Meg Burden
Brown Barn Books (2007)
ISBN 9780976812685
Reviewed by Avni Gupta (age 15) for Reader Views (02/10)
When I received “Northlander” by Meg Burden, I was very excited to read it. I had read the summary on Amazon and it seemed as though this book was just what I was looking for; a book filled with excitement and action along with a little bit of magic. As soon as I started reading it, I was hooked.
This book begins with Ellin Fisher being stopped at the gate that leads into the Northlands all because she is a Southling without any papers. She is trying to get back into the city so that she can deliver some herbs to her father who is trying to heal the king of the Northlands. Since she was unable to make her way into the city, she found herself some shelter in the guard house by the gate, where lo and behold she meets one of the king’s sons!
As soon as I started reading “Northlander,” I realized that I had underestimated how amazing this book would be. I feel as though this book can appeal to both guys and girls. There are aspects of this book that both sexes will be able to relate to.
I felt as though Meg Burden’s writing style was what made me enjoy the book as much as I did. She used so much imagery that this entire novel just popped. I could vividly picture every single scene that I read. These vivid portrayals made me feel as though I was in the book, and whenever I feel as though I am in a book, my reading experience is taken to a whole new level.
One thing that I really enjoyed about Burden’s portrayal of the Northlanders and the Southlings was the fact that they had different hair colors based upon where they were from. Through these hair colors, I felt as though Burden portrayed the stereotypes that are present in our society today, therefore making it easy for me to relate to her novel “Northlander” and the discrimination that Ellin was facing due to her hair color. On a side note, red or orange hair is my favorite. I feel as though gingers have more fun.
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