Ettie e lo stagno di mezzanotte

by Julia Green, Sante Bandirali (Translator), Pam Smy (Illustrator)

Il richiamo della profondità e il fascino dell'ombra in un romanzo di formazione denso di mistero...

L’ingresso nell’età adulta di Ettie passa attraverso miti antichi, oscure meraviglie della natura e segreti di famiglia mai rivelati.

Ettie è felice di vivere con la nonna in mezzo alla natura: ama ascoltare le vecchie storie, giocare nei boschi e tuffarsi nel laghetto. Ma la ragazza cresce velocemente, come il suo incontenibile desiderio di libertà e di scoperta. Così, quando la misteriosa Cora - una giovane girovaga - la guida fino a una pozza nascosta in una cava, Ettie non vede l’ora di tuffarsi nelle sue acque fredde, profonde e pericolosamente invitanti… Ma non tutto è come appare: Ettie dovrà immergersi fino al fondo delle tenebre per svelare i misteri sepolti nell’antica cava.

La prosa evocativa e carica di tensione di Julia Green, amplificata dalle straordinarie illustrazioni di Pam Smy, mostra la vulnerabilità e la forza dell'adolescenza attraverso la lente del fantastico e del perturbante.

Genres: Middle Grade

Paperback

Published October 3, 2025

Reviews

[Hannah Rials Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, eerie coming of age story for middle grade readers looking to challenge their reading. In a gently dystopic world that has turned spice try back to nature, Ettie and her grandmother live on their own. But as Ettie gets older, she is growing restless. When she finds a mysterious girl wounded at the dangerous quarry, her life and world view are changed. Beautiful writing, beautiful illustrations throughout, but definitely at the top end of Middle Grade

[Amelia McD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the pace of the book, I enjoyed the description of the woods, it felt like I was living there with Grandma. I knocked off a star because I was left with a lot of questions at the end.

[Lauren Brotherton · Rating 2 out of 5]

work book club book 3. bit too childish, but I’m 10yrs older than the target market soooo

[Rachel Goulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a stunning story. Achingly beautiful prose with a haunting, atmospheric, sad uneasiness as untold truths are slowly unfurled in rhythm with the seasons in an idyllic yet dystopia countryside setting. It’s a coming of age tale with themes of independence and truth, drawing from Greek myth with beautiful descriptions of nature that paints a vivid picture of the world. It seems as if nature is healing in this world. The lives of Ettie and her grandma really do sound idyllic, as long as they can repair their relationship as tension is palpable between them and you can understand each side.

I do wish the world was explored more though, what the outside world was like within the dystopia. All you really get told is that there is some sort of disaster and then there was a sickness.

This book doesn’t talk down to children, and while it is a hopeful ending, it’s not completely a happy ever after and some questions remain unanswered.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ettie has spent the last few years running around the forest and swimming in the lake near her grandmother's secluded house. But lately she's feeling restless, and despite the amount of freedom, she feels suffocated by her grandma.
Cora comes along and urges her to take more risks, though she's so mysterious and secretive, you don't know whether or not she's trustworthy. It even feels quite supernatural.
I really enjoyed the descriptions of the places, animals and plants throughout the book. However I would have liked a little more of a finished conclusion about Cora. I'm left with questions!

https://sabrinasbooktails.blogspot.co...

[Chris Vick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gem from the wonderful world of Julia Green's imagination. This one is - in part - about what is hidden from us, which is alluring and which calls us; to revelation, but also danger. Like the poole itself, there's a lot going on under the surface. Truly magical!

[Kate W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Desperate to go hang out with Ettie's grandma

[Vera Viselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,7 ⭐

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully told and unputdownable. Completely drew me in.

[Samanta K. Milton Knowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book by Julia Green. I absolutely loved the setting, the flow of seasons, the tense friendship between Ettie and Cora, the dark details, the freedom, the hope for a new world after the catastrophe. Ettie's grandmother. The woods, the pool, that urge for exploring and free roaming. Ettie's journey in finding a dimension for herself. And the twist. What a beautifully constructed twist.
A marvelous read.