YA Resouce: Midwinterblood

Midwinterblood
Written by Marcus Sedgwick

Published in 2014 by Square Fish Publishing
Ages 12-18 years | Grades 6 and up

ISBN: 978-1250040077

Awards
2014 Michael L. Printz Award Winner




Review
Marcus Sedgwick's Midwinterblood centers around Blessed Island, a Scandinavian remote island that is almost a charters itself and appears to be in a world of its own. Working in reverse chronological order, Midwinterblood takes readers through time exploring the different relationships between the two main charters, Eric and Merle. Each chapter offers a different vignette in time, occurring during a specific moon; the Midsummer Moon, Flower Moon, the Harvest Moon, the Grain Moon, the Hunters Moon, the Blood Moon. Readers will enjoy following the part lives of Eric and Merle, as Midwinterblood will leave a lasting impression in its final vignette. 

From vampires, to ghosts, to WWII, to a magical flower with mysterious healing and anti-aging powers, readers will enjoy the intertwining genres of romance, horror, fantasy, and mystery.

Professional Reviews

Common Sense Media
New York Times
Kirkus 

Teaching Ideas

Reading 
1. SOL 9.6: The student will develop narrative, expository, and persuasive writings for a variety of audiences and purposes.
Students will write an additional vignette to add to Midwinterblood, creating a different relationship between Merle and Eric during another point in time. 

2. SOL 10.8:The student will collect, evaluate, organize, and present information to create a
 research product.
Students will research the different moons described in Midwinterblood (the Flower Moon, the Harvest Moon, the Grain Moon, the Hunters Moon, and the Blood Moon) and create a digital presentation explaining the significance of each.

Geography
3. WG.1: The student will use maps, globes, satellite images, photographs, or diagrams to create and compare political, physical, and thematic maps.
Students will create a map of  the fictional Blessed Island relative to it's location to the United Sates based on Sedgwick's description from the book. Students will list characteristics of the island to include population, highest/lowest elevation, average rainfall, etc.

Life Science
4. LS.5: The student will investigate and understand the basic physical and chemical
processes of photosynthesis and its importance to plant and animal life.         
Students will investigate the dragon orchid flower through an inquiry-based lab centered on the 12 Principles of Plant Biology.

Visual Arts
5. AI.6: The student will use a variety of traditional and contemporary media (e.g., two-dimensional, three-dimensional, multidimensional) to create works of art.
Sedgwick's book features the real life painting Midvinterblot, created by artist Carl Larsson in 1915. The painting and final vignette of the story align as the king is sacrificed. Students will recreate another scene from Midwinterblood using a medium of their choosing. 

Partner Titles

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger follows a similar story line to Midwinterblood, following the relationship of the main characters through different periods of time. Readers will enjoy the science fiction aspect of time travel as the main character, Henry, weaves through time without warning as a side effect of a rare Chrono-Displacement Disorder. This book was chosen because it will be of high interest to students and its likeness to Midwinterblood, and because it is a 2004 Alex Award winner.(Kirkus Review)


Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay takes a twist on the classic Shakespearean play Romeo & Juliet. Readers will be on the edge of their seat as protagonist Juliet faces off against antagonist Romeo as the weave through their immortal lives. This book was chosen because it will be of high interest to students who have read the Shakespearean Romeo & Juliet as it offers alternative points of view on the classic play. (Kirkus Review)


Every Day by David Levithan tells the story of "A," a body jumper who wakes up in the body of a different person each day. "A" shifts without warning into bodies of all genders, races, and ethnicity, with the one constant being the "A" is always 16 years old. Readers will follow "A" as they explore his love for a girl as he jumps into different bodies, wondering if she will still love him regardless of his exterior. Every Day was chosen for its literary authority because the author, David Levithan, is the founding editor of PUSH, a Young Adult imprint of Scholastic Press. This book is a 2012 Andre Norton Award winner and will be of high interest to students as it explores issues of love and identity. (Kirkus Review)


Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith gives readers a thrilling science fiction twist on horror and humor. Adolescence, giant praying mantises, and the end of humanity come to head at the hands of Smith's main character.  This book was chosen because it is a 2015 Michael L. Printz Award Nominee and because it will be of high interest to students who enjoy reading science fiction titles. (Kirkus Review)


The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick travels through time with its characters, much like Midwinterblood. Readers will enjoy Sedgwick's combination of historical fiction with science fiction as they follow the story lines of a prehistoric young girl, a 17th century witch, a 20th century poet, and an astronaut in the distant future. This book was chosen because of its recent publication date and its nomination for the 2015 YA Book Prize Award. Also, this book will be of high interest to students as it gives different perspectives on historical fiction time periods. (Kirkus Review)

Further Exploration

Marcus Sedgwick's blog post gives insight to the moons, the hare, and folklore present in Midwinterblood.

The Midwinterblood book trailer for an anticipatory activity prior to reading the book. 

A biography of Midwinterblood author Marcus Sedgwick gives readers insight to the writer's life, inspiration, and other projects. 

A website explaining reincarnation, as characters Merle and Eric are reincarnated throughout the story.

The Midnight Garden blog offers a Q & A with Marcus Sedgwick, discussing the research and background for the novel.

A list of full moon names and their origins for readers to connect to the moons for each chapter of Midwinterblood. 

Website of Carl Larssen, artist who painted Midvinterblot, the inspiration for Marcus Sedgwick's title piece.

References

Biography: A little personal history. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.marcussedgwick.com/biography.html/.

Cacciapaglia, D. (n.d.). Origins of full moon names. Retrieved from http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rnk/Newsletter/Fall%202006/Full_Moon_names.htm.

Jay, S. (2011). Juliet immortal. New York: Delacorte Press.

MacmillanChildrens. (2012). Book trailer: Midwinterblood by marcus sedgwick. YouTube [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbMwHdTrcfc.

The Midnight Garden. (2013, February 04). Q & A with midwinterblood author marcus sedgwick. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2013/02/q-a-with-midwinterblood-author-marcus-sedgwick.html.

Niffenegger, A. (2004). The time traveller's wife. London: Jonathan Cape.

The official homepage of the artist Carl Larsson. (2013, May 06). Retrieved from http://www.clg.se/encarl.aspx.

Sedgwick, M. (2011). Midwinterblood. London: Indigo.

Sedgwick, M. (2011, October 11). Symbols and folklore. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://marcussedgwick.blogspot.com/2011/10/symbols-and-folklore.html.

Sedgwick, M. (2015). The ghosts of heaven. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

Smith, A. (2014). Grasshopper jungle: A history. New York: Dutton Books.

Tsuji, T. (n.d.). A basic buddhism guide: On reincarnation. Retrieved from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/reincarnation.htm.