The Old Country - Mordicai Gerstein
The Old Country is an interesting fairy tale style parable - a story about a young girl named Gisella who involuntarily swaps bodies with a crafty fox named Flame. Gisella’s quest to find her family and reclaim her girl-body reminded very much of other classic children’s literature quests – namely The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Peter Pan- each featuring a protagonist navigating fantastical, unfamiliar, and sometimes dangerous territory. And, like those, The Old Country deals with its own unique themes. So in that way I can see how this new contribution to the genre will enthrall a new generation of readers. I enjoyed it, but wasn’t quite as staggered by it as I was expecting. It also reminded me of the more recent The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane – which I connected with a bit more. On a final note, this may seem a little juvenile, but I found myself regretting that there weren’t any accompanying illustrations – not even little chapter header pictures!