Read for the YA 2008 Reading Challenge.
The fairy tale and folklore group I lurk on at Ravelry is currently reading The Dark is Rising as a winter-themed read along, and I was suddenly seized by a fit of nostalgia and decided to read along too. The story is set during the Christmas season, and seemed like a fitting way to end my YA Reading Challenge reading.
I first read this book when I was young (my copy cost me a whopping $2.95 – those were the days), and I have very fond memories of it. It’s the story of Will Stanton, a boy who finds on his 11th birthday that he is in fact one of the Old Ones, fated to battle against the coming of the Dark. The story is set in England, initially in the present day (it was published in the 70s, so this present day would probably seem foreign to today’s kids, but makes me nostalgic for my childhood), but then in a number of different times, as Will discovers his powers and searches for the six signs of the Light.
The book (the whole series, really) is filled with Arthurian and English folk legend, but definitely re-imagined. Cooper’s writing is lovely – I can’t find a good passage to quote here, because I love them all, and would take all night trying to narrow down to one. I just love this book. I loved it as a pre-teen, and I find I love it still. This is one of the books I’m glad I held onto, because I’d definitely want to share it with any child of mine.