Sullivan, Laura L. Under the Green Hill

Sullivan, Laura L. Under the Green Hill
Henry Holt/macmillan children's pub group 2010 308p 16.99 978-0-8050-8984-4 ms/hs Fairies E-BN


Six children are sent to the English countryside to avoid a rampant fever in the States. This is a special place where the fairy kingdoms keep the world alive. It is also the year of the Fairy War and the children become involved.
Meg and Rowan with two more siblings and two friends are sent to spend the summer with distant relatives in the English countryside when a fever is rampant in the United States. This particular location is the center of two Fairy Kingdoms. Every seventh year at Midsummer╒s Eve there is a fairy war and human blood must be shed to maintain the vitality of all living things. The children arrive on May Day and are warned not to leave the grounds. They disobey, watch the fairy procession and Rowan is chosen to be the champion of one kingdom. Hiding this information from the relatives, Rowan trains to fight on Midsummer╒s Eve. Meg desperately want to prevent Rowan from fighting, especially when she finds out who the other champion will be. This occupies the children most of the time through May and into June. The two other children do research on fairies. One in the library, and the other throughout the woods. After all the buildup for the war, the actual fighting is over in one paragraph. The ending of the book involves fairy magic and provides a neatly wrapped up happy ending.
Very well written with wonderful description and character development. Middle school students will love it. Fantasy Theal, Joan