[FAG]⋙ [PDF] Cuckoo Song [Paperback] [Jan 01 2012] Frances Hardinge Frances Hardinge 9780330519731 Books

Cuckoo Song [Paperback] [Jan 01 2012] Frances Hardinge Frances Hardinge 9780330519731 Books

Download As PDF : Cuckoo Song [Paperback] [Jan 01 2012] Frances Hardinge Frances Hardinge 9780330519731 Books

Cuckoo Song [Paperback] [Jan 01 2012] Frances Hardinge Frances Hardinge 9780330519731 Books

I don't read very many middle grade books.

It's not that I don't like them or that I think I've outgrown them . . . I'm just not . . . very interested in the kinds of stories and perspectives that frequent the age 9 - 12 bracket.

BUT.

There's a reason I don't ostracize them entirely, and that reason is HARRY POTTER. The first several HARRY POTTER books can be classified as many things, but they are definitely middle grade, and they encapsulate the very best that MG has to offer: a story for ALL ages. A story that engages children, adolescents, and adults alike. A story that parents and grandparents can read to their children and grandchildren or read for themselves.

If doesn't happen often, but when it does . . . pure magic.

CUCKOO SONG by France's Hardinge is one such story.

Ironically, I almost DNF-ed it in the first 10%.

I might not completely shun MG books, but it takes quite an inducement to get me to pick one up, and if it hadn't been for the numerous recommendations from friends and bloggers I know and trust, I wouldn't have made it past the creepy the shrieking doll scene that followed the mysteriously mysterious beginning.

However . . . I was determined to give it a fair shot, so I persevered. *salutes trustworthy bookish friends*

The story opens with our 13-year-old main character Triss waking up in bed, surrounded by adults she cannot place, unable to recall how she got there or even what her name is.

The adults turn out to be her parents and a doctor, and after careful questioning to determine what she remembers (not much), they tell her what they know: Triss stumbled into their vacation cottage the night before--after having been put to bed--cold, wet, and disoriented. They believe she fell into the "Grimmer," but they have no idea how it happened.

Triss, it seems, is a sickly, but obedient girl, and leaving in the middle of the night for an impromptu swim is completely uncharacteristic behavior.

While the doctor is explaining to Triss that her memories should continue to return with a little time and rest, her younger sister Pen pokes her head into the room and promptly unleashes a tirade to the tune of, "That's not my sister! She's a fake! How can you be fooled by that awful creature who is not my sister!"

No one pays Pen any mind b/c as good and obedient a daughter as Triss is, Pen is equally disobedient and BAD.

So Pen's tantrum is ignored by all . . . except Triss, who can't seem to get the accusation out of her head . . .

B/c despite her returning memories, Triss is experiencing . . . oddities: a ravenous hunger that no amount of food seems able to satiate, waking up covered in dirt and leaves with no idea how they got there, and the aforementioned dolls coming to life. *shudders*

And that's all I'm telling you about that. It's hard though. This tale is so wonderfully imaginative that it's almost painful to hold it all in.

The characters are also fantastic.

There were half a dozen (at least) memorable secondaries, but it was the sisters that truly shone.

Triss and Pen . . . were complicated. I'd already heard that one of the highlights was the wonderful portrayal of their relationship, and I was confused about that for a long time. BUT. By the end, not only was I in complete agreement, I also appreciated how honest the portrayal was.

Yes, there are gooey, glowy moments of sisterly adorableness, but there were also moments of the kind of bitter spite that can only be accomplished by sisters, and without those bitter moments . . . the lovely ones aren't nearly as sweet.

As engaging as the characters and this world were, what I loved most was how Hardinge used the disruption to shake this family out of stagnation.

A tragedy occurred years prior, and since that time the Cresents have been pretending: that things are fine, that one daughter must be coddled and protected, that the other is acting out and any reaction enables the behavior . . . and the girls have been slowly suffocating . . .

But one strange event begins a chain reaction that forces the Cresents on a path to acceptance and recovery.

CUCKOO SONG by Frances Hardinge is hilarious and bizarre and absolutely darling. The sisters and creatures were delightful, the adults (with one notable exception) horrid, but mostly redeemable . . . It's a fantastically entertaining story that is also peppered subtly with wisdom and thought-provoking messages that apply to readers of every age and station, and I highly recommend it to one and ALL.


Tags : Cuckoo Song [Paperback] [Jan 01, 2012] Frances Hardinge [Frances Hardinge] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Pub Date: 2014-05-08 Pages: 416 Language: English Publisher:.. Pan Macmillan The first things to shift were the dolls eyes. the beautiful grey-green glass eyes Slowly they swivelled. until their gaze was resting on Trisss face Then the tiny mouth moved. opened to speak. What are you doing here It was uttered in tones of outrage and surprise. and in a voice as cold and musical as the clinking of cups. Who do you think you are This is my family. When Triss wakes up after an accident. she knows that something is very wrong She is insatiably hungry;. her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors She looks through her diary to try to remember. but the pages have been ripped. out. Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined. and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find th...,Frances Hardinge,Cuckoo Song [Paperback] [Jan 01, 2012] Frances Hardinge,Macmillan Childrens Books,0330519735

Cuckoo Song [Paperback] [Jan 01 2012] Frances Hardinge Frances Hardinge 9780330519731 Books Reviews

This book is amazing. Frances Hardinge never disappoints me when I read anything from her. Triss is a little girl who doesn't remember what has happened to her. Slowly she starts to figure out how different she is. And then that's where this book gets amazing . You are taken on a ride and finding out so many different things.
I quite enjoyed this and it has gotten me started on my latest kick, middle grade fantasy. I am always so jealous at the imagination that it takes to come up with these stories. This was a wonderfully creepy, original, fantastic story.
I will definitely be looking to read more from this author.
Poignant and wild, full of loss and imagination. If you like Neil Gaimon or Phillip Pullman, or you simply want a bit of beautiful frightening magic in the same vein as old fairytales, then this book is for you. I expect I will be reading much more of the author's work in days to come.
I started this book without expectations and I was completely blown away from the beginning. What first impressed me is that this is quite nicely written. The language is appropriate to the story and to the audience. The second thing to impress me is how seamlessly the author led me away from the safe, everyday life of an ill girl who accidentally fell into a pond into a topsy-turvy, psychadelic one, inhabited by other creatures. I never hesitated for a second. No suspension of disbelief was necessary, I was completely in thrall.

Triss is a sickly 11-year old girl. So when she wakes up after having fallen into a pond and cannot quite remember everything, no one is particularly worried. Least of all herself. Her little sister Pen though is worse than worried, she's belligerent. When Triss notices that dolls move and speak and that she has a ravenous, uncontrollable hunger, she herself becomes worried. Something isn't right. In fact, a lot of things are very, very wrong.

I LOVED this book. I rate less than 10% of the books I read 5 stars as I've done this one. If you enjoy fantasy/horror you are likely to like this. Highly recommended! A rare gem indeed.
Well written, but it just wasn't what I thought it was. I didn't realize it was middle grade, so it was much more juvenile than I expected going into it, and I thought it was a horror book. It also wasn't that either at all, just more like fantasy suspense. I had high hopes, and it fell flat. Not sure if it was the book or my own fault.
**Originally posted on Goodreads July 30, 2014**

I'll admit, I was kind of afraid to read this. I'm not one for scary stories and it's classified under horror! But I'm so glad I put on my big girl panties and dove in. It's not at all terrifying or horrifying or anything like that. It's AMAZING as all Hardinge's stories are. I never should have doubted.

I'd read somewhere that this was kind of Pinocchio story, and I guess I see where that reviewer was coming from, but I don't really view it like that at all. It's a changeling story, told from the changeling's point of view. And it's wonderful. Ms. Hardinge's imagination never fails to impress, but she might have outdone herself this time. This book is right up there with my all time favorite of hers A Face Like Glass. She didn't invent a whole new world this time, but fit one in and around 1920s England. The 'Besider' world and characters have all the marvelous wonder and weirdness I've come to expect from my favorite author.

The family, their problems and love, and well-off roaring-twenties setting -- all feel quite real. I think telling this from Trista's point of view was just absolute genius and I'm sorry the book is over.

I'm now at the end of all the Hardinge books I have to read and I will commence with being terribly impatient for whatever she writes next.
I don't read very many middle grade books.

It's not that I don't like them or that I think I've outgrown them . . . I'm just not . . . very interested in the kinds of stories and perspectives that frequent the age 9 - 12 bracket.

BUT.

There's a reason I don't ostracize them entirely, and that reason is HARRY POTTER. The first several HARRY POTTER books can be classified as many things, but they are definitely middle grade, and they encapsulate the very best that MG has to offer a story for ALL ages. A story that engages children, adolescents, and adults alike. A story that parents and grandparents can read to their children and grandchildren or read for themselves.

If doesn't happen often, but when it does . . . pure magic.

CUCKOO SONG by France's Hardinge is one such story.

Ironically, I almost DNF-ed it in the first 10%.

I might not completely shun MG books, but it takes quite an inducement to get me to pick one up, and if it hadn't been for the numerous recommendations from friends and bloggers I know and trust, I wouldn't have made it past the creepy the shrieking doll scene that followed the mysteriously mysterious beginning.

However . . . I was determined to give it a fair shot, so I persevered. *salutes trustworthy bookish friends*

The story opens with our 13-year-old main character Triss waking up in bed, surrounded by adults she cannot place, unable to recall how she got there or even what her name is.

The adults turn out to be her parents and a doctor, and after careful questioning to determine what she remembers (not much), they tell her what they know Triss stumbled into their vacation cottage the night before--after having been put to bed--cold, wet, and disoriented. They believe she fell into the "Grimmer," but they have no idea how it happened.

Triss, it seems, is a sickly, but obedient girl, and leaving in the middle of the night for an impromptu swim is completely uncharacteristic behavior.

While the doctor is explaining to Triss that her memories should continue to return with a little time and rest, her younger sister Pen pokes her head into the room and promptly unleashes a tirade to the tune of, "That's not my sister! She's a fake! How can you be fooled by that awful creature who is not my sister!"

No one pays Pen any mind b/c as good and obedient a daughter as Triss is, Pen is equally disobedient and BAD.

So Pen's tantrum is ignored by all . . . except Triss, who can't seem to get the accusation out of her head . . .

B/c despite her returning memories, Triss is experiencing . . . oddities a ravenous hunger that no amount of food seems able to satiate, waking up covered in dirt and leaves with no idea how they got there, and the aforementioned dolls coming to life. *shudders*

And that's all I'm telling you about that. It's hard though. This tale is so wonderfully imaginative that it's almost painful to hold it all in.

The characters are also fantastic.

There were half a dozen (at least) memorable secondaries, but it was the sisters that truly shone.

Triss and Pen . . . were complicated. I'd already heard that one of the highlights was the wonderful portrayal of their relationship, and I was confused about that for a long time. BUT. By the end, not only was I in complete agreement, I also appreciated how honest the portrayal was.

Yes, there are gooey, glowy moments of sisterly adorableness, but there were also moments of the kind of bitter spite that can only be accomplished by sisters, and without those bitter moments . . . the lovely ones aren't nearly as sweet.

As engaging as the characters and this world were, what I loved most was how Hardinge used the disruption to shake this family out of stagnation.

A tragedy occurred years prior, and since that time the Cresents have been pretending that things are fine, that one daughter must be coddled and protected, that the other is acting out and any reaction enables the behavior . . . and the girls have been slowly suffocating . . .

But one strange event begins a chain reaction that forces the Cresents on a path to acceptance and recovery.

CUCKOO SONG by Frances Hardinge is hilarious and bizarre and absolutely darling. The sisters and creatures were delightful, the adults (with one notable exception) horrid, but mostly redeemable . . . It's a fantastically entertaining story that is also peppered subtly with wisdom and thought-provoking messages that apply to readers of every age and station, and I highly recommend it to one and ALL.