Midwinter Blood

Midwinter Blood  

“That we are not just one, but a multitude.”  

Title: Midwinter Blood  

Author: Marcus Sedgwick  

ISBN: 978-1-59643-800-2 

Publisher: Roaring Book Press  

Copyright Date: 2013  

Genre: Teen, Magic, Fantasy  

Awards or Honors: Michael Printz Award Winner  

Reading Level: Teenager  

Plot Summary: Midwinter Blood follows seven different stories in different time periods on the island of Blessed and the power of a strange flower that looks like a dragon head. Some characters include Eric Seven, a journalist, an archaeologist in 2011, an airman in 1944, a painter in 1902, a family in the 1800s, and others further back in time. Eric Seven comes to the island of Blessed in 2073 to write a story about the people on the island. He is obsessed with a woman named Merle, who lives on the island. In 2011, an archaeologist finds a Viking burial site with the help of a boy named Eric and his mother Merle. In the next section, an airman with a daughter named Merle crash-lands on the island and meets a man named Erik and his family. He escapes the island, although he never quiet remembers its location. Each section reveals new information about the mysterious island and the connections of Erik and Merle throughout the centuries.  

Author Background: Marcus Sedgwick is an award-winning author who wrote Midwinter Blood, a Michael Printz Award winner. He is written other books like Snowflake, AZ, The Monsters We Deserve, Scarlett Hart, Snow, Saint Death, among others. Many of his books for adults and children has won multiple awards.  

Sedgwick was born in East Kent in England, and now lives in the French Alps. He has also been a writer-in-residence at Bath University in England and has also worked for the British Council promoting literature. He has also been an editor and worked as creative writing teacher (Biography, 2020).  

Critical Evaluation for Book: The writing is short and sometimes abrupt, and the chapters are often only a couple of pages, although there are a lot of them. This clipped writing style is unique, and some readers may like it while others will not. Throughout the book, readers must keep up with the time gaps and how everything connect. The book goes in reverse chronological order, although the reader learns new things each time. The time changes might confuse some reader, and the organization of the time chronology can be jarring. The writing is descriptive and has lots of similes and metaphors for the nature described throughout the book. Most of the book takes place with individual sections, and the reader must put together clues from each section to get a better understanding of the plot. The story is well-planned and executed, and the book builds anticipation as each section reveals secrets about the overarching story. Readers who enjoy legends, fantasy, magic will be wowed by the legends and legacies in this story.  

Creative Use for a Library Program: Norse Mythology: I would use the book as a chance to teach teenagers about the mythology of the Norse people and the many different books and tv shows it has spawned. Shows like The Last Kingdom, Vikings, and Thor are just some of the shows and movies that come from Viking and Norse mythology. I would want to introduce those in the program to different types of shows about Viking mythology.   

Speed-Round Book Talk: Erik Seven arrives on the far northern island of Blessed and meets a woman named Merle, who he feels a connection with beyond anything he has ever felt. His suspicion of the island only increases as a mysterious church group becomes interested in him and his background. What is going on? And what does a mysterious plant and past lives of Erik and Merle have to do with everything? Midwinter blood takes the reader on a journey through seven past lives and an ancient Viking love legend that explains all.  

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: There are no challenges currently. Some potential challenges might be for scenes of violence and murder.   

Reason for Inclusion: I included this book because it was an interesting and gripping read that will keep people invested in overarching mystery. The story has multiple time periods and plot points and will keep readers guessing. It is an award nominated book and has themes of love, darkness, horror, family, and fatalism. Teenagers will enjoy reading this dark love story.  

Biography. (2020). Marcus Sedgwick. Retrieved on October 16, 2020 from https://marcussedgwick.com/  

Sedgwick, M. (2013). Midwinter Blood. Roaring Brook Press.