The Cottage in the Woods

Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Memorial Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 11, 2015

Review

Goldilocks and the Three Bears meet Jane Austen. Ursula the bear has just finished her schooling to become a governess. She begins her duties at the seemingly austere estate of the bear family the Vaughns. Ursula is now governess to their young cub Teddy. This is how the story begins. It is told from Ursula's point of view, a recollection of sorts. Ursula's world is one in which some animals are enchanted and some are just regular wild animals. There is even said to be a land not too far away where humans hunt and eat animals! A world where humans coexist with the enchanted animals. So much so that the Vaughn's butler is a human. "Humans make the best butlers," according to Mr. Vaughn, the bear. Ursula feels that it is important to be courteous and polite to all creatures because you don't know if they are enchanted or wild. Things go relatively smoothly for a bit. But then the young girl Goldilocks gets into trouble and other things start to happen. Prejudice comes into play and causes a big rift between humans and animals. In this fairy tale world, not everyone will live happily ever after. There are themes of unrequited love, prejudice, betrayal, deceit, theft, violence, and ultimately some justice and happiness throughout this book. It is well-written, but the vocabulary and the tone that Ursula speaks in when she is recalling her story seems geared toward an older audience than who the book is intended. Mr Vaughn is fond of speaking Latin and Ursula is pondering her love for Mr. Bentley who is engaged to anther bear. There is a table of contents. The titles give some clue as to how the story is progressing. The cover is deceptive. It depicts a proper bear family in front of their home. Very child friendly. Yet I would suggest this book to 6th grade and above. Possibly strong fifth grade readers. This is a first novel by the wife of author Bruce Coville. An original idea, well-conceived and well written. Not sure about the target audience though. Give to fans of Gidwitz's "A Tale Dark & Grimm" and Buckley's "Sisters Grimm" series.

Overall Book Score: good