Found by a fisherman in a crystal box floating on the sea, a brother and sister with a silver star on their foreheads are taken in and raised by this kind man, until finding themselves alone after his death. It is then that a witch begins to visit them, mentioning things to the girl—springs of silver, acorns of gold, the white bird at the Well of the Wind—that she in turn relates to the boy, precipitating various quests to find these objects. When the boy does not return from his search for the Well of the Wind, his sister sets out in search of him, undergoing numerous trials and eventually using a mantra she had overheard the witch chanting—"Gripe, griffin, hold fast!"—to defeat the white bird and save her bother. Now in possession of a fabulous diamond, the pair set out to give it to the king, discovering the secret of their own past in the process...

Published in 1998, this original fairy-tale from British children's author par excellence Alan Garner and celebrated French illustrator Hervé Blondon is a mesmerizing storytelling experience. As someone who has read many, many folk and fairytales, the narrative elements in The Well of the Wind—the three quests, the witch adversary, the children's secret royal identity, the girl setting out to rescue the missing boy—were quite familiar, and reminiscent of many famous tales I could name. That said, the way these elements were put together, and the lovely use of language by Garner, made this feel like an original work of fantasy as well. The accompanying artwork from Blondon, done in pastels in an abstract style, was evocative, and captured the sense of mystery to be found in the text. There is a curious feeling of distance here—one doesn't feel intensely, when reading this book—but yet somehow, one is enchanted. Recommended to folk and fairytale lovers, or picture-book lovers in the mood for something a little different. ( )

I can't figure out how to rate this. The language is poetic, and the illustrations are as deceptively simple as the story. It's a fable, so the characters' personalities are colorless. The witch wears white robes. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but I blame myself - I'm just not the kind of reader who enjoys subtle philosophy, or whatever this was.

The image used here for the cover is apparently a poorly reproduced photo - the art is actually quieter and yet lovelier - if you like that kind of thing.

Very short.

School Library Journal - Grade 3-5-Though there are no source notes, this selection bears many classical motifs: three tasks, foster children with surprising identities, and even a spinning building. The narrative begins with a fisherman finding two babies in a crystal box. They have a red silk cloth between them, from which the man fashions headbands to hide the stars on the children's foreheads. Their guardian dies when the youngsters are half grown, leaving them in his shack on the beach. Then a witch starts coming around, sending the boy off on quests designed to kill him. With a little help from a thin man on the road, he survives the first two trials, but does not return from the third. It is up to his whistling sister to achieve a happy conclusion, which of course is a reunion, not only of the siblings, but also of the children and their birth parents, the king and queen. This is a big disappointment from Garner. The spare writing style that made The Stone Book (Collins, 1978; o.p.) so breathtaking leaves too many gaps here. The brevity also robs the story of any emotion. There is no grief over the dead foster father, no worries about the brother, and the king and queen show up too late to be of any use, except to tie up the tale. The artwork is as sterile as the text and makes as much sense. Done in an abstract, realistic style, the muted earth-toned pictures are full of sharp angles and odd perspectives. In combination with the weak story, the dreary illustrations create a leaden whole.
Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
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