What do you think?
Rate this book
The Changeling
Twelve-year-old Charlie must fiddle all night to save his sister who has been kidnapped by faeries.
106 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
2 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Terri Windling
120 books711 followersTerri Windling is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. Windling has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and her anthology The Armless Maiden, a fiction collection for adult survivors of child abuse, appeared on the shortlist for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. She was also honored with SFWA's Soltice Award in 2010, a lifetime achievement award for "significant contributions to the speculative fiction field as a writer, editor, artist, educator, and mentor". Windling's work has been translated into French, German, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Lithuanian, Turkish, Russian, Japanese, and Korean.
In the American publishing field, Windling is one of the primary creative forces behind the mythic fiction resurgence that began in the early 1980s—first through her work as an innovative editor for the Ace and Tor Books fantasy lines; secondly as the creator of the Fairy Tales series of novels (featuring reinterpretations of classic fairy tale themes by Jane Yolen, Steven Brust, Pamela Dean, Patricia C. Wrede, Charles de Lint, and others); and thirdly as the editor of over thirty anthologies of magical fiction. She is also recognized as one of the founders of the urban fantasy genre, having published and promoted the first novels of Charles de Lint, Emma Bull, and other pioneers of the form.
With Ellen Datlow, Windling edited 16 volumes of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (1986–2003), an anthology series that reached beyond the boundaries of genre fantasy to incorporate magic realism, surrealism, poetry, and other forms of magical literature. Datlow and Windling also edited the Snow White, Blood Red series of literary fairy tales for adult readers, as well as many anthologies of myth & fairy tale inspired fiction for younger readers (such as The Green Man, The Faery Reel, and The Wolf at the Door). Windling also created and edited the Borderland series for teenage readers.
As an author, Windling's fiction includes The Wood Wife (winner of the Mythopoeic Award for Novel of the Year) and several children's books: The Raven Queen, The Changeling, A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale, The Winter Child, and The Faeries of Spring Cottage. Her essays on myth, folklore, magical literature and art have been widely published in newsstand magazines, academic journals, art books, and anthologies. She was a contributor to The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales, edited by Jack Zipes.
As an artist, Windling specializes in work inspired by myth, folklore, and fairy tales. Her art has been exhibited across the US, as well as in the UK and France.
Windling is the founder of the Endicott Studio, an organization dedicated to myth-inspired arts, and co-editor (with Midori Snyder) of The Journal of Mythic Arts. She also sits on the board of the Mythic Imagination Institute. A former New Yorker, Windling spend many years in Tucson, Arizona, and now lives in Devon, England. She is married to dramatist Howard Gayton, co-director of the Ophaboom Theatre Company.
In the American publishing field, Windling is one of the primary creative forces behind the mythic fiction resurgence that began in the early 1980s—first through her work as an innovative editor for the Ace and Tor Books fantasy lines; secondly as the creator of the Fairy Tales series of novels (featuring reinterpretations of classic fairy tale themes by Jane Yolen, Steven Brust, Pamela Dean, Patricia C. Wrede, Charles de Lint, and others); and thirdly as the editor of over thirty anthologies of magical fiction. She is also recognized as one of the founders of the urban fantasy genre, having published and promoted the first novels of Charles de Lint, Emma Bull, and other pioneers of the form.
With Ellen Datlow, Windling edited 16 volumes of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (1986–2003), an anthology series that reached beyond the boundaries of genre fantasy to incorporate magic realism, surrealism, poetry, and other forms of magical literature. Datlow and Windling also edited the Snow White, Blood Red series of literary fairy tales for adult readers, as well as many anthologies of myth & fairy tale inspired fiction for younger readers (such as The Green Man, The Faery Reel, and The Wolf at the Door). Windling also created and edited the Borderland series for teenage readers.
As an author, Windling's fiction includes The Wood Wife (winner of the Mythopoeic Award for Novel of the Year) and several children's books: The Raven Queen, The Changeling, A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale, The Winter Child, and The Faeries of Spring Cottage. Her essays on myth, folklore, magical literature and art have been widely published in newsstand magazines, academic journals, art books, and anthologies. She was a contributor to The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales, edited by Jack Zipes.
