Overview

Critically acclaimed Tracy Holczer returns with a heartrending tale about a girl descended from the Grimm brothers who sets out to break what she thinks is a family curse. Twelve-year-old Juni is convinced her family is cursed. Long ago, her ancestors, the Grimm Brothers, offended a witch who cursed them and their descendants to suffer through their beloved fairy tales over and over again--to be at the mercy of extreme luck, both good and bad. Juni fears any good luck allotted to her family she used up just by being born, so when she wakes up in the middle of the night with the horrible feeling like antlers are growing from her head, she knows something is wrong. The next day she learns her older brother Connor has gone missing during his tour in Afghanistan. Her family begins grieving his loss in their own ways but Juni can't help but believe that his disappearance means the family curse has struck again. Juni is convinced the only way to bring her brother home is to break the family curse and so she sets out on a quest to do just that. From Charlotte Huck honoree Tracy Holczer comes a stunning new novel about the power of stories, the enormity of grief, and the brilliancy of hope.

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9781984813992

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Reviews

Praise for Brave in the Woods: This is a beautiful tale of love and grief, friendship and family, and of hope. . . Give this to readers who loved Ali Benjamin's The Thing About Jellyfish and Kate Allen's The Line Tender. . . Holczer's use of humor, thoughtful imagery, and magical realism elements makes this a wholly unique blend of modern fairy tale, hero's quest, and coming-of-age story. A suggested purchase for all middle grade collections. -School Library Journal, starred review Holczer's clear, gentle prose allows the emotional and descriptive elements of the text to shine in this multilayered road-trip story . . . A thoughtful exploration of grief, family lore, and human connection. -Kirkus Reviews By turns heartbreaking and humorous, this is a story that hints at the possibility of magic while remaining rooted in real-world problems and relationships. There is love and hope amid the grief and confusion, just as the Grimm tales contain both wonders and horrors in their own right. A heartfelt lesson on the power of love and the tales we tell ourselves. -Booklist Holczer has crafted another heartrending story of familial loss, grief, and healing. . . The imagery-rich text . . . [and] well-developed secondary characters help readers better understand Juni and the relationships she cherishes, while supporting her journey toward accepting the truth and finally letting go. -The Horn Book

Praise for Brave in the Woods This is a beautiful tale of love and grief, friendship and family, and of hope. . . Give this to readers who loved Ali Benjamin's The Thing About Jellyfish and Kate Allen's The Line Tender. . . Holczer's use of humor, thoughtful imagery, and magical realism elements makes this a wholly unique blend of modern fairy tale, hero's quest, and coming-of-age story. A suggested purchase for all middle grade collections. --School Library Journal, starred review Holczer's clear, gentle prose allows the emotional and descriptive elements of the text to shine in this multilayered road-trip story . . . A thoughtful exploration of grief, family lore, and human connection. --Kirkus Reviews By turns heartbreaking and humorous, this is a story that hints at the possibility of magic while remaining rooted in real-world problems and relationships. There is love and hope amid the grief and confusion, just as the Grimm tales contain both wonders and horrors in their own right. A heartfelt lesson on the power of love and the tales we tell ourselves. --Booklist

Praise for Brave in the Woods This is a beautiful tale of love and grief, friendship and family, and of hope. . . Give this to readers who loved Ali Benjamin's The Thing About Jellyfish and Kate Allen's The Line Tender. . . Holczer's use of humor, thoughtful imagery, and magical realism elements makes this a wholly unique blend of modern fairy tale, hero's quest, and coming-of-age story. A suggested purchase for all middle grade collections. --School Library Journal, starred review Holczer's clear, gentle prose allows the emotional and descriptive elements of the text to shine in this multilayered road-trip story . . . A thoughtful exploration of grief, family lore, and human connection. --Kirkus Reviews By turns heartbreaking and humorous, this is a story that hints at the possibility of magic while remaining rooted in real-world problems and relationships. There is love and hope amid the grief and confusion, just as the Grimm tales contain both wonders and horrors in their own right. A heartfelt lesson on the power of love and the tales we tell ourselves. --Booklist Holczer has crafted another heartrending story of familial loss, grief, and healing. . . The imagery-rich text . . . [and] well-developed secondary characters help readers better understand Juni and the relationships she cherishes, while supporting her journey toward accepting the truth and finally letting go. --The Horn Book

Praise for Brave in the Woods Holczer's clear, gentle prose allows the emotional and descriptive elements of the text to shine in this multilayered road-trip story . . . A thoughtful exploration of grief, family lore, and human connection. --Kirkus Reviews By turns heartbreaking and humorous, this is a story that hints at the possibility of magic while remaining rooted in real-world problems and relationships. There is love and hope amid the grief and confusion, just as the Grimm tales contain both wonders and horrors in their own right. A heartfelt lesson on the power of love and the tales we tell ourselves. --Booklist

Author Information

Tracy Holczer is the author of the critically acclaimed novel The Secret Hum of a Daisy and Everything Else in the Universe. She has a deep love for the mountains where she grew up, the lakes and rivers that crisscrossed her childhood, so she writes them into her stories. Tracy Holczer currently lives in Southern California with her family and a variety of cats.

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