Product Description

"The well-crafted tale and careful attention to detail will have young readers forgetting that the characters are only a few inches tall. . . . An amazing journey of surprising proportions." —KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review)

The world is drying. Twelve-year-old Tad — who is only a few inches tall — doesn’t even notice it at first. Busy practicing with his new spear, arguing with his sister, Birdie, and living the normal life of a youngling of the Fisher Tribe, he thinks little of a stream slowed to a trickle here, a pond suddenly dwindling there. But Tad begins to have strange flashbacks — glimpses of the past that he knows can't possibly be his own. With these "rememberings" haunting him, he and Birdie begin an adventure marked by great sorrows, fierce battles, and unbreakable friendships. In this remarkable rite of passage, Tad grows to know who he really is and what his destiny holds. For only he can restore the water and save the forests and animals and Tribes.

Only he can retrieve the Waterstone.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #741745 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-03
• Released on: 2005-02-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From Amazon.com
The small world of the Fisher folk is drying up. The water in their green pond is lower every day, and the stream that feeds it has shrunk to a trickle. Young Tad (short for Tadpole) and his little sister, Birdie, set out with their father, Pondleweed, on a journey upstream to find the cause of this disastrous Drying Time, at the beginning of a quest that will lead them into strange adventures and terrible danger. When Pondleweed is enticed by mysterious music into drowning himself in a sinister black pool, the children take refuge with a wizened dryad, who helps Tad to realize that he has been given a magical gift that will help him save the Fishers and the other two tribes who make up the world, but not without sacrifice and terror.

This delightful miniature heroic fantasy is beautifully realized, from the details of the Fisher's tiny domestic arrangements to the eerie echoes of classical mythology. Rebecca Rupp has created a satisfyingly complete world, with its water-oriented Fishers, gypsy Hunters, and furry Diggers, overseen by the tree spirit Dryads, the earth spirit Kobolds, and the water spirit Nixies, all subject to the majestic Great Rune and the death-owl Obd. Despite his heroic role, Tad is a real boy, and that and the antics of his comical watchfrog, Pippit, keep this charming tale from becoming too solemn. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-Tad, a boy of the Fisher Tribe, is growing worried. First he hears a strange, seductive voice calling him from under his family's pond. Then he starts experiencing "remembers," memories of other places, people, and times, that are not his own. Worst of all, the water from his pond and from other parts of their world is drying up. After his father's disappearance, Tad and his younger sister, Birdie, travel among the different Tribes of their world-the Hunters, the Diggers, and animals-to find the Waterstone that will restore the world's balance. At the same time Tad discovers that his mind holds the memories of past Sagamores-those who were charged with protecting the Waterstone from the Nixies-as well as the powers they held. This book deceptively starts out as an adventure story and ends on a somewhat epic note. Tad, an ordinary enough boy blessed/burdened with power and memories of a past not his own, acts like a typical child. He is uncertain and frightened and convincingly annoyed at Birdie. She and their father, Pondleweed, seem too good to be true at times. Pondleweed's self-sacrifice at the end, though, will bring tears to the eyes of many. The other characters and creatures are also engaging and interesting. Recommend this to readers who like Brian Jacques's "Redwall" series (Philomel), but are looking for a slight change of pace.
Lisa Prolman, Greenfield Public Library, MA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Rebecca Rupp has written nonfiction articles for many national magazines on topics ranging from the history of blue jeans to the science of ice cream. She is also the author of several books, including the Book Sense 76 pick THE DRAGON OF LONELY ISLAND. Rebecca Rupp says of THE WATERSTONE, "When Josh, my oldest son, was six, he invented Pondleweed, a mysterious and magical caretaker of trees, streams, and frog ponds. From that first image of Pondleweed came the entire world of The Waterstone and all the people, places, and magic in it."