William and the Lost Spirit

by Gwen De Bonneval, Matthieu Bonhomme

Overview

William knows his father is dead. Everyone knows it . . . everyone except William's sister, who hears him calling to her. Despite William's warnings, she disappears in the night to find their father. To rescue his sister, William must travel through dangerous forests swarming with bandits. But human foes are the least of his problems. His quest will take him beyond the world he knows and into far-off lands—where monsters are real, the dead can speak, and lies become truths. With an enchanted goat as his guide, William follows a strange path that may lead to his sister . . . and perhaps his father as well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467766098
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	299 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Gwen de Bonneval has illustrated a number of award-winning graphic novels in his native France, including L'Espirit Perdu (an official selection of the Angoulême International Comics Festival) and La Vierge Froide et Autres Racontars (winner of the Prix Essentiels at Angoulême in 2010). Matthieu Bonhomme has been crazy about drawing from young age. A graduate in Applied Arts, he began his illustration career in newspaper advertisements. His work has appeared in magazines and several long-running comic series.

Editorial Reviews

On the surface, this three-part story from French duo de Bonneval (Last Days of an Immortal) and Bonhomme seems like the usual fantasy fare. William de Sonnac, a fair-haired and willful boy, runs away from home in search of his recently deceased father, who he believes is still alive. Along the way, William befriends a brawny knight and a clever goat, and is given his first taste of the often-unforgiving world, where good does not necessarily always best evil. As William searches for the mysterious “far-off lands” where his father may yet live, he meets corrupt kings, ruthless bandits, monsters, and other medieval regulars. But the tale is hardly predictable, and instead it subverts some classic fantasy tropes as it slyly broaches such concepts as atheism, violence, and the unconscious. There’s more to the book than meets the eye, and multiple readings reveal even more subtext. What does meet the eye, though, is quite nice, thanks to Bonhomme’s impeccable linework and breakdowns, as well as clean, if traditional, layouts. Ages 8–12. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"The story moves along, and there are crisp illustrations with translator's notes and discussion topics." —Library Media Connection

From the Publisher