Bibliographical information:

Jones, Diana Wynne. Fire and Hemlock. 1985. New York: Greenwillow, 2002.

Brief summary:

Polly is packing to return to college when looking at a picture and looking at a book lead her to believe that she has somehow forgotten something important, that something dreadful that she has done has changed the past. This reflection pulls her in memory to a long ago day, and to her interactions with a man she met at a funeral many years ago.

Comments:

Like much of Diana Wynne Jones's work, this is an eerily compelling read. Here, Jones draws on the legends of Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer, blending them with the story of Polly's challenging family life and her interactions with her schoolmates.

Grade/Age level:

NYPL shelves wtih Young Adult. Probably fine for middle schoolers and up.

Cautions:

If you like this book, you might also like . . .

Elizabeth Marie Pope, The Perilous Gard 

--Lisa Gordis

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