Griffin of Darkwood

by Becky Citra

Will Poppy has always been fascinated with writing - he thinks there’s something almost... magical about it. But when his mother passes away, Will finds himself stuck living with his awful aunt, unable to write a single word (despite the fact that two Muses will not leave him alone), and handed a mysterious package which includes an old picture of his grandparents and a piece of cloth with the words "The Griffin of Darkwood" on it.
When his aunt decides to move both of them to a small village, Will is excited for a new adventure, and in a castle no less! But after a rude welcome to the town that includes stories about a curse, and an introduction to the servants of the castle who evidently mean to cause him harm, Will’s sense of dread about the whole village rises.
What is the curse the villagers all claim has been on the castle for hundreds of years, and what does it have to do with the disappearance of a young girl forty years ago? More importantly, what’s The Griffin of Darkwood, and what does it have to do with Will and his family?

Genres: Fantasy, Canada, Fiction

184 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 22, 2016

Reviews

[Rebecca Upjohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A middle grade fantasy & mystery with touches of Diana Wynne Jones. I very much liked the brief appearances of Mr Tumnus, Dobby, and Gandalf in the local bookshop. I was amused by the Muses, Will's and his mother's, trailing around after Will even though he has determinedly given up on writing after his mother's death (at the beginning.) But it is his storytelling that has the power to change the status quo in the end.

I liked that Will doesn't get all angsty. He is put in an awful situation but he gets on with managing the best he can and does it in a convincingly middle-school kid manner.

Will's dreadful Aunt Mauve gets off easily in my opinion but I suppose she couldn't have been crushed under a falling castle stone, could she? I loved that the father of Thom (one of Will's new friends) is a weaver. And I especially love that the bookstore and its owner provide a safe haven for Will.

The characters are vivid and unique. The bad people are very nasty! There is much to enjoy in this book (a griffin, a secret passage, evil housekeepers who are not who they claim to be, baking, a poetry reading, magic, p, b and j sandwiches, a mysterious past, a dog who steals stuff off people clothes lines, a cat whose eyes change colour, a castle!) and to catch and keep the attention of young readers through its twists and turns.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the sort of thing the late great Eva Ibbotson used to write, only hers were a lot more entertaining. Nothing new here.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I HAVE TO MAKE A ONE MINUTE AND THIRTY SECONDS VIDEO ON THIS BOOKS FOR SCHOOL AND IDK HOW IMMA DO IT

[aina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This book is intended for younger readers, and obviously, I'm not one such reader, so my opinion on this book is based entirely upon my personal preference.

The idea was good. It was exciting. That's what I felt as I read and turned to the next pages, curious to learn more about this and that. I liked the references made to famous literature characters from popular fantasy books, like Narnia's Mr. Tumnus and Lord of the Ring's Gandalf. That tidbits about writing was lovely. The settings (oh, the bookstore!) and the magic elements were interesting, the characters vivid and entertaining in their own ways. I especially liked Thom (I would love to eat everything he made!).

My problem with the book stemmed from the pacing and the narrative. I am aware that this is a middle grade/children book, however, I wish that the author could flesh out the scene at the beginning when Will's mother died. It happened too sudden and just like the death, the story moved on too soon. There's no emotional impact on the scene it felt like the mother's death was just a plot device to push the story forward.

The narrative was too...direct and it didn't let me dwell and linger for a moment longer, allowing what had just happened in a particular scene to sink in, before I was presented with the next one. The writing lacked emotions, and the fast pacing somewhat made the storyline a bit messy with everything that's going on within the pages. Sometimes it read like a rushed first draft where the author just wanted to get all major plot points off of their head and onto the paper.

Personally, I think The Griffin of Darkwood has a great potential to be an amazing fantasy story, maybe a series too, if it's given more pages and chances to be fleshed out and developed more. Like really, with the idea, the settings, and the magic the author had come up with and created, there are so much they could explore in depth and expand. I, for one, would love to learn more about the magic element, the creatures, and how it all fits and works in the world.

All in all, it was still enjoyable. I'm sure the younger readers would love this book and the magical adventure it has to offer.

[Storytime With Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This OLA Forest of Reading Silver Birch nominated title is filled to the brim with magic. It's one of those stories that sparks the imagination and connects to the creativity in the reader. I LOVED it so much and experienced book withdrawal when I was finished. Storytelling, a mysterious castle, a horrible aunt, some new friends, and a whole lot of magic make this book so engaging. You will be hooked from very the beginning. You and your young reader will be inspired to explore creative writing, storytelling, and visual arts while reading The Griffin of Darkwood. Citra uses some incredibly descriptive language and you will be immersed into the story. You will be Will Poppy and his friends. You may even begin to crave PB&J. I especially loved how Becky Citra included Mastering the Art of French Cooking to inspire some culinary creativity. This book is a creativity explosion that will leave you wanting to explore your creative side, whatever your interest. Your young readers will love the elements of friendship, adventure, and suspense. Grab this one for your winter holiday reading!