As an artist, Windling specializes in work inspired by myth, folklore, and fairy tales. Her art has been exhibited across the US, as well as in the UK and France.
Windling is the founder of the Endicott Studio, an organization dedicated to myth-inspired arts, and co-editor (with Midori Snyder) of The Journal of Mythic Arts. She also sits on the board of the Mythic Imagination Institute. A former New Yorker, Windling spend many years in Tucson, Arizona, and now lives in Devon, England. She is married to dramatist Howard Gayton, co-director of the Ophaboom Theatre Company.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 3, 2017
Very large print so actually quite short. Perfect for the youngsters who want something richer, more complex, more creative (and more educational, re' history of Appalachian folklore etc.) than the Goosebumps series. Also very good for adults who, like me, are in the mood for a quick & accessible take on a Faery story (as opposed to a fairy tale...). Windling is a well-respected and beloved author of adult Faery & fantasy.
December 21, 2009
When I picked up this book from the library, I was a bit apprehensive due to its cover. Yes I know one should never judge a book by its cover, but this one was clearly a children's book, and I suppose I hadn't done my research, and wasn't quite expecting that.
Never the less, once I started reading, which amounted to a short read since the book is only about 100 pages long with large type, I was pleasantly surprised.
It's a lovely story about a young boy who faced with the presence of evil little fairies, must save his baby sister from their clutches. Incorporated into the story are tidbits about the darker realm of faery, as well as various folk beliefs about these "wee people". The writing is compelling, though a bit childish for an adult, but definitely worth the read.
Never the less, once I started reading, which amounted to a short read since the book is only about 100 pages long with large type, I was pleasantly surprised.
It's a lovely story about a young boy who faced with the presence of evil little fairies, must save his baby sister from their clutches. Incorporated into the story are tidbits about the darker realm of faery, as well as various folk beliefs about these "wee people". The writing is compelling, though a bit childish for an adult, but definitely worth the read.
December 30, 2022
I read this book in one sitting, which was a wonderfully refreshing experience. I loved this book a lot! It hit me right from the beginning with emotion. The story of Charlie playing the violin to comfort his family after his father's death...of reusing to let the music die, touched me deeply.
The depiction of the faeries is wonderful. The match between Charlie and the fae musician was fascinating, although when Charlie's bow burst into flames, and he kept playing, like a few more songs, my sense of belief died. But I didn't let that bother me. :)
I did want the idea of his violin being stolen to be worked up to more as well; it seemed to come out of nowhere. And I'm surprised he didn't think of playing his father's violin sooner, knowing the haunting curse upon it. The effect it had on the dancing fae was profound.
I do wish Polly was more established as a character before she was taken. I felt I barely knew her. And then Charlie goes through all this to find her.
But all that aside, I enjoyed this very much! A very heartfelt, enchanting, thoughtful tale.
The depiction of the faeries is wonderful. The match between Charlie and the fae musician was fascinating, although when Charlie's bow burst into flames, and he kept playing, like a few more songs, my sense of belief died. But I didn't let that bother me. :)
I did want the idea of his violin being stolen to be worked up to more as well; it seemed to come out of nowhere. And I'm surprised he didn't think of playing his father's violin sooner, knowing the haunting curse upon it. The effect it had on the dancing fae was profound.
I do wish Polly was more established as a character before she was taken. I felt I barely knew her. And then Charlie goes through all this to find her.
But all that aside, I enjoyed this very much! A very heartfelt, enchanting, thoughtful tale.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2018
This is an engaging story based on Irish faerie folklore. Written in first person POV, 12 year old Charlie Carroll is uneasy after his father and twin brothers die of consumption. His father and family had emigrated from Ireland to the USA years before. With his mother and three year old sister, he moves to the base of the mountains where the family will live with his paternal Irish grandmother in a dilapidated farm house. There are terrifying noises and strange events which set Charlie on edge. When he suspects that his sister has been taken by the mystical faerie folk, he must step in to help. And the only way to do it is by playing the fiddle, the way his father taught him. He had promised to never let go of the music before his father died, and the grandmother urges him to keep that promise. Does he secure the safety of his little sister? What does the future hold? The only way to find out is to read the book. I read it in about an hour, and was enchanted.
