Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods

By: Catherynne M. Valente

Narrated by: Heath Miller

“I loved every speck of it.” —Kelly Barnhill, Newbery Medal–winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon

From New York Times bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente comes an inventive middle grade fantasy that follows a boy journeying away from the only home he’s ever known and into the magical realm of the dead to fulfill a bargain for his people.

Osmo Unknown hungers for the world beyond his small town. With the life that Littlebridge society has planned for him, the only taste Osmo will ever get are his visits to the edge of the Fourpenny Woods where his mother hunts. Until the unthinkable happens: his mother accidentally kills a Quidnunk, a fearsome and intelligent creature that lives deep in the forest.

None of this should have anything to do with poor Osmo, except that a strange treaty was once formed between the Quidnunx and the people of Littlebridge to ensure that neither group would harm the other. Now that a Quidnunk is dead, as the firstborn child of the hunter who killed her, Osmo must embark on a quest to find the Eightpenny Woods—the mysterious kingdom where all wild forest creatures go when they die—and make amends.

Accompanied by a very rude half-badger, half-wombat named Bonk and an antisocial pangolin girl called Never, it will take all of Osmo’s bravery and cleverness to survive the magic of the Eightpenny Woods to save his town…and make it out alive.

Critic reviews

"Narrator Heath Miller is entrancing in this fantasy featuring 13-year-old Osmo, who longs for an interesting life outside Littlebridge. Under unfortunate circumstances, Osmo must enter the adjacent woods, where the fierce and cunning Quidnunx reign. His initially unwilling companions are Bonk the Cross, a skadgebat (skunk-badger-wombat), and Nevermore, a pangirlin. Miller creates a fantastical array of character voices for these and other denizens of the woods, where everything has two natures. Miller’s Osmo is fittingly kind and soft-spoken as he dutifully carries out his appointed quest. The standout, however, is Bonk, who is portrayed with a Scottish brogue and a melodramatic crustiness that is improbably endearing. Miller’s droll English accent expresses authority yet invites trust; the listener is willingly carried off to the fabled Eightpenny Woods."

For the Wild Parts in You

Both my 8yo and I enjoyed this story. it's fantastical, magical, and takes many unexpected turns. It's the sort of story that connects you to your limitless imagination from childhood. And the telling of the story is unique, and I think the narrator was the perfect fit.

Incredible!

A book like no other. I laughed, I cried, and I instantly started it over again the moment it finished. An extremely unique, important and deeply evocative work of art that reaches inside you and tweaks the window of perception just a little. The characters were beautifully relatable. My comment reads like a cut-and-paste review, but just do yourself a favor and dive into the whimsy, wonder that is The Eight Penny Woods. Never’s character is perfection.

Wonderful.

The only words able to describe how delightful this story is, is in this book. Read it and pass it along to the youngins in your life.

Whimsical, lighthearted, brilliant

The narrator was excellent, and the writing reminded me a bit of Terry Pratchett. I really enjoyed this book and it will easily be something I share with others including my own students. It's an easy favorite. ☺️

Perfect for Audio

My son fell in love with this book and so did I. So charming and bizarre and compelling. I feel like we are the only people in the world who know about it.