Polly and the One and Only World
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Green Writers Press
Published:6th Oct '14
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Don Bredes's new young adult (YA) fantasy is called Polly and the One and Only World. Don's first novel, Hard Feelings, was an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults in 1977, a New York Times Notable Book, and a 20th Century Fox feature film. Polly and the One and Only World is set in a much-diminished future America called the Christian Protectorates, a poor country ravaged by coastal flooding, drought, and cataclysmic social upheaval, the story features 15-year-old Polly Lightfoot, a maiden witch of rich heritage and tender ability in the craft. When the story opens, Polly is forced to flee New Florida, where she has taken temporary refuge to escape a military purge of the country's infidels, pagans, and followers of false creeds. With the help of her steadfast familiar, Balthazar, a raven, and her brave teenage companion, Leon, whom she meets on the way, Polly undertakes an epic journey from the deep south to the wild north to be reunited in Vermont with her family and to save her ancient craft from obliteration. Don Bredes is a versatile, visionary novelist. His frightening, vividly realized depiction of our stricken land in the stifling grip of fundamentalists offers young readers a galvanizing motive for preventive action. Not only do readers learn a great deal about witchcraft and religious oppression, but the chilling aspect of an America dominated by hateful zealots in the wake of climate catastrophe presents them with an inspiring challenge-today-to forestall the dire consequences of climate chaos. Gloomy though Polly's world may be, her story does not make use of the horrific realism found in dystopian novels like Cormac McCarthy's The Road, or even in Susan Collins's Hunger Games. Rather, Polly and the One and Only World gives young readers a vision of a future that will inspire them to appreciate their own freedom and their own capacity to work for positive social and political change.
A next generation cli-fi fantasy, Polly and the One and Only World, by Don Bredes, introduces fifteen-year-old Polly Lightfoot and her raven, Balthazar, both on a mission to transport an irreplaceable grimoire through treacherous wastelands, government controlled checkpoints, and hostile territories. Putting a futuristic spin on past events, Polly's migration parallels themes from the Salem Witch Trials, complete with heretics, religious zealots, and witches and mages burnt at the stake. Pursued by the FTB (Faith and Truth Board), Polly finds an ally, travelling companion, and possibly more in Leon, who has some interesting skills of his own. Constantly battling the nature of good versus evil, Polly and Leon engage in refreshingly open debates about the state of the new regime and the world around them, We're just specks, Leon. Tiny specks in an ocean of space and time. Deep thinkers as well as action and risk takers, Polly, Leon, and Balthazar lead the way in a fight for freedom, individuality, and change that is just as relevant today as it was years ago in Salem and certainly will be in years to come. -- Pallas McCorquodale -- Foreword Reviews
Don Bredes writes superbly and creates compelling, believable characters. -- Kirkus Reviews
The 'one and only world' referenced in the title is that of a near-future United States magical, post-catastrophe, almost familiar, yet chillingly changed. Polly has been sent to the relative safety of her aunt and uncle in Florida to escape the Christian Protectorate government's purge of her village in Vermont. But safety is not possible for a hereditary witch in the fundamentalist police state that America has become. The teen manages to escape capture by the guard with the aid of her familiar, Balthazar the crow. She sets off to find her family, but discovers travel through the wilds of climate cataclysm and institutionalized zealotry is not an easy course. With the help of friends she meets along the way, particularly the freethinking Leon, Polly struggles through betrayal, loss, and capture. With captivating language that draws readers in, Bredes's writing will inspire teens to revere current freedoms. Though the messages are clear, they are sketched with a light hand, so as not to overwhelm the story. The complexity of Polly and Leon as characters is revealed as they experience danger and redemption on their journey. Their relationship grows and develops as they do. Their multidimensionality is wonderfully contrasted with Balthazar's black-and-white view of the world, which often leads the sometimes naive title character out of danger. A thrilling journey, full of peril, exploit, friendship, and sorrow, this book is sure to find readers. -- Genevieve Feldman -- School Library Journal
ISBN: 9780989983891
Dimensions: 200mm x 134mm x 20mm
Weight: 335g
336 pages