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Through the Woods

Illustrated by Emily Carroll
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About The Book

Discover a terrifying world in the woods in this collection of five hauntingly beautiful graphic stories that includes the online webcomic sensation “His Face All Red,” in print for the first time.

Journey through the woods in this sinister, compellingly spooky collection that features four brand-new stories and one phenomenally popular tale in print for the first time. These are fairy tales gone seriously wrong, where you can travel to “Our Neighbor’s House”—though coming back might be a problem. Or find yourself a young bride in a house that holds a terrible secret in “A Lady’s Hands Are Cold.” You might try to figure out what is haunting “My Friend Janna,” or discover that your brother’s fiancée may not be what she seems in “The Nesting Place.” And of course you must revisit the horror of “His Face All Red,” the breakout webcomic hit that has been gorgeously translated to the printed page.

Already revered for her work online, award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll’s stunning visual style and impeccable pacing is on grand display in this entrancing anthology, her print debut.

About The Author

Emily Carroll was born in London, Ontario, in June of 1983. In addition to the many short online comics found at her website, her work has been featured in numerous print anthologies. She currently lives with her wife Kate and their large orange cat in Stratford, Ontario.

About The Illustrator

Emily Carroll was born in London, Ontario, in June of 1983. In addition to the many short online comics found at her website, her work has been featured in numerous print anthologies. She currently lives with her wife Kate and their large orange cat in Stratford, Ontario.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (July 15, 2014)
  • Length: 208 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781442465954
  • Ages: 14 - 99

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Raves and Reviews

*"A sure winner for any reader with a yen to become permanently terrified. Brilliant."

– Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Emily Carroll's Through the Woods mesmerizes and inspires; a Victorian gothic playground haunted by Mary Shelley & Edward Gorey, awash in the dream-like haze of Odilon Redon, and composed with the poetic elegance of Ukiyo-e. I loved it."

– Craig Thompson, three-time Eisner Award-winning author of BLANKETS

"Through the Woods is a triumph, it's gorgeous, soft and bright, and it is dark, earthy and spin-chilling. [Emily Carroll] should be recognized as one of the best graphic storytellers out there."

– Kate Beaton, author of HARK! A VAGRANT

"Through the Woods will dazzle you, seduce you, amaze you, delight and frighten and enchant you. What a talent. What a voice."

– Mark Siegel, author of SAILOR TWAIN, OR THE MERMAID IN THE HUDSON

"This book is full of gorgeous, terrifying tales of mysterious wooded misadventures that creep right into your brain and seduce you."

– Lucy Knisley, author of RELISH: MY LIFE IN THE KITCHEN

"Stunning, magical. Hauntingly gothic...[Through the Woods] made me feel like a child again, reading grim fairy tales."

– Jane Harris, author of THE OBSERVATIONS

"Beautiful, beguiling, and thrillingly eerie."

– Michael Faber, author of THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE

"Through the Woods is an uncanny wonder. This haunting collection of visual stories, part Stephen King and part Edgar Allen Poe, is a special kind of quiet horror."

– John Hendrix, winner of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles Best of Show Award.

*"It is [Carroll’s] eerie illustrations—popping with bold color on black, glossy pages—that masterfully build terrifying tension and a keep-the-lights-on atmosphere."

– Booklist, starred review

*“Instead of the gratifying defeat of evil, the gothic stories often leave off unsettlingly with a twist of the knife, just at the moment some fresh horror beckons.”—Publishers Weekly

– Publishers Weekly, starred review

*"This is a beautifully rendered but deeply chilling collection of vignettes that will be most appreciated by teens and adults who are fans of fairy tales, horror, and the things that hide in the dark. A delight for Edgar Allan Poe and Alvin Schwartz enthusiasts."

– School Library Journal, starred review

"Carroll makes the woods of the title entirely her own, a metaphor for the danger that lurks and snarls outside the door, but which entices us outside, nevertheless."

– Globe and Mail

"Canadian comics writer Emily Carroll has produced a graphic debut that blends the gothic strangeness of Tim Burton with the macabre illustrations of Edward Gorey to create a wonderfully chilling collection of tales...Eschewing neat endings, Carroll leaves lingering questions: how much is real and how much imagination? Is the haunting just guilt, grief, loneliness, psychosis or something supernatural? Her eerie tales will haunt you."

– Financial Times

"Oh holy hell—Emily Carroll's horror comic collection Through The Woods is so freaking spooky... Each little horror comic is so creepy and absolutely gorgeous.... So turn off all the lights and curl up for a good chill."

– i09

*"Bone rattling."

– Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

"The whole book is magnificently executed… is all dextrous and varied and absolutely masterful… Carroll…lures us in only to do terrible, wonderful things to our heads and hearts.”

– Amal El-Mohtar, NPR

"Through the Woods is, in every sense of the word, thrilling.”

– New York Times Book Review

Awards and Honors

  • Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Master List
  • Kansas NEA Reading Circle List High School Title
  • Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee (NJ)
  • Maine Student Book Award Reading List
  • NYPL Best Books for Teens
  • Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee
  • KSRA YA Book Award Master List (PA)
  • ALA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
  • ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens
  • ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults - Top Ten
  • Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year Selection Title
  • Cybils Award Finalist
  • Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List (TX)
  • Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award Nominee
  • Thumbs Up! Award (MI)

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