A Winter's Tale continues the story of Ingamald, a young woman destined to be a powerful witch in a pre-industrial world known as Hinterlund. A fearmonger in the person of Morton Winter has bought himself into power and works to control the largely illiterate populace. His oppression is absolute as he puts a halt to learning and outlaws any who work in the arcane arts. Ingamald her magical rabblerouser friends are threatened with torture and death. She takes drastic and sometimes magical action, and through her wits and disguises plots Winter’s demise. Second in this YA series, A Winter’s Tale explores personal and social responsibility through the strong minor characters and especially the strong female heroine. Gail, a specialist in Children’s Literature, plots another tale in this series that capers and dallies with language and detail aimed at Jr/Sr high and gifted readers. Selected for the 2004 TD Canadian Children's Book Week Tour. A Winter's Tale has been selected for inclusion in Our Choice 2005!! (awarded by The Canadian Children's Book Centre) A Winter's Tale has been nominated for a White Pine Award ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gail Sidonie Sobat is a writer and educator at University of Alberta. She has a Masters in Children’s Literature and is the founder of the YouthWrite summer camp for young writers. She has published three young adult novels, Ingamald, A Winter's Tale, and A Glass Darkly, and a book of poetry, AORTIC CAPRICE. Her short fiction, poetry and essays have been published in journals across the country, and she has received numerous writing and mentorship awards, including The Writer's Block short story competition. Gail was also co-finalist for a Governor General's Award for Excellence in Teaching History. " The original idea for the book came from my lifelong fascination with witches and my interest in fairy tales, magic realism and literature of the fantastic. My research has been ongoing since 1990 and has focused on alchemy, sorcery, wicca, witch hunts, medieval torture and the Inquisition, medieval life, medieval women's biographies, fairy tale and mythology. The novel is fantasy and, therefore, the plot details and characters are allegorical references to today's onerous list of dictators, despots and oppressive societies - including our own or our southern neighbour's. " What the critics say about A Winter's Tale… " Stunning fantasy by a rising YA novelist." " A sequel to Sobat's first novel...A
Winter's Tale can stand alone....[Sobat's]
expansive vocabulary is refreshing and the book's intriguing ending
is so innovative that it encourages readers to gather more clues from
the novel - and read it again." " Using language rich in dialect and mystic words and phrases, Sobat
weaves italicized segments and poetry into her prose delineating
Ingamald's "arcane
art" in mystical sequences. The skillfully detailed descriptions
of Hinterlund's landscape and culture and the powerful imagery
provide a strong foundation around which the plot revolves....Targeted
at older readers, A Winter's Tale should
engage fans of the genre and have them look forward to Sobat's
final volume of Ingamald's journey." " It is very rare to see such beautiful and poetic prose in books
for adolescents. Her choice of diction and use of accents adds
a unique
flavour to her
novel, allowing the reader to truly feel as if they have been
transported back to a distant world still filled with magic. Yet, A
Winter's
Tale is very much a modern story, reflecting the struggles
each of us might
have over the meaning of right and wrong." Map of Hinterlund Click here to see a map of Hinterlund Book Club Questions for Bookclubs and Readers To order A Winter's Tale Contact Gail directly sobina@telusplanet.net |