The Valley of the Wolves

In Laura Gallego Garcia's The Valley of the Wolves, young Dana is taken on as an apprentice to the Maestro, an archmage, in part because of her relationship with Kai. Kai is a boy Dana's age nobody else can see. Most people regard Dana as a little "off"; the Maestro views Dana's ability to communicate with Kai as a sign of Dana's sensitivity to the magical world. Over the course of the next six years both Dana's abilities as a magician and her relationship with Kai grow. So do her suspicions about the Maestro and the Tower in the Valley of the Wolves where she has lived and studied. The book is translated from the Spanish. My only complaint is that though the story has a fantasy medieval setting, the author or translator employs too many contemporary idioms. But this doesn't detract from the compelling story or the richness of the characters. I highly recommend this book (Tammie read and enjoyed it too).

I become inordinately happy whenever I have a chance to discover a new children's book title from a foreign land. The dearth of translated children's books available in the current American market is shameful, to say the least. I've had the pleasure of reading German and Indian and British titles galore. One country I did not enjoy until now, however, was Spain. Now that problem has been solved. Though it reeks of Tolkein influences through and through, "The Valley of the Wolves" is a rather joyous and exciting book ready to be enjoyed by hoards of fantasy-loving kiddies. Dana didn't realize right off the bat that she was the only one who could see Kai. Honestly, it didn't make sense. Ever since she was six-years-old Dana and Kai have been best friends. He's just a normal blond kid who helps her out with her chores and plays games with her. It's with great shock that Dana realizes that to everyone else, Kai is her "imaginary friend". None of this seems important, however, until the day the stranger on the horse saw her. The stranger turns out to be a rather important mage and before she knows what's happening, Dana and Kai are going to the man's tower home. There, Dana becomes an apprentice in magic and her powers grow. Yet when she starts seeing more mysterious visions and finds a mystery at the heart of her home, Dana must decide what to trust and what to avoid if she wants to stay alive. Garcia has taken the old "imaginary friend" idea and given it a particularly nice spin. Kai as early friend and, later, object of real affection manages to conceal his background so well that even the canniest of readers will probably fail to figure out what he is. In hindsight it seems obvious, but reading the book you'll be honestly baffled. Garcia is magnificent with her characters as well. There's a bad guy in this book, sure, but the villain isn't all twirling of the moustaches and evil laughs. There's a depth to each person we meet, especially poor intangible Kai. Plus, there's a connection to the characters that comes across as especially alluring. No one can doubt the depth of feeling Kai and Dana feel for one another. The ending of the book also invoked a little of that old, "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman, as well. Ah, but it is incredibly difficult to read a book these days with elves and dwarves in it without wanting to retch. Are we so lacking in creativity that we must continually turn to elves and dwarfs when we want something pseudo-magical? "Eragon" did it. "The Spiderwick Chronicles" did it. Now "The Valley of the Wolves" has done it. To Garcia's credit, that's where her reliance on Tolkein begins and ends. Honestly, the dwarf and elf in this story could have easily been human and it wouldn't have made a lick of difference to the tale. As for her storytelling, Garcia keeps the action going at a steady clip. Exciting scenes are never bogged down in useless details. The book trips lightly over five

The Valley of the Wolves By Laura Gallego García. (Uncorrected Proof, April 2006) Review by: Tessa Yang Amazing; that is the word to describe The Valley of the Wolves, by Laura Gallego García. Others might be surprising, exciting, a twisting rollercoaster...Immediately after reading it; I knew there was something about it I would never forget. Through her simple but meaningful words, and her use of common legends such as that of the unicorn and that of the werewolf, García has created for us a fantastic story filled with magic and uniqueness. Now, I'll bet you are wondering what this great story is all about. Dana is the main character. Born a simple girl, living the simple life, her destiny changes forever when she uncovers an astonishing secret about herself. Kai, a boy her age who is invisible to everyone besides her, aids her in her quest to rescue the treasure that lay deep in the Valley of the Wolves, and fight for what she knows to be right. However, Dana's strong friendship with Kai, though it helps her in many ways, does not vanish all of her troubles. García keeps you inside the world of the book by applying her writing to all of your senses. More than once I found myself so absorbed in the text, it was as if I was seeing everything firsthand. Perhaps the only negative thing I found was the section in the middle, where Dana spends countless hours in her room studying. This became slightly tedious after a while, but García makes up for this monotonous stage with the wild chapters that follow. The ending of the book is definitely one of these wild rollercoaster-like moments. It pleased me greatly, because somehow through all the difficulties and horrors Dana has faced, the fact that she was good at heart remains, and will always remain, the one bright spot through all the darkness. Though characters switched between the "Good" and "Bad" side many times, my expectations were filled about them. Fenris, another main character who faces many troubles as well, in the end, selects his side and remains loyal to his comrades. The story itself was very fulfilling, but I could definitely think up many ideas to go into a sequel of The Valley of the Wolves, just because though many things are solved, there is still so much to think about. Overall, I would give this book an excellent rating. I recommend it to all who love surprises, adventure, and fantasy. Really, any age level over 9 could read it, but to understand all the discrete details that form in places you would least expect, it's very helpful if you have more knowledge and practice in analyzing stories. To sum up what this book review has been about, I would say that García has proven that books can be so much more than just words on a page. It takes true talent to write like she has in her successful story, The Valley of the Wolves, and anyone who is eager to see how far a great talent can go, stop what you're doing, and read this book.

The Valley of the Wolves By Laura Gallego García. (Uncorrected Proof, April 2006) Review by: Tessa Yang Amazing; that is the word to describe The Valley of the Wolves, by Laura Gallego García. Others might be surprising, exciting, a twisting rollercoaster...Immediately after reading it; I knew there was something about it I would never forget. Through her simple but meaningful words, and her use of common legends such as that of the unicorn and that of the werewolf, García has created for us a fantastic story filled with magic and uniqueness. Now, I'll bet you are wondering what this great story is all about. Dana is the main character. Born a simple girl, living the simple life, her destiny changes forever when she uncovers an astonishing secret about herself. Kai, a boy her age who is invisible to everyone besides her, aids her in her quest to rescue the treasure that lay deep in the Valley of the Wolves, and fight for what she knows to be right. However, Dana's strong friendship with Kai, though it helps her in many ways, does not vanish all of her troubles. García keeps you inside the world of the book by applying her writing to all of your senses. More than once I found myself so absorbed in the text, it was as if I was seeing everything firsthand. Perhaps the only negative thing I found was the section in the middle, where Dana spends countless hours in her room studying. This became slightly tedious after a while, but García makes up for this monotonous stage with the wild chapters that follow. The ending of the book is definitely one of these wild rollercoaster-like moments. It pleased me greatly, because somehow through all the difficulties and horrors Dana has faced, the fact that she was good at heart remains, and will always remain, the one bright spot through all the darkness. Though characters switched between the "Good" and "Bad" side many times, my expectations were filled about them. Fenris, another main character who faces many troubles as well, in the end, selects his side and remains loyal to his comrades. The story itself was very fulfilling, but I could definitely think up many ideas to go into a sequel of The Valley of the Wolves, just because though many things are solved, there is still so much to think about. Overall, I would give this book an excellent rating. I recommend it to all who love surprises, adventure, and fantasy. Really, any age level over 9 could read it, but to understand all the discrete details that form in places you would least expect, it's very helpful if you have more knowledge and practice in analyzing stories. To sum up what this book review has been about, I would say that García has proven that books can be so much more than just words on a page. It takes true talent to write like she has in her successful story, The Valley of the Wolves, and anyone who is eager to see how far a great talent can go, stop what you're doing, and read this book.