Marinka's grandmother is a Yaga which means she guides the dead towards The Gate and helps them on towards the stars. So that humans don't grow suspicious, Marinka and her grandmother are forced to move around a lot, albeit in a most unusually way: when it's time to move on, their house grows a set of chicken legs and walks (or runs) them to their new destination! It is the house that is in charge of this and Marinka and her grandmother often wake up to discover a new landscape outside their windows. Whilst this sounds exciting, Marinka is incredibly lonely; she longs to stay in one place long enough to make friends and go to school and to live a 'normal' childhood. However, she is destined to become the next Yaga when her grandmother passes through The Gate. What will happen if she doesn't want to follow the path set out for her? How will she cope with life without her grandmother? Will the house survive if nobody is there to guide the dying through The gate?
O's opinion:
I loved Marinka and the way she wants to be free of her destiny. The way she was independent from the house and her grandmother when she wanted to be and how she had lots of adventures when she felt like it, made me want to be like her. I loved watching her on her adventures and how she dealt with things. Marinka makes me want to walk out of the door and have an adventure like hers. This book is such a good read, I would recommend it to anybody who wants an adventure.
This is such an unusual idea for a book and is tackled so cleverly. Told almost like a traditional tale, the story weaves its way around you and into your heart before you even realise it! Whilst Marinka is undoubtedly the main character (and a feisty, determined one at that), the house deserves mention as a character in its own right. Its human qualities and the way it communicates it feelings and desires is simply magical and you cannot help but warm to it as if it were human. It may actually steal the show!
This is a story of growing-up and of self-discovery. Marinka learns a lot about herself on her journey through this book (both in terms of who she wants to be as well as who she doesn't want to be); however, it's also a story of loss and acceptance - accepting what we have and appreciating the things we have whilst they are still there for us to enjoy them.
Beautifully written (and illustrated), this is a book that will warm your heart and will leave the characters (both human and non-human) with you long after you've read the final page.
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