For fans of Shannon Hale, Adam Gidwitz, and Michael Buckley comes a luminous new twist on a tale readers only thought they knew. . .
Once upon a time, there was a girl with golden locks. But that’s just the beginning of this tale. The real story begins with a bear.
Ursula is a young she-bear who has come to work as a governess at the Vaughn estate. Although she is eager to instruct her young charge, Teddy, she is also frightened, especially when inexplicable things happen in the huge house after dark. Ursula is sure she has heard footsteps in the hallways at night, and that something is following her during her walks in the Enchanted Forest. Then there is Mr. Bentley, a young bear also employed by Mr. Vaughn, whose superior disposition is enough to drive Ursula to tears . . . and yet why does he also make her heart race? As Ursula works to unravel the mysteries of the Vaughn manor, she will have to be very, very careful. After all, true love, justice, and a girl with golden locks are at stake. And in the Enchanted Forest, not every fairy tale is destined for a happily ever after.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Not really a children's book
By Amazon Customer
I ordered this book because the description piqued my interest and since it was listed as a children's book, I thought my 9 year old son might enjoy a different twist on the old story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." As with all books that I read with my child, I personally read them first to make sure they are appropriate. (In the past, we started reading another series of children's books that frightened him.)I soon realized that the vocabulary and adult life situations were not really appropriate for his age or comprehension. As another reviewer stated, I'm not sure who the target audience of this book would be or who I would suggest this book to.The book is written by Teddy's young governess and her perspective of life happenings, including her own personal trials and tribulations, in the Enchanted Forest.I found myself frustrated throughout the book because there was almost too many different things going on in the story: racism, bigotry, bullying, romance, deaths, and hate crimes. The characters were well developed, but after the climax of the story, the rest of the book quickly resolved in just a few chapters with an ending that was pretty well-foreshadowed the entire book.There were occasional cliches in Latin thrown in here and there, which I felt were unnecessary (a little tiresome to read), but I understand the author was trying to tie in the Latin somehow.Overall, I wouldn't want to read the book again. As I stated before, I don't know who I would suggest this book to, maybe my mother-in-law? Definitely not my child. I did enjoy the hints and intermingling of different childhood fables and nursery rhymes: Peter Pumpkin Eater, The 3 Little Pigs, Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe, etc...
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
An Interesting, Unexpected Variation on Works of Classic Literature ...
By delicateflower152
If you can imagine combining the literary style of the 19th century and the fairytales of your childhood, then "The Cottage in the Woods" might be the book you would picture. Katherine Coville has employed a more formal writing style and a sophisticated vocabulary in this interesting, unexpected variation on those classic works of literature.Allusions to the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, as well as elements of the movie "Shrek" will amuse readers who are familiar with those works. Ursula (think "ursine") Brown, a bear of limited means whose mother is dead and whose father is headmaster of a school, is the novel's heroine. A recent graduate of Miss Pinchkin's Academy for Young Ladies, she has taken a position as governess at the Vaughn "cottage" - an estate - for young Teddy. As she learns more about the Vaughn family and the other household members, Miss Brown must also navigate the treacherous events taking place in Bremen Town. A revelation about one of her fellow employees and the ensuing developments combine to conclude the novel much as the works of the Bronte's and other 19th century authors might have done.Elements of "The Cottage in the Woods" are familiar to classic literature aficionados. There is the somewhat pompous employer - Mr. Vaughn loves to scatter Latin phrases into his conversations with Miss Brown. A kindly vicar and his wife have more depth than it initially appears. There is an eccentric, sarcastic Magic Mirror that, in order to be "fair" and in the spirit of "compromise", always provides different options in response to questions. Romance, loving someone of a higher social class, and unrequited love, each has a place in this story. However, there are also more modern aspects to the story. A vicious Anthropological Society reminds one of the KKK. There are nefarious individuals who exploit children. Katherine Coville has subtly woven all these threads together in "The Cottage in the Woods".Humor, both overt and somewhat veiled, is present throughout this book. Aspects of various fairytales - such as the "Pied Piper of Hamlin" and the "Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" - are present and cause readers to consider other outcomes to those tales than those with which they are familiar.Structured in the manner of literature in the 19th century, using a more formal writing style and a wider vocabulary than many modern works, "The Cottage in the Woods" is a treat for lovers of classic literature. Recommended for ages 10 and older, this book may contain more complex, veiled references than some in the targeted group will understand. It is a book more advanced, younger readers will find worth the effort to finish. Further, readers of any age who value classic literature will find this book a joy to read.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.Cottage in the Woods
By M. Tanenbaum
Jane Eyre meets Goldilocks and the Three Bears in this enchanting tale of an impoverished governess hired to take care of young Theodore in a creepy, huge manor house in which portraits follow you with their eyes, strange footsteps follow you down the hall, and objects disappear from rooms without a trace. Filled with tropes from gothic novels, this book is hard to put down. It is sure to please tweens and even teens who enjoy fairy-tale mashups, whether TV series such as Once Upon a Time and Grimm or books by Shannon Hale, Adam Gidwitz, and others. Coville skillfully weaves in not only the bones of the Goldilocks tale but characters from other beloved stories such as The Three Pigs, the Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe, and the Bremen Street Musicians, in this enchanted world in which humans and talking fairy tale animals have co-existed peacefully for years. But when a mute, filthy, starving little girl with golden hair is taken in by the kindly bear family, prejudice against the talking animals from the human community comes to the forefront. Will Goldilocks be able to stay with her new bear family? And what will happen to the kindly governess, Ursula, who has fallen in love with Mr. Vaughan, another member of the Bear family's staff? The novel is full of the vocabulary and images of the olden days, in which even young proper bears must wear corsets and not spend time alone in the company of a young male bear. If you've read Jane Austen and other 19th century novelists these touches are especially endearing. A wonderful novel by Katherine Coville, better known as the illustrator for her husband, Bruce Coville's books.
