California girl Katla has moved with her mother to Minnesota, to the place where her grandparents immigrated to from Iceland. And she's not happy about it. She doesn't mind helping her grandpa (her "afi") in his little store but she is NOT impressed with the tiny town and its rather backwards inhabitants. And then she meets Hulga, the bizarre old woman across the street - and Katla is introduced to a world where mythology is suddenly real and she, has Katla, has a real role to play. If only she could get her mind off of that weird boy Jack who acts like she should know him but how is that possible? Katla's got a lot to learn before she can make a place for herself in this new town among people who seem to know more about her than she does.
FUN, fun. What Katla is able to do, and the society she becomes a part of, is just really creative and puts such a fantastical spin on this story. Folktale becomes reality as the fashion-conscious Katla maneuvers high school, tries to sort out her emotions about her parents' divorce and figure out how her new powers are going to work. Of course, as in every folk tale there is some darkness and I liked how that part of the plot worked out, too. It wasn't a book that I could constantly predict and that it just a pleasure. Plus, the love story was dreamy. Well written in Katla's rather snarky and humorous first person narrative, I'd give it 4.5 stars.
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1 comment:
I do like an unpredictable book! This sounds fun!
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