Published: Jan. 26, 2011
Words: 62,574 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781458169372

Short description

Gerald and his best friend, Vernon literally fall into the enchanted world of the Wee People when responding to a plea for help. While in the wee people village, the teenagers try to fulfill a prophecy overcoming many dangers and obstacles. The boys help the villagers in their fight against the misshapen ones while also trying to defeat a powerful being intent on destroying all life.

Extended description

Two teenagers respond to a plea for help and literally fall into another world. They become involved in a war and invent some clever plans to temporarily prevent the enemy from entering the village of the wee people. Time is running out, the gates are getting weaker and the weapon stash is dwindling. Something else has to be done to stop the war.
Gerald, Vernon and six companions embark on a quest to defeat the crazed forest god who is set on destroying all the inhabitants living on that world. They follow a path described in an old prophecy but things do not go as planned.

Excerpt
This time it was no illusion. The walls burned their hands; the hot air burned their throats. The floor was sticky with some kind of hot substance, burning their feet through their shoes. (Read more) Two teenagers respond to a plea for help and literally fall into another world. They become involved in a war and invent some clever plans to temporarily prevent the enemy from entering the village of the wee people. Time is running out, the gates are getting weaker and the weapon stash is dwindling. Something else has to be done to stop the war.
Gerald, Vernon and six companions embark on a quest to defeat the crazed forest god who is set on destroying all the inhabitants living on that world. They follow a path described in an old prophecy but things do not go as planned.

Excerpt
This time it was no illusion. The walls burned their hands; the hot air burned their throats. The floor was sticky with some kind of hot substance, burning their feet through their shoes.
They began to hear a distant sound like the laughter they had heard earlier. Cian fell to his knees and cried out in pain as the scalding liquid burned his skin. “I can’t go on, just leave me here to die,” he screamed.
Tomas reached out to his brother trying to help him up. It was no use; he was too weak and exhausted. In a very weak voice he said, “You all go on. I’ll stay with Cian. I can’t go another step anyway.”
No one else said a word. The others were too tired to talk, too tired to walk, too tired to care.
This was not supposed to be happening. Gerald did not remember this from his nightmares. Something was wrong.
He yelled to whoever was listening, “Did we take a wrong turn or something? Stop it Miach, stop it. You want me, leave my friends alone.”
That just made matters worse. The scampering, unseen creatures came out of nowhere. They did not just run past this time but stayed and started pinching and biting the legs and arms of Gerald’s companions.
For some strange reason though, the creatures did not bother him.
All four of his companions were down, rolling around on the ground trying to fight off the shadowy figures. The screams intensified from his friends as the burning liquid covered their bodies and the creatures’ biting turned to gnawing.
Gerald could hear pieces of flesh being torn away as the other boys were being eaten alive. The laughter was all around them now bouncing off the walls and echoing through Gerald’s head.
“Stop it, stop it now. Please, I’ll do anything you want, Miach. Stop the noise, stop torturing my friends.”
Total silence fell; all the gnawing, screaming and laughter were gone. Gerald did not know if the total lack of sound was worse than all the noise.
He noticed a light shining above him. He looked around and realized he was all alone.
A voice spoke inside his mind and said, “Anything I want, huh,” followed by a soft, haunting chuckle.
(Less)

Tags

fiction, adventure, forest, fantasy, war, teenagers, conflict, prophesy, new world, good and evil, quest, village, woods, different world, strange creature, forest god

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Reviews

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Review by: Parents' Little Black Book Reviews on May 17, 2012 :
Gerald has been dreaming of the Wee People for most of his life. Living near a forest he has been drawn to a most particular clearing for years. He has even left scrap metal in the clearing because Gerald fully believes the people exist and need his help.

Vernon, Geralds best friend for as long as he can remember, doesn't really believe Geralds stories. But friendship sometimes requires a leap of faith and Vernon agrees to go into the forest he dreads, at midnight, to investigate. Vernon, a boy scout goes prepared with rope, flashlights and weapons, hoping he will not need any of them.

To both boys surprise they find an opening in the barrier between worlds and find themselves in a battle to help the Wee People against the misshapen ones.

At first the Wee People don't trust Gerald and Vernon but over time and discussion they come to understand that the boys only want to help. Through creativity and trial and error the boys help the Wee People defeat the enemy. But no battle is won without cost and the boys must learn how to deal with very real life consequences.

This is a well written story that contains all the elements needed for a good adventure. There is a lot of action, the characters are realistic, even the magical ones, and the dialogue flows very well. The good vs evil plot line is well done but the story is not so dark that is would be scary to any but the most sensitive.

The adult characters are shown in a positive light and help the boys make good decisions. The moral of the story is defined gently so the magical quality of the story isn't disturbed but the message is wrapped gently within it.

Although the story is targeted for middle school to adult, younger children with good reading skills would be able to enjoy it as well. This is a good read for parents with their children with many opportunities to discuss both the story and the choices the characters make.

This is a book I intend to put aside to share with my grandsons when they are of an age to enjoy it. I would love to read this one to them and with them.

