His final choice at the end of the last book demonstrates that he has abandoned the foolish dreams of his youth for self-sacrificing maturity. The child reader (and the adult, too) lives vicariously through Taran’s experiences, which function as “memories,” when she encounters the story. These memories shape the moral imagination of children in mysterious and powerful ways. This is why the “coming of age” motif is so popular in children’s literature. Too often, however, the stories my children find on the shelves of the local library or bookstore do little to offer meaningful proxy memories. They offer stories that are exciting, but offer little in the way of revelation of the truth about the world. Within the last few years I’ve come across a series of stories that stretch the minds and souls of readers young and old. As the author claims, they are “new stories with an old soul.” In his Green Ember series, S. Smith has managed to teach profound truths about humanity through a world of rabbits with swords. I was privileged to interview Smith about his writing and his forthcoming book.Īmong the more beautiful aspects in his fictional world is the confidence among the rabbits that their war-ravaged world will be set aright. The characters recite a repeated refrain, “It will not be so in the mended wood.” I asked Smith about the significance of this eschatological phrase and how it became so important in the storyline. That is the accidental heart of the story.
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