Wildwood: The Wildwood Chronicles, Book 1

When it came out in 2011, there was a ton of hooplah around our town about Wildwood—it's written by Colin Meloy, the songwriter of Portland band The Decembrists, and illustrated by Carson Ellis, his wife. It was on the NYT bestseller list. It's a beautiful book about seventh graders who get lost in the forest while trying to rescue a baby from some crows—the forest is definitely inspired by Portland's Forest Park. On their adventures they learn a lot about magic and also about how much adults can suck... a lesson we all have to learn sometime. At any rate, it's a whole trilogy now (and yes, we have them all). The first book is 541 pages, with 85 illustrations that fit the book perfectly, and the whole thing is very nicely put-together. Reviews are mixed: A lot of readers adore the books, and others find them a bit slow-moving—so we leave it to y'all to form your own opinions. Enjoy!