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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
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THE BOY, THE WOLF, AND THE STARS

Shivaun Plozza

A fantastical adventure about a little boy who embarks on a dangerous quest to return the stars to the sky.
Long ago, the night sky above the land of Ulv overflowed with Stars. Three of those Stars shone brightest of all, brighter than Mother Moon: Elena the Protector, Mathias the Gift-giver, and Freja the Magic-maker. The people of Ulv prayed to the Stars; the more they prayed, the brighter the Stars shone. Until one day, when the jealous Moon banished the three Stars from the heavens, sending them to earth. In an act of revenge, two of the Star-siblings bewitched a pair of wolves to climb into the sky--the Moon hid, and all the remaining stars were eaten, never to be seen again.

Now every night Ulv is cloaked in Darkness. Twelve hours ruled by the ravenous, clawing Dark Creatures.

Twelve-year-old Bo has grown up in the Dark Forest, raised by his guardian Mads, who took him in as a baby when his mother left him for dead. When the Dark Creatures suddenly become more powerful and Mads is killed by a mysterious wolf, Mads gives Bo one final command: "save the Stars."

With his pet fox Nix, a bird-like creature named Tam, and the magic-wielder Selene, Bo sets out to free Ulv of its curse, but they aren't the only ones after the Stars. Soon, they're racing against the wolf that killed Mads, as well as a wily conman and fabled Dark Witch, for Stars grant wishes, and if they fall into the wrong hands, it could spell Darkness -- forever.

This breathtaking adventure feels like an instant classic. Reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's STARDUST and the work of Matilda Woods, its magic comes not just from its inventive background and cast of characters, but from the message at its core: friendship is more powerful than fear and forgiveness requires more strength than anger.

The author says of the book: "Having been a child who was deeply impaired by fear and anxiety, I wanted to write about the nature of fear, the problem with keeping children ignorant of the world's dangers, and the importance of forgiving those that let us down."
Available products
Book

Published 2020-11-01 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Book

Published 2020-11-01 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Comments

AUS/NZ: PRH Australia ; Russian: Rosman

With this fanciful adventure, Plozza (Tin Heart) invokes the language of myth and fairy tales to construct a complex, heartwarming hero's quest. Her world, as explored both through Bo's experiences and excerpts from fictional document "The True Histories of Ulv," possesses sufficient humor and heart to balance the darkness.

Though the journey is lightened by humorous encounters with the slug-loving Un-King and an irascible Scribe (whose acerbic chronicles punctuate the main action), readers will want to have tissues handy for the conclusion. ...this middle-grade offering from Australian author Plozza (Frankie, BCCB 12/17) would be a good choice for fans of Kelly Barnhill and Grace Lin.

beautiful trailer for THE BOY, THE WOLF AND THE STARS. It's really gorgeous and I highly recommend that you check it out! Read more...

Readers who enjoy fantastical quests will happily tag along with Bo, who must solve riddles and survive many dangers during his journey.