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Book Resume
for The Seventh Raven by David Elliott and Rovina Cai
Professional book information and credentials for The Seventh Raven.
4 Professional Reviews (2 Starred)
Selected for 2 State/Province Lists
- Kirkus:
- Ages 12 - 15
- School Library Journal:
- Grades 6 and up
- Publisher's Weekly:
- Ages 14 and up
- TeachingBooks:*
- Grades 7-12
- Word Count:
- 11,881
- ATOS Reading Level:
- 5.5
- Cultural Experience:
- Men / Boys
- Genre:
- Poetry
- Science Fiction / Fantasy
- Year Published:
- 2021
18 Subject Headings
The following 18 subject headings were determined by the U.S. Library of Congress and the Book Industry Study Group (BISAC) to reveal themes from the content of this book (The Seventh Raven).
- Brothers and sisters--Juvenile fiction
- Blessing and cursing--Juvenile fiction
- YOUNG ADULT FICTION--Novels in Verse
- Brothers and sisters--Fiction
- Siblings--Juvenile fiction
- Fairy tales
- Frères et sœurs--Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse
- BeÌneÌdiction et maleÌdiction--Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse
- Novels in verse
- YOUNG ADULT FICTION--Fantasy--Historical
- Brothers and sisters
- Siblings--Fiction
- Fantasy fiction
- Blessing and cursing--Fiction
- Folklore--Germany
- Family life--Fiction
- Blessing and cursing
- YOUNG ADULT FICTION--Fairy Tales & Folklore--Adaptations
4 Full Professional Reviews (2 Starred)
The following unabridged reviews are made available under license from their respective rights holders and publishers. Reviews may be used for educational purposes consistent with the fair use doctrine in your jurisdiction, and may not be reproduced or repurposed without permission from the rights holders.
Note: This section may include reviews for related titles (e.g., same author, series, or related edition).
From Horn Book
July 1, 2021
Elliott's (Bull, rev. 3/17; Voices, rev. 3/19) poetry is by nature taut with intensity, an effect he achieves in part through his skill with verbal rhythms, rhyme, and formal poetic structures; in part through his gimlet-eyed focus on human passion, expressed through multiple voices. He brings all this to his verse-novel interpretation of the Grimms' tale "The Seven Ravens," with poetry so propulsive that it seems to cry out for oral performance. Changed into ravens in a fit of their father's rage, seven brothers are transformed back into humans through their only sister's stalwart determination. In Elliott's retelling, one boy, Robyn, retains his wings (a variant of the Grimms' "The Six Swans"), at home "between humanity / and bird." Instead of feeling bad for being "sensitive" and "girlish and slender," unlike his boisterous brothers (humorously, all named Jack), Robyn now embraces his hybrid self -- just one example of how this work is rich for discussion. Thus, once again, Elliott delves into the nuanced force of human passion (though he gives ravens' interesting propensities shorter shrift). Interspersed ink-and-brush illustrations accentuate the dark feathers and flight of the tale's magic. Deirdre F. Baker
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
From Kirkus
February 15, 2021
A teenager sets out to rescue her cursed older brothers in this verse retelling of the Grimms' "The Seven Ravens." Upon learning at last that her brothers--all named Jack except the youngest, Robyn--had been transformed into birds at her birth by her father in a fit of pique, 15-year-old April resolutely undertakes what becomes a weary search for them. In the most notable wrinkle that Elliott adds to the original, Robyn, who had always felt like the odd one out anyway, quite enjoys being a raven, and when April climactically makes an extreme sacrifice to free her brothers, he is left separate from the others once again. Occasional white-on-black pages and Cai's infrequent but brooding images of feathery swirls and distant turned-away silhouettes add further atmosphere to the sometimes-incantatory poetry. Following his practice in Bull (2017) and Voices (2019), the author employs multiple narrators, experiments with different verse models or set forms for each poem, and closes with analytical notes on the latter. April's heroic sacrifices in the name of family ties are admirable, and the fact that they turn out not to be entirely appreciated offers chewy food for thought. A skillful use of verse; moral conundrums and strange plot twists offer even stronger draws. (Verse fantasy. 12-15)
COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
From School Library Journal
Starred review from February 1, 2021
Gr 6 Up-In an isolated, idyllic forest, Jack and his wife, Jane, live and work in a small cottage. They have seven sons, six of whom are strapping young lads with the same name as their father. The seventh son, Robyn, however, is too quiet, creative, and different to fit in with the family. Each night, Jack and his wife pray for a daughter, and one fateful day, their prayers are answered. Tragically, the girl is born gray and still, and in desperate pain and anger over his loss, Jack curses his sons, calling them no better than carrion birds-ravens. In a burst of magic, the boys transform on the spot, and Jack's daughter is brought to immediate, pink health. Although the six young Jacks are miserable in their new avian lives, Robyn finds freedom in flight. As their sister, April, grows up under a pall of smothered tragedy, she soon resolves to find her brothers and bring them home, but will Robyn ever wish to return? Elliott brings emotional depth and poignant verse to the Grimms' "The Seven Ravens." This beautifully evocative tale weaves different poetry forms to great effect, achieving short, intense bursts of emotion and deep, wandering musings on identity and fate. Cai's haunting illustrations add context and visual interest to many of the poems. Although the setting and events may belong in a fairy-tale, the core emotions of this work draw straight from reality. VERDICT A stirring selection for any fantasy collection, this book will appeal to fans of Emily Carroll and Phillip Pullman.-Catherine Cote, John Champe H.S., Aldie, VA
