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    The Moorchild
    The Moorchild
    The Moorchild
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Moorchild

    Written by Eloise McGraw

    Narrated by Virginia Leishman

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    ALA Newbery Honor Book
    School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
    ALA Notable Children's Books
    Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor Book
    SCBWI Golden Kite Award

    Half moorfolk and half human, and unable to shape-shift or disappear at will, Moql threatens the safety of the Band. So the Folk banish her and send her to live among humans as a changeling. Named Saaski by the couple for whose real baby she was swapped, she grows
    up taunted and feared by the villagers for being different, and is comfortable only on the moor, playing strange music on her bagpipes.

    As Saaski grows up, memories from her forgotten past with the Folks slowly emerge. But so do emotions from her human side, and she begins to realize the terrible wrong the Folk have done to the humans she calls Da and Mumma. She is determined to restore their child to
    them, even if it means a dangerous return to the world that has already rejected her once.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateOct 30, 2015
    ISBN9781490672861
    Author

    Eloise McGraw

    Eloise Jarvis McGraw was an author of children's books and young adult novels.

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    Reviews for The Moorchild

    4/5

    230 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I love this book. My mom read it to me when I was little and I've listened to it many times since. It's an amazing story.
    • 5/5
      Great narrator, this was a classic from my childhood and teen years.
    • 4/5
      Half Folk and half human, Saaski is forced to become a changeling and tries her best to find her place in the human world. She finally finds herownself along the way, of course.A good story, well-enough told with some solid characters.
    • 4/5
      Moql is half human, half Folk, or fairy people. As such, she doesn't quite fit in one world or the other. Since she doesn't fit with the Folk, and they are decidedly non-family oriented, they swap her for a human baby. They will use the human child as a sort of slave, and the humans will raise Moql (whom they name Saaski) as their own.As Saaski grows into girlhood, it is plain to everyone in the village that she isn't "normal". Her parents love her all the same, and try to convince themselves that she is indeed their own child, though they both have their doubts. Saaski's only real friends are her human-side grandmother, who is almost certain that she is a changling, and the boy Tam that she meets while wandering the forbidden moors that she so loves.The real struggle in the book is Moql/Saaski, who desperately wants to belong, and yet just can't really fit in anywhere.I was just a little dissatisfied with the conclusion of the book, but it was perhaps the most believable conclusion given the storyline and setting.
    • 2/5
      Trying to articulate to myself how I felt about this book, I read some of the other reviews. Now I can't really say anything here, because, word-for-word, Stephanie said it all in her 2* review from Dec. 15 2010. I, too, happened on it by chance, and found it too understated but not actually a bad book, etc. etc. So, off you go, find her review if you want to know what I think.
    • 4/5
      Lovely description and immersion into medieval Scotland. I was fascinated by the way McGraw gradually revealed the attributes and customs of the Folk of the moors. Most of all, I loved coming to an understanding of the most basic difference between the Folk and the humans--ability to feel lasting emotional attachment, hate, and love. For a while I wondered whether the story might have gone better if the readers weren't let in on Saaski's secret from the very beginning; the mystery could have been enhanced. But that would have left less time to learn about the Folk, which is very interesting.
    • 4/5
      Nice story from the point of view of a girl who is half fae/human. Exchanged for a human child, she hates her new home until she realizes that if she doesn't try to fit in her fate could be worse. The villagers never do like her, but her parents dote on her, not willing to believe she isn't their own baby. She forgets her past "under the Mound", learns about human emotions, and then has an encounter which brings it all back. Good lesson on maturing. I like stories which have children who love the outdoors {Saaski keeps escaping her chores by going to the moors.)
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favorite books about the faerie world. I love the way myth, fairy tale, reality, and enchantment are woven to tell the tale of a misbegotten child. The author tells the familiar tale of children who don't fit in and the cruelty of others. But, she does so with lyrical language and fantasy. It isn't your typical happy ending, it's an ending that makes sense. Anyone who loves faeries should not miss this one.
    • 4/5
      This book made me so mad, but in a good way. I always struggle with unreasoning hatred like that evinced by the villagers and I just wanted to throw things at them (probably not a helpful response in the long run, huh?). Moql's situation works as a metaphor for any child who is an outsider, but works particularly well for those straddling multiple cultures. Also, this is a great fantasy as well with lots of details to flesh out the world McGraw has created - it might even appeal to fans of historical fiction with its medieval setting.

      Listened to Recorded Books CD edition narrated by Virginia Leishman. The colloquial language really came alive when being read aloud.
    • 5/5
      “The Moorchild” is a modern fantasy about a young changeling girl named Saaski. Fairies exchanged Saaski for a human baby when she failed a test in a past life, which is the main conflict of this story, because Saaski is so different she is not excepted by anyone in her community. There are many good issuessuch as individuality and bullying along with some ideas on isolation. “The Moorchild” is story that is very strongly influenced by Irish folklore and includes nearly all Irish mythical creatures. I really love “The Moorchild,” I read this book first in the eight grade and I continued to read it again every year. “The Moorchild” was a personal book for me because I was not accepted at all in school. I felt very much like Saaski did in this story, isolated and alone. I also poured my heart out into my passions like Saaski did with her moor and bagpipe. This story had everything I like in a book including magic, weird creatures, music and romance. It also had a happy ending, my favorite appeal to any story.A great extension for this book would be to study music with the class. Maybe buy dome recorders and teach the kids to play. You could also talk and study the Ireland bogs and moors.
    • 5/5
      The Moorchild is a charming fairy tale in the fashion of true old Celtic faerie stories, where faeries are not pretty little things out to grant everyone’s wishes, but greedy tricksters without compassion or morals. The story addresses the ever-relevant concern of children who feel different, who don’t quite fit in with everyone else and are subsequently ridiculed and ostracized. As the story progresses, Saaski’s Moorfolk half becomes less dominant and her human half, which loves and feels pain and cares for people, grows and blossoms. Through Tam’s friendship, she learns how to love and care for others. This teaching element is spun beautifully into the fairy tale fabric of the book, and it is an altogether enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      This is a strange and satisfying book. It never went where I thought it would go, but it always went where it needed to go. The main character, Sasski, learns that she is half-human and half-elf. She belongs to neither world. She is an outcast. A freak. And somehow Eloise McGraw draws her in a way that is sweet and heroic and wonderful. The story is complicated and satisfying and I highly recommend it.