Northlander (Tales of the Borderlands) by Meg Burden
Grades 6+	252 pages	Brown Barn Books	October 2007	Paperback

Northlander is the first book in the Tales of the Borderlands series by Meg Burden. The cover image design for this book is exceptionally done; people visiting my home have picked up the book while it was on our table out of curiosity simply because of the cover image. Kudos to the artist.

Burden displays exceptional skill in simply stated characters and scenes that leave the reader room for imagination. The book is well-written and feels like a real, believable story throughout. My husband and I both read the book, and we both found the scene where the lead character saves a foal during birthing very touching. It is heartening that she could turn the heart of more than one young man with this simple, thoughtful deed in the face of thoughtless racism.

The story centers on a young, talented woman who finds peace for two societies. Ellin, as a Southlander, is despised by racist Northlanders. Suddenly caught between the two societies, she finds herself changing racist thought and discovers a hidden secret about the Southlanders. A portion of the population is gifted, and because of this they are disdained and avoided. A few of these talented people were once Northlanders, forced to leave their home to escape the problems there.

Ellin and her father are two of the gifted individuals who live in fear of the Guardians. When her father is jailed by the Northlander King, Ellin is placed in the position of Healer despite her inexperience. She unexpectedly discovers a hidden power that allows her to stimulate great change. As a lead character, Ellin displays exceptional reasoning and deduction skills, and an admirable empathy for others.

I truly enjoyed spine-tingling tale with well-defined characters and a twisting plot. Less than five percent of the books I review make it to our personal bookshelf – Northlander is one of the books that have found a home there. This 280-page paperback fantasy published by Brown Barn Books was released in November 2007 and has already received a good reception by readers and reviewers. I look forward for the next in the Tales of the Borderlands series from this author.

I did not see any comments on the website for the author or publisher, nor did I find any information on the book itself regarding the recycling content of the book. I find this unfortunate, but this was the only negative point I found about this book review project. It deserves the highest of ratings.