I go back and forth about whether to review readaloud children’s literature as part of my regular blogging, but I was using Wise Child by Monica Furlong toward my 2023 Bingo challenge for the elusive Druid square, and honestly, I thought it was good enough to deserve a standalone review. 

Wise Child is a short middle-grade novel following a young girl living in a poor village on one of the smaller outlying islands off the British coast. Abandoned by her mother to live with a father who was at sea more often than he was at home, the titular Wise Child is sent to live with Juniper, a kindly-but-distrusted witch living in the countryside outside the community. And with Juniper, she will learn letters and mathematics, herbs and healing and magic. But while community prejudice may be an impediment to her learning, her most difficult task may be learning to master herself. 

While Wise Child is more than 35 years old, it shares a family resemblance to the burgeoning cozy fantasy trend. There’s a bit too much danger to lump it entirely within the cozy subgenre, but it’s a slow-paced, quiet tale that lingers on the mundane details of life and learning, with a particular emphasis on food and nature. As such, there’s plenty of appeal for cozy fans. 

It’s also absolutely tremendous as a readaloud option, with a beautifully rhythmic prose that makes it easy to get into the flow of reading. Compared to contemporary middle grade books like Nevermoor, the contrast is stark. And yet, despite the slower story pacing, my second-grade listener enjoyed it as much or more than other contemporary stories. When asked for her thoughts, she responded simply, “fire.”

As an adult reader, I enjoyed how the lead felt genuinely childlike. The prejudice of the villagers certainly made for a major antagonist, but so much of Wise Child’s struggles were simply to overcome her own impatience, laziness, and prejudice. In a sea of world-saving kids, it was a breath of fresh air. 

Ultimately, Wise Child is a quietly beautiful tale that’s easy to recommend for adults and children alike. 

Recommended if you like: quiet, plot-light tales, poetic (but not dense!) prose, child protagonists who aren’t smarter than all the adults.

Can I use it for Bingo? It’s hard mode for Small Town, and also includes Dreams and a section Under the Surface.

Overall rating: 17 of Tar Vol’s 20. Five stars on Goodreads.