The Folk Keeper

Corinna, a 15-year-old orphan, is Rhysbridge Foundling Home's Folk Keeper - a dangerous job controlling the spiteful, maverick, savage creatures who live in the cellar and must be prevented from spoiling the milk and ruining the crops.Then is takes on a similar but much more dangerous job at an ancient house on the wild cliffs of a windswept northern island.There she will face dangers and develop strange magic powers. Who are Corinna's parents? And why is she so drawn to the sea?

What a wonderful book this was,a worthy winner of the Junior Mythpoeic Award.

The Folk Keeper is beautifully written and completely original,teasing out a story based on the Folk,traditionally some sort of fairies.We get only scary glimpses of them in the dark.No Fair Folk here,just hungry vicious creatures.We do know at least that they have big square front teeth...from the bones littered in the ink black caverns beneath the ancient manor house on the cliffs.

The heroine is a prickly hard shelled girl who expects nothing good of anyone,and defiantly fights fire with fire,or even makes premptive strikes against those who hurt or denigrate her,but is sweet,brave and feisty at heart.The plot gradually reveals just who and what she is,and we have a rites of passage tale which is haunting and unusual.There is even a lightly sketched and touching love story too.Highly recommended.