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
From Publisher's Weekly
Starred review from January 25, 2021
Rich with evocative language (to "bake the coarse bread/ And spin the fine thread/ And weave the rough cloth"), this subtle verse novel retells the Grimms' "The Seven Ravens" through a lens of perseverance and change. Though all his parents want is a daughter, "girlish" misfit Robyn lives a stifling life as the youngest of a temperamental woodsman's seven competitive sons. When their sister, April, is born "dying and thin," their father angrily curses all seven to become ravens; Robyn discovers a love of flight while the others experience only torment. Fifteen years later, upon discovering her brothers' smocks, April sets out with a carved harp to find them and loose the spell, a quest that will require a horrible sacrifice from the book's femme characters. Elliott (Voices) makes the propulsive mix of formal and concrete poetry and blank verse sparklingly accessible for teen readers, with repetitions and Cai's (Elatsoe) inky illustrations weaving multiple narrators into a beautifully unified volume. Fans of lyrical retellings such as Malinda Lo's Ash will find this bittersweet quest a warm welcome into myth and verse. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 14�"up. Author's agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary. (Mar.)�—�
2 Selections for State & Provincial Recommended Reading Lists
The Seventh Raven was selected by educational and library professionals to be included on the following state/provincial reading lists.
United States Lists (2)
New York
- Charlotte Award, 2023, Middle School Division
Texas
- Tayshas Reading List, 2022, for Grades 9-12
Primary Source Statement on Creating The Seventh Raven
David Elliott on creating The Seventh Raven:
This primary source recording with David Elliott was created to provide readers insights directly from the book's creator into the backstory and making of this book.
Listen to this recording on TeachingBooks
David Elliott: Hi, everybody. My name is David Elliott. I am the author of The Seventh Raven, and The Seventh Raven is a retelling of the Grimm's tale, The Seven Ravens. I think it started some years ago when I was teaching a college class, and I happened to mention Rapunzel when I was teaching. And a young, burly man sitting in the back row raised his hand and I said, "Kevin?" And he said, "What's a Rapunzel?" That kind of broke my heart. First of all, that's shocking to me, but it also kind of broke my heart because it made me think if a fairytale like Rapunzel is fading from the social consciousness, what about the lesser known tale like The Seven Ravens? That kind of planted the seed then. I wasn't writing novels in verse at the time, but I knew that at some point I wanted to do something that would point to the original tales to get people reading them again. So I think that's where I have to thank Kevin for that.
And then I've always loved this tale of The Seven Ravens, partly it's, I think, about what happens when there's too much masculine energy in the world. We're living in a world where we see where there's too much masculine energy right now. So I've always loved it for that. And then I love what it has to say about sacrifice and what I think is an important message for young people, because we are always saying, "You can do whatever you want to do." And that may be true. But what we don't say is it's difficult, because there are many distractions along the road, there are many other voices telling you what to do, how to do it, when to do it. And, in the end, what we don't say is you have to find yourself and be true to yourself and go to the end. And that's not easy. At least I have not found it to be easy. And I feel like I'm still getting there. So it was important for me to keep the tales alive because I think many of the fairytales are telling us that.
Well let me read a little bit. This is how it begins. So I was trying to get the "once upon a time" feeling. We need that in a fairy tale. That's what we love about them:
And this is the forest / With its primeval trees / And their taciturn trunks / And their hungering roots / Like curious tongues / That kiss the hard stones / And lap the warm rain / And speak to the earth / In the language of trees.
And here are the limbs / Their itinerant twigs / The finely veined leaves / That are unblinking eyes / And the eyes watch the wolf / And the eyes watch the bear / And the eyes watch the back / Of the ravening boar / That runs wild through the forest / And when the wind howls / The eyes tumble down / And leave the trees blind.
Behold the rough bark / With its numberless ears / That cling to the tree / And hear the birth pangs / Of the fox and the deer / And to the growl of the cat / And the break of the branch / And the flight of the stag / And the screech of the owl / And the flap of its wing / And the cry of the hare / And the rip of soft flesh / And the silence of blood
Citation: Elliott, David. "Meet-the-Author Recording | The Seventh Raven." TeachingBooks, https://k12.teachingbooks.net/bookResume/t/75544. Accessed 23 February, 2025.
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