The Green Children of Woolpit by J. Anderson Coats (review)

When two uncanny green-skinned children appear in the forest near the medieval village of Woolpit, Agnes’ parents take them in, just as they took in Agnes herself as a baby. The green children charm the villagers, but the girl, Senna, has struck a bargain to escape her servitude to Those Good People (the cruel, capricious fair folk) and intends for the green boy to take Agnes to the fairy realm in her stead. After Agnes in turn escapes the fairy realm, the two girls realize that their only hope of freedom lies in mutual cooperation. Agnes’s voice is precise, distinctive, and very beautiful, and her penchant for dreaminess underlines her difference from the other villagers—a quality that makes her vulnerable to Senna’s enticing lies. Senna is a sharp, survivalist foil for dreamy, good-hearted Agnes, and her history as a victim of brutal imperial conquest garners readerly sympathy even as she attempts to assume Agnes’ identity. The narrative deliberately refuses resolution on several fronts, and some details fall by the wayside. Nevertheless, Agnes’ secure love for her family and her belief in the life-shaping power of stories bind this bittersweet book together. As Agnes says, “There should be more stories where girls help one another.” A brief historical note pays homage to the medieval chronicles that inspired the author.