Elf Dog and Owl Head by M. T. Anderson

Source of book: Audiobook from the library

 

This book recently was named a Newbery Honor Book, so it kind of fit with our unofficial, and haphazard exploration of Newbery books over the last decade plus. Also, I thought it might be interesting because it was by M. T. Anderson, the author of The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, and I thought that was a fascinating book. 

Elf Dog and Owl Head is nothing like Octavian Nothing. At all. Rather than historical fiction set before the American Revolution, it is kind of on the border of fantasy and magical realism, and very much of our time. 

 

A family is largely isolated at home due to a “sickness” that sounds an awful lot like Covid-19. The kids have to do school on their computer, they can’t see their friends, mom loses her job, and dad only keeps his because it isn’t around people and it is essential. The family finds itself bickering and edgy and frustrated and, well, exactly how Covid was experienced by many of us. 

 

Into this situation comes an Elf Dog, Elphinore, who is part of a hunting of a Wyrm in the underworld when the hunt breaks out into the human world. She is left behind, and finds her way to Clay, the middle child (and only boy) in the family. 

 

So, let’s see: we have a vicious Wyrm on the loose, an Elf Dog who has taken shelter with a human, and kids with nothing but time on their hands…sounds like a solid story setup. 

 

At first, Clay just follows the dog around, and discovers that she can travel - and take him - over the borders of the worlds that exist within the adjacent forest. 

 

He finds a village of Owl Heads - humanoid creatures with owl heads who are old-fashioned - I would say most likely modeled on the Quakers. A close-knit community, where decisions are made by committee, gender equality, and they call each other “brother” and “sister.” 

 

And, from what the story tells us, it appears that they are non-violent, particularly compared to some of the other denizens - such as the Elf-creatures who live under the mountain. The ones Elphinore was with when she got separated. 

 

It should go without saying that crossing over worlds like this will eventually lead to trouble, and it definitely does. The problem is that children - of all species - are not good at observing boundaries. Elphinore is young and curious, and starts everything in motion. But there is also Clay. And his sisters DiRossi and Juniper. And the owl boy Amos. They just refuse to sequester themselves…

 

The book, therefore, has multiple layers. There is the very normal human drama of a family in lockdown, which I thought was well written - the frustration is real, but we can tell the siblings don’t truly hate each other, no matter what stupid stuff they say under stress. 

 

The other part, of course, is an imaginative world beyond our own, with fun characters, including a cynical giant who seems to be the only person who understands DiRossi…although as she finds out, cynicism is no basis for an actual friendship. This is a world that literally could have been explored in a book ten times as long, and Anderson’s imagination likely would not have run out. One wonders if he will write a sequel, or another book in that world. It was fun, but all too brief. 

 

While the book wasn’t at the level of Octavian Nothing, it is a worthwhile kids book, and will likely resonate for people of all ages who remember the height of the pandemic and lockdown, and wished we had an escape. 

 

***

 

Side note: Like Clay, my approach to the lockdown was to get out and hike wherever I could - forest, desert, foothills, mountains. The kids and I spent many days in the middle of nowhere, often meeting no one on the trail. That’s one advantage of being knowledgeable about the backcountry and able to read a map. If I am around to see the next pandemic, and you need help finding a trail with the appropriate social distancing, hit me up. I might be able to find one for you…