Listen to Chapter Excerpt
Introduction & Excerpt Read by T. A. Barron
In the Media
Peter Cook performs a selection from The Ancient One in ASL.
THE ANCIENT ONE
An Adventures of Kate Book
978-1–10-199702-4 | 304 Pages | Ages 10+
When Kate travels to Oregon for a quiet week at Aunt Melanie’s cottage, her plans are dashed by the discovery of a grove of giant redwood trees in nearby Lost Crater. Caught up in the struggle to help protect the redwood forest from loggers, Kate is thrown back in time five hundred years and finds herself facing the evil creature Gashra, who is bent on destroying the very same forest.
In this extraordinary quest, a girl discovers that all living things are connected in ways she never expected, and that true friendship can reach across cultures, and even across centuries.
Map of The Lost Crater (Click to Enlarge)
T. A. Barron on The Ancient One
REVIEWS
“Save a tree, save history! Barron fuses concerns over the natural world with fantasy lit.”
— Huffington Post, “The 9 Best Trees in Literature”
“Once in a great while a book comes along that is so powerful and so wise that I want to shout about it… Readers young and old will enjoy the adventure, relish the characters, and ponder the meaning of this book.”
— Madeleine L’Engle
“This fantasy adventure offers well-realized characters, imaginative situations, high-minded theme and purpose, complex emotion, a smattering of really good fight scenes, and a healthy dose of slapstick humor… Barron has woven a boldly original novel that is as thought-provoking as it is fun to read.”
— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“Mortality, in all its splendor and sadness, is T.A. Barron’s subject… Fantasy mavens will find plenty here to enthrall them… Interesting and august.”
— The New York Times Book Review
“A true environmental classic!”
— Sam Hodder, Executive Director of Save the Redwoods League
“In the best tradition of science fiction and fantasy, this is a classic struggle between good and evil. Although that would be enough to keep readers turning the page, Barron’s masterful interweaving of contemporary themes — involving the conflict between loggers and environmentalists — and Native American traditions gives the book real relevance and power.”
— Parents Magazine (one of the year’s Best Books)
“Barron has again masterfully combined fantasy with real human issues, issues that require us to go a step deeper to resolve.”
— Chinaberry Book Review
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
- 2016 Nautilus Book Award (“Better books for a better world.”) — Silver Award Winner, Middle Grades Fiction
- 2014 The Huffington Post — Named One of the Nine Best Trees in Literature
- 2007 Wenatchee, Washington — Community Discussion Book of the Year
- 2002 Steamboat Springs, Colorado — Community Discussion Book of the Year
- 1995 Pacific Northwest Library Association — Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee
- 1994 International Reading Association — Young Adult Choice List
- 1994 Colorado Blue Spruce Award — Nominee
- 1994 Georgia Children’s Book Award — Nominee
- 1994 PEN Center USA West Literary Award — Nominee
- 1993 American Library Association — Best Books for Young Adults Nominee
- 1993 The New York Public Library — Best Books for the Teen Age
- 1992 Colorado Book Award — Nominee
- 1992 Parents Magazine — Best Books of 1992
- 1992 Voice of Youth Advocates — Best Books of the Year
THE ANCIENT ONE
An Adventures of Kate Book
978-1–10-199702-4
304 Pages | Ages 10+
When Kate travels to Oregon for a quiet week at Aunt Melanie’s cottage, her plans are dashed by the discovery of a grove of giant redwood trees in nearby Lost Crater. Caught up in the struggle to help protect the redwood forest from loggers, Kate is thrown back in time five hundred years and finds herself facing the evil creature Gashra, who is bent on destroying the very same forest.
In this extraordinary quest, a girl discovers that all living things are connected in ways she never expected, and that true friendship can reach across cultures, and even across centuries.
Map of Fincayra (Tap Map to Enlarge)
Listen to Chapter Excerpt
Introduction & Excerpt Read by T. A. Barron
In the Media
Merlin and Me – an article by T. A. Barron originally published in The Horn Book magazine.
Peter Cook performs a selection from The Ancient One in ASL.
T. A. Barron on The Ancient One
REVIEWS
“Save a tree, save history! Barron fuses concerns over the natural world with fantasy lit.”
— Huffington Post, “The 9 Best Trees in Literature”
“Once in a great while a book comes along that is so powerful and so wise that I want to shout about it… Readers young and old will enjoy the adventure, relish the characters, and ponder the meaning of this book.”
— Madeleine L’Engle
“This fantasy adventure offers well-realized characters, imaginative situations, high-minded theme and purpose, complex emotion, a smattering of really good fight scenes, and a healthy dose of slapstick humor… Barron has woven a boldly original novel that is as thought-provoking as it is fun to read.”
— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“Mortality, in all its splendor and sadness, is T.A. Barron’s subject… Fantasy mavens will find plenty here to enthrall them… Interesting and august.”
— The New York Times Book Review
“A true environmental classic!”
— Sam Hodder, Executive Director of Save the Redwoods League
“In the best tradition of science fiction and fantasy, this is a classic struggle between good and evil. Although that would be enough to keep readers turning the page, Barron’s masterful interweaving of contemporary themes — involving the conflict between loggers and environmentalists — and Native American traditions gives the book real relevance and power.”
— Parents Magazine (one of the year’s Best Books)
“Barron has again masterfully combined fantasy with real human issues, issues that require us to go a step deeper to resolve.”
— Chinaberry Book Review
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
- 2016 Nautilus Book Award (“Better books for a better world.”) — Silver Award Winner, Middle Grades Fiction
- 2014 The Huffington Post — Named One of the Nine Best Trees in Literature
- 2007 Wenatchee, Washington — Community Discussion Book of the Year
- 2002 Steamboat Springs, Colorado — Community Discussion Book of the Year
- 1995 Pacific Northwest Library Association — Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee
- 1994 International Reading Association — Young Adult Choice List
- 1994 Colorado Blue Spruce Award — Nominee
- 1994 Georgia Children’s Book Award — Nominee
- 1994 PEN Center USA West Literary Award — Nominee
- 1993 American Library Association — Best Books for Young Adults Nominee
- 1993 The New York Public Library — Best Books for the Teen Age
- 1992 Colorado Book Award — Nominee
- 1992 Parents Magazine — Best Books of 1992
- 1992 Voice of Youth Advocates — Best Books of the Year
DISCOVER THE ADVENTURES OF KATE BOOKS!
