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MiddleGate #1
The Serpent's Spell
The Serpent’s Spell is a about the power of friendship and the mysteries surrounding the snakes of Narcisse, Manitoba. Calamity—prone Wil Wychwood and supernatural artist Sophie Isidor live in the hidden town of MiddleGate. Hundreds of snakes in nearby Narcisse have been murdered, and the cousins set out on a journey to discover who could have done it. . .
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2006
About the author
Rae Bridgman
13 booksRae Bridgman is the author and illustrator of young adult fantasy adventure novels, including The Serpent’s Spell (Great Plains, 2006), which was a finalist for the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award, Amber Ambrosia (Great Plains, 2007) and Fish & Sphinx (Great Plains, 2008), which received an Honourable Mention by the Speculative Literature Foundation (2008) and was nominated for a Cybils Award in Fantasy and Science Fiction (2008). Reviews of her young adult novels have been glowing: “a unique feel,” “in a class of [their] own,” “sentence after sentence of melodiously evocative language,” “superb page-turning flight of fancy,” “characters are exciting and fresh and the [plots are] fast-paced and creative,” and “extraordinary in a delightfully ordinary way.”
She is a Professor in the Department of City Planning, in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba. She is also the author of StreetCities: Rehousing the Homeless (Broadview Press, 2006) and Safe Haven: The Story of a Shelter for Homeless Women (University of Toronto Press, 2003), co-author of Braving the Street: The Anthropology of Homelessness (Berghahn Books, 1999) and co-editor of Feminist Fields: Ethnographic Insights (Broadview Press, 1999). She has been the recipient of many research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and is a practicing visual artist with many exhibitions and arts grants to her name.
As well, Rae Bridgman is an urban planner and founding member of BridgmanCollaborative Architecture, an award-winning Winnipeg architectural firm that specializes in new design and heritage buildings, participatory design and planning, green architecture and community revitalization.
She is a member of CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers, SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators), CCBC (Canadian Children's Book Centre), the Writers' Union of Canada, SF Canada (Canada's National Association for Speculative Fiction Professionals), Manitoba Writers' Guild and Winnipeg's Writers' Collective.
She grew up on an old farm in Maple, Ontario north of Toronto, and earned her B.A. (classics) and Bachelor of Music at the University of Toronto, and her Master's (interdisciplinary studies) and PhD (cultural anthropology) at York University.
She is a Professor in the Department of City Planning, in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba. She is also the author of StreetCities: Rehousing the Homeless (Broadview Press, 2006) and Safe Haven: The Story of a Shelter for Homeless Women (University of Toronto Press, 2003), co-author of Braving the Street: The Anthropology of Homelessness (Berghahn Books, 1999) and co-editor of Feminist Fields: Ethnographic Insights (Broadview Press, 1999). She has been the recipient of many research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and is a practicing visual artist with many exhibitions and arts grants to her name.
As well, Rae Bridgman is an urban planner and founding member of BridgmanCollaborative Architecture, an award-winning Winnipeg architectural firm that specializes in new design and heritage buildings, participatory design and planning, green architecture and community revitalization.
She is a member of CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers, SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators), CCBC (Canadian Children's Book Centre), the Writers' Union of Canada, SF Canada (Canada's National Association for Speculative Fiction Professionals), Manitoba Writers' Guild and Winnipeg's Writers' Collective.
She grew up on an old farm in Maple, Ontario north of Toronto, and earned her B.A. (classics) and Bachelor of Music at the University of Toronto, and her Master's (interdisciplinary studies) and PhD (cultural anthropology) at York University.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 6, 2012
Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com
William Wychwood was born to a magical family, but he doesn't know this until fifth grade, when he and his pet snake, Esme, must go to live with his aunts and his cousin Sophie whom he has never met. They live in Middlegate, a village that is hidden inside Winnipeg, Manitoba, and entered through a magical gate. Wil and Sophie enroll in school at Gruffud's Academy, where the curriculum includes classes that you and I never had in school; numeristics, verbology, and botanicals may have some parallels to modern classes, but they are quite different. One of the favorite games is snapdragon, a battle of wits between shadows.
Wil and Sophie are concerned about the deaths of hundreds of the sacred snakes of Narcisse, and they decide to try to find out what happened to these wonderful creatures. While on a field trip to see the snakes, Wil and Sophie discover a clue and begin a magical journey of exciting adventures.
Wil has a magical medallion that his grandmother had entrusted to him before she died in a suspicious fire, and it may have something to do with the mystery of the snakes. The kids encounter danger with kidnappings, serpents, evil magic, and shadow duals. In this very imaginative fantasy, Bridgman adds a numeristic table of contents, Latin verbiage, and sketchings that bring the magic of snakes and sorcery alive. The characters are exciting and fresh, and the plot is fast-paced and creative.
William Wychwood was born to a magical family, but he doesn't know this until fifth grade, when he and his pet snake, Esme, must go to live with his aunts and his cousin Sophie whom he has never met. They live in Middlegate, a village that is hidden inside Winnipeg, Manitoba, and entered through a magical gate. Wil and Sophie enroll in school at Gruffud's Academy, where the curriculum includes classes that you and I never had in school; numeristics, verbology, and botanicals may have some parallels to modern classes, but they are quite different. One of the favorite games is snapdragon, a battle of wits between shadows.
Wil and Sophie are concerned about the deaths of hundreds of the sacred snakes of Narcisse, and they decide to try to find out what happened to these wonderful creatures. While on a field trip to see the snakes, Wil and Sophie discover a clue and begin a magical journey of exciting adventures.
Wil has a magical medallion that his grandmother had entrusted to him before she died in a suspicious fire, and it may have something to do with the mystery of the snakes. The kids encounter danger with kidnappings, serpents, evil magic, and shadow duals. In this very imaginative fantasy, Bridgman adds a numeristic table of contents, Latin verbiage, and sketchings that bring the magic of snakes and sorcery alive. The characters are exciting and fresh, and the plot is fast-paced and creative.
August 3, 2024
We are proud to announce that THE SERPENT'S SPELL (MiddleGate, #1) by Rae St. Clair Bridgman has been honored with the B.R.A.G. Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.
April 23, 2024
The Serpent's Spell is an interesting mystery of secret societies and magic. It is perfect for a young reader. The story is exciting, easy to read, and entertaining.
March 25, 2014
I like how the author used the S letter for will's accent.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews