About this item
On the Midwinter Day that is his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers a special gift - that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated throughout the ages to keeping the world from domination by the forces of evil, the Dark. He is plunged at once into a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid the Old Ones in the final battle between the Dark and the Light. Thereafter, for the twelve days of Christmas while the Dark is rising, life for Will, although outwardly normal, is strangely wonderful as he is drawn through terror and delight. This book is a rare act of creative imagination in which the reader will be equally moved by the warm happy village life Will shares with his large family and the nearly overwhelming danger he encounters, often in other centuries and places, while he seeks the Signs and learns their power.
About the Author
Susan Cooper is best known for her acclaimed five-book fantasy sequence "The Dark is Rising," which won a Newbery Medal, a Newbery Honor Award, and two Carnegie Honor Awards. Her newest books are 2 picturebooks: "The Shortest Day" (her classic solstice poem, illustrated by Carson Ellis) , and "The Word Pirates," illustrated by Steven Kellogg. Born in England in 1935, Ms Cooper became a reporter and feature writer for the London Sunday Times--her first boss was James Bond creator Ian Fleming--before moving to the United States in 1963. Her first novels were "Mandrake" and the autobiographical "Dawn of Fear," followed by the complete Dark is Rising sequence (Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; Silver on the Tree) . The sequence, deeply rooted in the rich heritage of Arthurian legend and Celtic mythology, is a classic work of children's literature, still in print after 40 years. Cooper went on to write other well-received children's novels, including "Seaward," "The Boggart" trilogy, "Green Boy," "King of Shadows," "Victory," and "Ghost Hawk" as well as several picture books for young readers with illustrators such as Ashley Bryan and Warwick Hutton. She has also written books for adults, as well as plays and Emmy-nominated screenplays (some in collaboration with her second husband, the actor Hume Cronyn) . Recent non-fiction includes her biography of Revels founder Jack Langstaff titled "The Magic Maker." Ms. Cooper lives in Marshfield MA. Visit her on Facebook or on her website at www.thelostland.com.