Karen Bryant Doering,
Parents' Little Black Book
(reviewed the day of purchase)

Review by: Cege Smith on Jan. 11, 2012 :
I read Gerald and the Wee People in concert with my 10-year son. I had a feeling that he would naturally gravitate to the adventures of Gerald and his best friend Vernon as they tried to help the Wee People defeat the misshapen ones who are attacking the Wee People's village. Gerald is put on a hero's journey after learning of a prophecy that he must fulfill in order to reach his destiny and save the Wee People from the evil forest god, Miach.

My son blew through the book in a matter of days. The part that he enjoyed the most was near the end when Gerald had to confront and defeat Miach. He did comment a few times that the book was long, but I think part of that was his excitement to finish the book.

His favorite character was the far-seer Sheela who had magical skills- he's been a big fan of magic for years. I think the author did a great job of describing the Wee People's village and really giving the reader an immerse experience of what life was like there. My son said that he would like to visit the village to see all of the jobs in action.

As a parent, this is exactly the type of book that I am delighted to see my son read. The fantasy elements are just right and the author brought together the right blend of action and character development to keep a reader of his age entertained.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Sue Owen -Paper Mustang on Oct. 20, 2011 :
I really enjoyed reading this book. The author took a few plot twists that I probably wouldn’t have taken and when I read them I wondered how in the world that was ever going to work out but I have to say she surprised me every single time. I fell in love with the wee people and especially the far-seers. As far as I’m concerned they were the heroes here.

The world created by Burroughs was fantastic. I got lost a couple times with where the boundaries were but the story didn’t really need them. As the group traveled the world just seemed to go with them. Still a bit unclear on that but I don’t feel I’ve missed out on anything.

The plot was fun, the story believable, the outcome wonderful and the entire book was entertaining. I wouldn’t mind coming back to visit the wee people once in a while and probably will!
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Vickie Johnstone on Oct. 12, 2011 :
This book opens with Gerald trying to persuade his sceptical best buddy, Vernon, to go down to the woods to help the Wee People who he has been seeing in visions since they were at school. Like all good adventures, we have a character who believes & a character who disbelieves... even what he's seeing. This is a book that teens & adults will enjoy, I think. It's good for young readers and there is enough going on to keep adults interested. I like fantasy books where the author builds a new world for you to exist in for a while. This is an enjoyable read and there are a variety of characters here. There's also some morals and lessons to be learnt. Some characters grow, others... The interaction is good and the conversations natural. One of my favourites is the girl who is quite hot stuff - you'll have to read to find out who I mean. I like the ending - everything is tied up at the end, but there is a strand or two that can be picked up in book two, and I look forward to reading it.
(reviewed the day of purchase)

Review by: Lili Tufel on Aug. 08, 2011 :
This review was done by my 9 year-old daughter. Here is what she had to say: "I loved the story! It was very adventurous. I couldn't stop reading it the moment I started."
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Robert DeBurgh on July 21, 2011 :
Gerald and the Wee people is a wonderful fantasy novel originally meant for young adults but equally enjoyable by older readers. The plot is well developed,the characters are believeable and the dialog well written.
While walking in the woods Gerald and his friend Vernon accidently fall (literally) into the world of the Wee People who are engaged in a war with monstrous beings from the deep forest. Using modern thinking and making unique weapons the boys help the Wee People conquer the monsters and the evil forest god that controls them. A classic triumph of good over evil.
The book is not overlong and this is a good thing since once the reader begins it is difficult to put down. Two things that impressed me about "Gerald and the Wee People" are the total lack of scatalogical language and that it does not have a dark theme as in much of the current young adult fiction.
Robert F. DeBurgh.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Mary Daugherty on June 06, 2011 :
In a clearing, in the dark woods, is a secret society of wee people and Gerald, with his friend Vernon, has just stumbled into a wee war. With wonderful imagery and imagination, Burroughs takes her readers into a magical world filled with terror, adventure and an unsuspecting hero.

Gerald and the Wee People is a book that brings the impossible to life and takes the reader right along with it into a battle that may mean death for the wee people. Without the help of Gerald, who doesn’t even know how to help, and his best friend Vernon, all may be lost. With an “Alice in Wonderland” feel, Gerald is shrank down to wee size and is at the mercy of the attacking misshapen ones along with Sheela, Cian and Sean. Can Gerald save himself and his new friends or will they all cease to be.

This is a great story of courage, faith and friendship for any age. Young adults and more mature juveniles ( some violence) will enjoy the action and adventure that Burrough’s characters bring to the reader. A pleasurable read and very talented writing make this book a winner. Makes me want to go look for the magic in my own back yard.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Alex Canton-Dutari on June 02, 2011 :
I love fantasy, especially when it is laced with spices of reality. The adventure of Gerald and Vernon had me traveling from Lilliput to Oz, and even taking a pinch of primitive science. I never thought of someone else thinking about using old bread mold to elicit its antibiotic properties....
Ms Burroughs was able to create easy dialogues among almost familiar creatures, without messing my head with complicated names.
And strangely enough, I read without searching for grammar glitches, typos and what not. This novel was a pleasure to read.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

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