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Will Poppy and his mother, inspired by their muses, spend time together writing. Then Will's mother dies after finishing what is expected to be a best selling book, and he stops writing, even though both of their muses stalk him.
His greedy aunt takes them to live in Sparrowhawk Hall, a crumbling, haunted castle far off in the English countryside where the caretakers are an even nastier than her.
Soon Will discovers that many of the village inhabitants have metaphysical talents and take magic for granted. His friend Thom, who is learning to cook from a Julia Child cookbook, is an animal empath. His other friend, Emma, wants to join the circus. Fabian, the owner of the bookstore is unperturbed when creatures from fantasy fiction make their appearance among the shelves.
Will and his new friends end up having to figure out how a young girl died 40 years ago, and what it has to do with a scrap of an ancient magical tapestry.
I like a lot about this book, especially the connection of writing to magic. My only complaint is that the beginning is really bleak.

[Mrs. Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps it's because I was very much looking forward to this book so much that I felt let down. I love fantasy and thought the title and cover looked promising but it lacked depth. The main character's mother dies at the start but there is no real grief process, very little reflection on her life or sense of sadness in the character. Perhaps if his exploration of the castle had been fueled by some desire to forget his grief or to make his mother proud I would have been more interested but I didn't see much character development and apart from the interesting concept of the tapestries there were many big holes in the plot. Having said that many of my grade 4 students liked it so perhaps it's just down to personal preference.

[Carol Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Griffin of Darkwood by Becky Citra

This is a fast paced fantasy about a boy who must believe in the magic that surrounds him.

After loosing his mother, and leaving his home to live with his terrible aunt, Will Poppy finds himself living in a rundown castle.
Will finds two kindred souls in the small town, Thom (who feels what animals are feeling) and Emma. The three quickly become great friends, helping each other with their various tasks.
Will befriends the local bookshop owner and they find clues to will's ancestry.
It turns out that Will was meant to be there to help the town conquer the curse that has been upon it for centuries.

@forestofreading

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of this book was okay, but I stopped reading after the protagonist's mother died. There was no emotion incorporated into her death: it literally went like this, with no exaggeration.

1) Will comes home
2) His neighbor says his mom is dead
3) Will is like, "She wasn't that sick!" then he's like "Well, maybe a little sick LOL"
4) Will cries himself to sleep after having no emotion upon hearing of his mother's death and making what seems to be a joke about it.

There's no emotion at all, which makes it pretty bad.

[K.A. Wiggins]

Creative short novel weaves magic and storytelling together in a middle-grade mystery with fantasy genre staples including orphans, devious caretakers, castles, magical creatures and more. Fun and accessible, with some good talking points (muses, creativity, loss, palindromes . . . ) for class discussions.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A darkly whimsical story about friendship that pays its respects to myriad fables, this short book is sweet but not nuanced enough to stand out from the crowd. A fine story but not enough so to stand out.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well paced YA novel, great for avid 10-11 year old readers. Just enough fantasy for some, just enough scary for others, it is a great little book. Maybe my favourite Silver Birch selection so far.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story tries so hard to convince you it’s magical, but the strain shows. Honestly, the most magical thing was a young boy who is working his way through the desserts in Mastering The Art of French Cooking. A disappointment.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silver Birch Nominee 2018 - A recommended read for middle grades who like a mix of suspense, fantasy, and adventure. May be of particular interest to boys, but all readers of all types will enjoy.

[Landon · Rating 5 out of 5]

i didint like the start but it changed throughout the rest

[Bexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has excellent writing and a decent plot, but it was just so negative and upsetting that I didn't like it that much. Will is a young boy who's a writer and who's mother is a writer. How mother is sick but she has one chapter to finish of her book. When it's finished she dies, Will is left in the care of his crazy aunt who steals his inheritance, and then drags him off to some creepy, dark, cursed castle. The servants are creepy and aren't interested in actually helping them, and threaten to kill Will multiple times. He meets two kids his age, who are both quirky and unusual, and they help him eventually break the curse and everything is happy in the last five pages. There's just so much negativity throughout the whole novel, not one thing happens that's really happy, and then in the last five pages everything magically gets fix and they all live happily ever after. I just couldn't handle this book.

[Hayden]

If you want to read about authors and magic and griffins, go for it.
It wasn't a luminous read for me, but it was just fine, and the village and bookstore were downright great.

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel's greatest strength are its interesting characters: Will is a writer and is followed by Muses although he no longer wants to write after his mother's death. Thom is a boy obsessed with baking and is going through Julia Child's recipes one by one. Emma wants to be a circus performer and has a crazy dog who steals all sorts of items from the villagers. The mystery aspect was good too, the shady characters were menacing enough and the creepy old castle is a great location for a dark past and a mystical griffin. The story is a nice length for middle grade readers and the magical plot will be a great addition for fans of fantasy.

[FullyBooked · Rating 4 out of 5]

A GREAT BOOK. Nominated for silver birch awards, I can easily see why. It is a great mystery book that has you on edge, wondering about the answer to the mystery or what is about to happen like every mystery book should be. Not to mention it has you feeling everything the character feels. It’s pretty awesome! This should be the mystery book role model! Highly suggest reading this.

[Kron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magical. A perfect children's book.

[sam! · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. I enjoyed the mysterious aspect of it and it was really fun trying to figure out the plot.

[mawadda · Rating 4 out of 5]

the griffin of darkwood was very interesting!
it was a bit of horror and fantasy mixed together but i would say more of a fantasy novel
it was only like 139 pages so it was pretty easy to read and fast-paced.