The Tree Shepherd's Daughter

by Gillian Summers

Book Overview

When her mother dies, fifteen-year-old Keelie Heartwood is forced to leave her beloved California to live with her nomadic father at a renaissance festival in Colorado. After arriving, Keelie finds... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0738710814
• ISBN13: 9780738710815
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Flux
• Length: 331 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Amazing!

I loved this book! I saw it at Borders and was captivated by the beautiful art of the cover, but decided to check the reviews here prior to buying it. And I wasn't dissapointed. The book gets your attention from the very beginning. I could barely stop reading! It takes place in a Renaissance Fair, and since I've never been to or seen one the details were very helpful and interesting. The main character is a girl from California, which I guess explains the use of "like" in almost everything she says (an annoying habit.) In short this is a magical book, a must for the new (like myself) faery fans or the old. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that the second book in the trilogy comes out next summer, as in 2008. =/

Terrific!!

I really enjoyed this book. Gillian Summers captured the magic of Ren-Faire and wove it into a wonderful tale. I cannot wait for the next novel in the series.

Can't Wait for the next book!!

I picked up two copies this book to use in a literature lesson for my homeschooled seventh grader and I am so glad I got two copies!! My seventh grade daughter did not want to put this book down. She read it while she was eating, riding, doing chores, etc. She asked me to start reading it, too, so we could discuss it in our literature lesson today. Any book that makes my daughter so excited she wants to do literature class first is a hit with me!!! I was rather surprised to find that I really enjoyed this book as much as I did. The writing was clean and crisp and the author didn't get bogged down with the teen angst thing. She kept the pace moving at a good clip while still allowing enough time for the reader to recognize and empathize with the mood changes the main character was experiencing. The author did a great job with the fantasy elements in the story and I loved the fact she set the story in a Renaissance Fair setting. My daughter and I are anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

Where magic and teen angst meet.

I picked this book up this weekend after meeting the author at a writing panel. The story concerns 15 year old Keelie Heartwood, a modern materialistic California teen who doesn't want anything to do with the Renaissance Faire world her father lives in. Fate conspires against her(or perhaps not) and after her mother is taken from her she must go live with her father at the Renn Faire. Will she be able to accept her absentee father and embrace the new and increasingly wondrous world he lives in? High marks are to be given for the characterization, which I feel is the real strength of the book. I want to know more about nearly every character. The recurring luggage gag started to become stale toward the end, but I see why it was necessary to keep plot elements in check. I hope to read more from Gillian Summers in the future! A wonderful read at a very reasonable price.

A wonderful read!

As soon as I started reading this book I absolutely fell in love. The story is great, it is easy to read, and also highly enjoyable. I love the fantasy elements in it as well as the issues a young girl faces when she meets a father she barely even knows. I could relate to the girl very well, and it hit home as for many years I, too, did not know my father very well. She even used some of the same terms I used to describe my father in the past due to the lack of father/daughter relations; like bio-dad for example. Because of that it really made the story feel real, and you could definatly sympathize with the girl who is brought into an enviroment totally different from what she had been raised in. How fun would it be to live at a Ren Faire?! This book has definatly made me want to go to one someday. It does become a heart warming story as she does eventually develop a better relationship with her father, and also develops friendships along the way too. Of course you cannot escape some drama, a feud between her and another Faire person, a little bit of struggle due to some other Faire Folk not taking kindly to her heritage, but she pulls though like a shining star. She also learns more about herself, her family history, and what she really is. I eagerly await the next two books that will come, unfortunatly the only downfall I have is that the next book does not come out until Summer of '08. Really that is the only bummer I have, having to wait so long to continue this wonderful literary adventure! I recommend this book for teens, young adults, and 'grown-ups' who want to delve into a bit of fantasy and fun. One is never too young to read a great book!