The Green Man by Michael Bedard - Review

The Green Man by Michael Bedard
Publisher: Tundra Books
Expected publication date: April 10, 2012
Recommended ages: 10-14

Goodreads Synopsis:
Teenaged O – never call her Ophelia – is about to spend the summer with her aunt Emily. Emily is a poet and the owner of an antiquarian book store, The Green Man. A proud, independent woman, Emily’s been made frail by a heart attack. O will be a help to her. Just how crucial that help will be unfolds as O first tackles Emily’s badly neglected home, then the chaotic shop. But soon she discovers that there are mysteries and long-buried dark forces that she cannot sweep away, though they threaten to awaken once more.

Kayla's Review:
O Endicott travels to Caledon to spend the summer with her elderly aunt, Emily, after her father takes off to Italy for research. Emily owns the otherworldly Green Man bookshop, and lives in the apartment above it. O dabbles in poetry during her stay, but she questions her decision to write it because so many poets are insane. But are the queer things occurring around the bookshop really poet madness, or is there some kind of evil afoot?

I was about halfway through The Green Man when I found out that it was a part of a series. However, I never felt as if I was missing anything because there were various flashbacks with sufficient backstory. I only had two problems with the book.  There were a few plot points that I felt did not lead anywhere, such as O seeing a young version of her father. It could have had a potentially interesting twist, but it only served descriptive purposes. My other issue was that the climax was very brief. I found myself asking, “Was that it?!” Other than that, I found this to be a very enjoyable read. The writing is lovely, and the pace is ideal for the young adult reader. I would even like to go back and read the previous two books in the series.

Received through Net Galley.

About the author:

Michael Bedard was born and raised in Toronto. His novels include Stained Glass, A Darker Magic, Painted Devil, and Redwork, which received the Governor General’s Literary Award, and the Canadian Library Association’s Book of the Year Award for Children. He has also written several acclaimed picture books, including The Clay Ladies, which received the Toronto IODE Book Award. His most recent project was a collection of short stories entitled, The Painted Wall. Michael Bedard lives in Toronto.