October 20, 2017
Oh this is a gem. The cover looks a little comical, but the story inside is anything but. Dark and serious, this is the Faery Realm in all its eerie glory at its absolute finest. Excellently done: a keep forever kind of book. Should I ever stumble across more by this author, I shall certainly be picking it up!
January 6, 2014
"There was no music on the afternoon my father's coffin was lowered into the ground. There should have been. My father loved music more than anything in the world. Maybe even more than his family..."
From the opening sentence one realizes that they are starting on a journey least expected. Terri Windling may not write much of her own being too busy as an editor and mentor, but when she does, it packs a wallop. A Faerie tale then...the spelling of which connotates the not too friendly kind.
Charlie's life has been hard - his musical father put down his fiddle when the two eldest sons died and soon followed them to the grave. His mother moves him and baby sister Polly to the Appalachians - back to grandma's farm and life doesn't get easier
These are the mountains of Manly Wade Wellman's Silver John, dark and menacing and full of ancient magic as Charlie finds out when Polly is taken and a changeling left in her place, and like Silver John, Charlie must find the musical heritage of his dead father to save her.
A Faerie tale then.
One with the flavor of William Faulkner, and like Faulkner once read will stay with you the rest of your life.
From the opening sentence one realizes that they are starting on a journey least expected. Terri Windling may not write much of her own being too busy as an editor and mentor, but when she does, it packs a wallop. A Faerie tale then...the spelling of which connotates the not too friendly kind.
Charlie's life has been hard - his musical father put down his fiddle when the two eldest sons died and soon followed them to the grave. His mother moves him and baby sister Polly to the Appalachians - back to grandma's farm and life doesn't get easier
These are the mountains of Manly Wade Wellman's Silver John, dark and menacing and full of ancient magic as Charlie finds out when Polly is taken and a changeling left in her place, and like Silver John, Charlie must find the musical heritage of his dead father to save her.
A Faerie tale then.
One with the flavor of William Faulkner, and like Faulkner once read will stay with you the rest of your life.
January 12, 2015
I've read a number of Terri Windling's books in the last few years, so when I saw this at a book sale I was glad to pick it up. First of all, I didn't know this was a children's (younger readers) book when I started it. It had big printing, short sentences, and about 100 pages long, so it did not take long for me to read it. And when I finished it I felt like I'd been going too fast, so I read it again. Slowly. It was worth the effort.
This is the story of a family in North Carolina, that is made homeless by debt and other hard circumstances. They move in with their grandmother out in the forgotten hills, and things only get worst. They are tormented, and then threatened by the Wee Folk. The Fairies. The youngest child is kidnapped, and an elf child is left in her place. And so her older brother must go out to confront the Fairies and rescue his sister.
I totally loved the whole book, but especially the final battle with the fairies. Well worth the second read.
This is the story of a family in North Carolina, that is made homeless by debt and other hard circumstances. They move in with their grandmother out in the forgotten hills, and things only get worst. They are tormented, and then threatened by the Wee Folk. The Fairies. The youngest child is kidnapped, and an elf child is left in her place. And so her older brother must go out to confront the Fairies and rescue his sister.
I totally loved the whole book, but especially the final battle with the fairies. Well worth the second read.
December 20, 2023
A wonderful, short read filled with old faery folklore and spooky happenings in the forest and hills. I loved this little book immensely, it had so much emotion and was beautifully written. Can't wait to read it again one day when I need something to cure a reading slump 🧚🏻♂️
June 25, 2012
A dark but delightful tale of a young boy, a fiddler, who rescues his sister, who has been kidnapped by the fairies and replaced with a changeling.
November 13, 2023
I was young when I read this. I remember loving the book, but I'm not sure if I would agree now. So I'll give it a 4 star. As I remember, it was better than just okay.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews