The forest of moon and sword by Amy Raphael

This adventure, with a hint of magic, is set in Scotland in 1647.  It is told by Art Flynt and begins when she has to hide in the ceiling from English soldiers.  Her mother and other women are being arrested for witchcraft and sent for trial in England.  Suspects usually have no chance of surviving and most of the women really just have extensive knowledge of the healing powers of plants.  Art sets off on her extraordinary horse, Lady, with the aim of finding and freeing her mother.  On her long journey she must ride through forests and be on her guard.  However, she is also helped by a mysterious woman.  After Art saves a teenage girl called Mercy from death, the two become friends and plan to free Art’s mother from a castle.

This has many pleasant illustrations and is written in present tense with short sentences. It is easy to read and has a lot of action, but you aren’t emotionally bound to the characters. It is based on a real person, the WitchFinder General, and it is interesting to learn about the travesty of his witch trials. However, the reader needs to suspend their disbelief when it comes to many of the events in the story, omens, thought transference with animals and the implausible skills of the girls. For example, how could Art make such a long journey (600km) in such a short time? Historical endnotes would help young readers have more context regarding the truth, since these aren’t the witches of modern fantasy. Nevertheless, Amy Raphael has made teenage girls the heroes in this medieval world, which is unusual in books for this age group and may appeal to readers of fantasy.

Themes: Strong female characters, Medieval history.

Jo Marshall