The Carved Box

I am a fan of Gillian Chan's short stories for young adults. I basically devoured her two short story collections, Glory Days, and Golden Girl, so when I saw that she had written a novel, I picked it up.From the very first page, I was swept into the story. My own beloved dog had died just a week before I read this novel, and so the character of Dog especially appealed to me. It is not easy to fully develop an animal character in a realistic novel, but Chan achieves this admirably. I had tears in my eyes as I read it. Dog was so "real" that I could almost pat him!And the historical research! As a historical novelist myself, I am very picky when I read other historicals, but this one is spot-on. Bravo!I also loved the touch of fantasy. The Carved Box is a universal tale that transcends age limits.