Eileen Kernaghan

Wild Talent tells the strange tale of Jeannie Guthrie, a sixteen-year-old Scottish farm worker, who possesses a frightening talent. Believing that she has unintentionally killed her ne’er-do-well cousin, and fearing that she will be sentenced as a witch, she flees to London. There, she is befriended by the free-spirited and adventurous Alexandra David, and introduced to Madame Helena Blavatsky’s famous salon, where she begins to understand the source of her mysterious powers. We follow Jeannie and Alexandra as they venture from the late Victorian world of spiritualists and theosophists to the fin de siècle Paris of artists, anarchists and esoteric cults; and finally to the perilous country of the Beyond. It is against these eerie late 19th century backdrops that Kernaghan weaves an engrossing tale of myth and magic.

• Finalist for the 2009 Sunburst Award for best Canadian Literature of the Fantastic

Dance of the Snow Dragon is an engrossing tale of spiritual develpment and magical wonder set in the Buddhist enclaves of the Himalayas. This unique coming-of-age novel allows for in-depth comparisons between Far Eastern mysticism and North American adventure.

“Kernaghan unwinds this tale with powerful force and tight control.”
– Quill & Quire.

“This is one of the best fantasies for young people that I have read for some time.”
– Vancouver Sun.
 

• Canadian Children's Book Centre "Our Choice" selection

Ages 13+

 Selected Reviews

Barbour, Douglas. “Snow Dragon breathes the magic of life's journey.” Edmonton Journal . November 26, 1995.
B.C. Bookworld (Autumn 1996): 42.
Beaty, Mary. Quill & Quire (June 1995).
Boulanger, Annie. “Meeting a new challenge.” Burnaby Now . June 28, 1995. 11.
Boulanger, Annie. “Writers honour Kernaghan's contributions.” Royal City Record/Now . June 28, 1995. 14.
Deakin, Andrea. “Surprises and delights in fact and fiction.” Vancouver Sun . August 26, 1995.
Harris, Mark. “Fantasy's world divided.” Vancouver Sun . November 18, 1995.
Jenkinson, Dave. Canadian Children's Literature (July 1996): 56-7.
Keller, Better. “Philosophical aspects add spice to familiar genres.” Coast Independent . October 21, 1996. 2.
Litva, Tanya. “Dial m for mother.” B.C. Bookworld (Summer 1995): 10.
Lyons, Terri L. “A spiritual quest.” Canadian Children's Literature (Spring 1996): 61-2.
Rothstein, Ellen. “The portrait: Eileen Kernaghan.” Bookmark (March 1995): 137-8.
de Vos, Gail. Resource Links (February 1996): 128.
Walsh, Jim. British Columbia Library Association Reporter (November 1995): 15-6.

*Teacher Resource Guide Available

The enchantment and mystery of Renaissance Elizabethan England, the threat of the Spanish Armada, and the quest of a young woman to save her father and her country serve as forces that drive this tale of natural magic, alchemy and scrying. Startlingly original, romantic and action oriented, The Alchemist’s Daughter will pull you from whatever you are supposed to be doing into Sidonie’s fortunes, and hold you there cover to cover. Marked by high adventure, and delicious language, Kernaghan’s use of real historical figures like Dr. John Dee, Lady Mary Herbert, Sir Philip Sidney and William Shakespeare, blended with original fictional characters are a powerful mix, while her impeccable research allows you to learn something of an age that has long held a spell over contemporary readers.
The Alchemist’s Daughter is highly recommended for fantasy collections, and a must read for those who can see the future.

“An exciting story about an intelligent, spunky heroine whose task is to save England by “creating” gold at Elizabethan Glastonbury. Just the right amount of magic to balance the realistic details. This page-turner will keep young teenaged readers fascinated.”
— Welwyn Wilton Katz

• Nominated for the 2005 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize.
• Nominated for the 2006 Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award.
• Short-listed for the 2005 Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Award, the Aurora, for best long-form work in English.

Ages 13+

In this reworking of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, the magical worlds of Saami shamanism and the Kalevala coexist with the polite Victorian society of nineteenth-century Scandanavia. At a time when traditional faith is challenged by modern science, the old pagan gods still haunt the northern forests. One of the novel's two heroines, Ritva, lives in this forest with her Saami shaman mother and robber-baron father until a cultured Danish teenager named Gerda is captured and brought to their camp. Gerda has embarked on a dangerous quest to rescue her friend Kai from the Snow Queen, an evil enchantress whose wintry palace lies far to the north. Their quest leads each of the young women to a fuller understanding of their possible roles in the world, and the need for each to find their individual futures on their own terms. Kernaghan blends fantasy and historical realism to create an enchanting, provocative story that will inspire readers of all ages.

"Kernaghan takes thebones of original fantasy and adds real period detail and strong characterization to create a vividly textured story." — SF Site Reviews

• Winner of the 2001 Prix Aurora Award for Best Long Form Work in English

Ages13+