The dark is rising

Snow is falling, the cold is growing, and both herald the strengthening power of the Dark in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising (Margaret K. McElderry. 2010. ISBN 9781442412538. pap. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9780689847868), the second title in her classic YA fantasy sequence. On his 11th birthday, falling near Christmas, Will Stanton discovers that he is part of an ancient order with immense power. Joined by others fighting for the Light, Will must gather a number of objects to battle the Dark in a struggle that is largely waged through ice and cold. In highly evocative language, Cooper beautifully weaves Celtic myths and descriptions of a winter like no other into her quickly evolving plot. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 5–9—In Cooper's sweeping epic of the struggle between forces of good and evil, the background of Arthurian legend is prominent. When the Dark comes rising, Will Stanton, the youngest of the Old Ones, is guided in his quest to save the world by his mentor Merriman (Merlin), who also involves the three Drew siblings and a strange Welsh boy, Bran. Copyright 2016 School Library Journal.

On his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical Signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark.

An eleven-year-old boy searches for the six magical Signs to save the world from the threatening evil of the Dark

On the Midwinter Day that is his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers a special gift-- that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping the world from domination by the forces of evil, the Dark. At once, he is plunged into a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid the Old Ones in the final battle between the Dark and the Light. And for the twelve days of Christmas, while the Dark is rising, life for Will is full of wonder, terror, and delight.