Julia Sauer’s Fog Magic would probably not be published today. There are no bad guys or obvious conflict. The adults are all people worthy of trust. The magical experiences of the book are never explained. Even the heroine’s adventures away from her parents are accepted and subtly encouraged by them.
Most of what creates tension and resolution in children’s literature today is absent from this short novel. Published in 1942, this is a simple story about a girl in Nova Scotia who finds a magical place in the fog, a place only she can go, even though, strictly speaking, not much happens to her there.
But reading it awakened in me the longings of a child, longings for a place that is magical and meant, a place that is both utterly alien and full of welcome and belonging. Deftly, Sauer creates in an adult reader a reminiscence of childhood that is something more than nostalgia. We are caught up in Greta’s love of home, sense of adventure and bittersweet appreciation for the things we leave behind when we grow to adulthood. At the same time, her portrayal of growing up as the next great adventure offers children a sense of mystery and anticipation for the future.
It is a lovely book, one I plan to strategically locate for my daughters to find on their own someday.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Julie // Aug 12, 2007 at 12:19 am
I’m trying to remember if I’ve read this one… or whether I am remembering someone else blogging about it recently. I like Nova Scotia but don’t think I’ve read many books set there? I may have to look this one up. Thanks for recommending it! (And I hope your strategic placement helps your girls “find” it one day.)
2 Terri // Aug 15, 2007 at 9:35 am
I’ve not read this book, but it sounds delightful. I plan to try to locate a copy asap.
By the way, I’ve been reading your personal blog for a while now and thought I’d checked out most of the blogs on your blogroll, but today was the first time I clicked on this link. I’m so excited that I found it because I do love to read book reviews by other book lovers.
3 Anonymous // Oct 2, 2007 at 12:36 am
I have a mental list of all the books I want to pass on to my kids when I have them. A lot are books that I loved when I was younger and still remember vividly. Lately though I have started to add to that list books that I would like to read to them when they are little. I started buying them to have on hand and then I felt silly because having kids is still about five years away, let alone reading them to sleep. I think that it’s sweet that you leave books for your kids to “discover.” One of my favorite memories with my mom was when The Green Mile by Stephen King came out. It came out bit by bit and I read the first book over her shoulder. After that we would wait very impatiently for the next one to come out and run to the bookstore. It was the one thing we truely bonded over. I can’t wait to share things like that with my kids.
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