin in 1956 and brought up in Goatstown, Marita went to school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Mount Anville, later working in the family business, the bank, and a travel agency. She has four children with her husband James, and they live in the Stillorgan area of Dublin.
Marita was always fascinated by the Famine period in Irish history and read everything available on the subject. When she heard a radio report of an unmarked children's grave from the Famine period being found under a hawthorn tree, she decided to write her first book, Under the Hawthorn Tree.

Published in May 1990, the book was an immediate success and become a classic. It has been translated into over a dozen languages, including Arabic, Bahasa, French, Dutch, German, Swedish, Italian, Japanese and Irish. The book has been read on RTÉ Radio and is very popular in schools, both with teachers and pupils. It has been made a supplementary curriculum reader in many schools and is also used by schools in Northern Ireland for EMU (Education through Mutual Understanding) projects. It was also filmed by Young Irish Film Makers, in association with RTÉ and Channel 4. This is available as a DVD.

Marita has written more books for children which were also very well received. The Blue Horse reached No. 1 on the Bestseller List and won the BISTO BOOK OF THE YEAR Award. No Goodbye, which tells of the heartbreak of a young family when their mother leaves home, was recommended by Book Trust in their guide for One Parent Families. Safe Harbour is the story of two English children evacuated from London during World War ll to live with their grandfather in Greystones, Co Wicklow and was shortlisted for the BISTO Book of the Year Award. A Girl Called Blue follows the life of an orphan, trying to find who she really is in a cold and strict orphanage. Marita has also explored the world of fantasy with her book In Deep Dark Wood.

Marita has won several awards, including the International Reading Association Award, the Osterreichischer Kinder und Jugendbuchpreis, the Reading Association of Ireland Award and the Bisto Book of the Year Award.

Reviews

[Aneta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's for children but it's so nice to read a an adventure story for kids. It's so simple and interesting.I read this book ages ago but I remember so much of it. I love marita conlon mckenna. She was my favourite childhood writer.

[Tarina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:

Rory & Mia’s life is forever changed by the arrival of their newest neighbour - Ms. Bella Blackwell. Mia finds herself bewitched by the old woman & now talks of a world filled with dragons & magic. Rory believes that Mia is talking nonsense but when she disappears, he realises that there may be some truth to what she’s been saying. Rory takes it upon himself to find her & he uncovers a new world filled with wild legendary creatures. Will he ever find his sister & bring her home?

My Thoughts:

This is a nice children’s book that’s filled with fantasy, dragons & plenty of adventure. I’d recommend it for children of primary school age.

My Rating: * * *

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was one of my favourite books as a child and i’ve often thought about revisiting it. four stars for nostalgic reasons, but i would give anything for a version of this for older readers or to alternatively be eight years old reading this again. ebook has a lot of typos and formatting errors which was a little disruptive, but i read this in a single sitting ((remember those days? i have narcolepsy now which makes it a far more difficult feat than it used to be)) and a part of me is still holding out for a flying coat and a Trig of my own 🥺

[Mary Vaughan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in school last year and it was so much fun, i really enjoyed it and would recommend reading it. The bond between the characters and the dragons were lovely, and it’s definitely worth reading.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in 4th class

[Ro V · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun kids book that I remember warmly from reading as a child.

[Stacey]

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH AS A KID OMGG

[Sandra Danachair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic read. Highly recommended for children aged 9+

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written for a children's book. Simple and interesting :)

[Ellen Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the start was too long,the middle too short,and the ending took only 15 mins to read. But overall it was a good book and I enjoyed reading it.

[Laur]

Takes me back to reading this in my childhood

[Juliette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first fantasy book I ever read- in fact, stolen from my older brother's shelf. For nostalgia, I remember loving this book back when I was a tiny mushroom.