Colin Meloy

"Maybe Archie Coomes has been watching too many horror movies. All of a sudden, the most ordinary things have taken on a sinister edge: a penny on a doormat. A man in a brown suit under a streetlamp. The persistent sound of an ax chopping in the middle of the night. He keeps telling himself that this is Seaham, a sleepy seaside town where nothing ever happens. Or at least nothing did, until his dad's construction company opened up the cliff beneath...

When her baby brother is kidnapped by crows, seventh-grader Prue McKeel ventures into the forbidden Impassable Wilderness--a dangerous and magical forest at the edge of Portland, Oregon--and soon finds herself involved in a war among the various inhabitants.

"Prue and Curtis are thrown together again to save themselves and the lives of their friends, and to bring unity to the divided country of Wildwood"--

Rhyming text explores the life and work of folk musician Pete Seeger, discussing how his messages of universal understanding and social and environmental justice inspired generations.

Portland's Decemberists return with their highly anticipated sixth album, which includes the single Down by the Water. This album is filled with stripped-down, mostly acoustic, country-based songs, and they paint an image of nature, plants, and water throughout the lyrics. Features guest appearances by Peter Buck and Gillian Welch on several of the songs.