''Into the Woods'' is a 2006

children's A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person young ...

fantasy novel Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...

Lyn Gardner Lyn Gardner is a British theatre critic, children's writer and journalist who contributes reviews and articles to ''The Stage,'' '' Stagedoor'' and has written for ''The Guardian''. Theatre critic and educator A graduate in drama and English from ...

illustrated by Mini Grey.

Plot

Reception

''Into the Woods'' received a starred review from '' Kirkus Reviews'' who said the novel is "bursting with flavor and good humor" and concluded that "this single long, lovely fairy tale bows to an abundance of classic tales while keeping everything fresh."

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

's Kathryn Hughes similarly stated, "Gardner's funky retelling of virtually every fairytale you can remember doesn't just borrow from Perrault and the Grimms but even, cheekily, inhabits Angela Carter's now-classic re-tellings. Add in references to Shrek, Narnia and even Touching the Void, and you have the kind of glorious mish-mash of ancient and modern that is sometimes achieved by a very good pantomime." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' concluded, "Gardner has crafted a fast-paced and entertaining adventure filled with cheeky humor and wordplay; even if the book's playful tone precludes the possibility of a dread ending, it's a blast of a journey." ''The Guardian'''s Hughes called Grey's illustrations "sly and clever." Also writing for ''The Guardian'', The Fantastical Reader said the illustrations "are absolutely brilliant and some ... are so realistic that you don't expect to feel the paper under your fingertips."

References

{{Reflist 2006 British novels Children's fantasy novels British fantasy novels British children's novels 2006 children's books David Fickling Books books