While I am used to the dark overtone that is often present in high fantasy, middle school readers likely are not.

I rather enjoyed this book, and I think the lesson Corinna learns about herself is an important one. Corinna also learns that everything in her life doesn’t need to be black and white – a great lesson for girls who are maturing and beginning to develop different interests than their friends. She learns to trust others, accept love, and not force herself to be something that she isn’t – her potential is boundless, but it extends in a different direction than she once thought she ought to travel. When she discovers who she truly is, she learns to leave her petty anger behind because it stops serving a purpose to her. (It is out of print now, but that is what libraries are for!) Reading some other stories would be a great way to deepen students’ understanding of the book and of a less common world mythology.Ĭorinna, so vengeful and rough throughout the novel, is a fascinating character. Also, Jane Yolen’s picture book Greyling is about a Selkie boy adopted by a childless fisherman and his wife. More information on Selkies can be found in Tales of the Seal People: Scottish Folk Tales. It takes from the Celtic mythological stories of the Selkies. The Folk Keeper would also be a good read for students who are interested in shape-shifting as this novel includes one power that is different from others that I’ve read or heard of – turning into a seal.

The book is written in a beautiful lyric and descriptive prose, something that students don’t encounter as much anymore, so I think this would be a great introduction to that style. There are plenty of plot twists, and this is a great book for students who are learning how to pick up on important, but perhaps not obvious, pieces of information to discover how the whole plot fits together. However, a folk keeper is not all she is, and through the novel, Corinna finds the answers to her mysterious past and powers (her stunningly-accurate internal clock, her silvery hair that grows two inches each night, etc.). Being a folk keeper is grim and dangerous work, requiring grit and ingenuity, and Corinna bases her identity on it as it sets her apart both literally and figuratively. Well-written and interesting, it is the story of Corinna Stonewall, an orphan girl posturing as a boy in order to be a folk keeper – one who wards off cave gremlins from causing mischief in the countryside. The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley (2001) is a lovely coming-of-age fantasy novel for middle grade readers. The Library Adventure uses affiliate links, see our policies page for more information.

The Library Adventure uses affiliate links, see our policies for more information.

The folk keeper by franny billingsley