Comments for Hilda and the Black Hound

Hilda and the Black Hound: 11/04/14

Hilda and the Black Hound by Luke Pearson is the forth of the Hildafolk series. Hilda and her mother are still living in the city and are trying to set down roots. For Hilda, that means joining the scouting group her mother was once part of.

But for a girl who can see spirits and other magical creatures there are lots of distractions. The two newest ones are a large black hound that's terrorizing the city, and a homeless house elf who swears he was framed.

And here's where book four rises above the others, by taking full advantage of the graphic novel format. House spirits reside in the spaces between — those spaces in a home that just aren't usable (under the bed, behind the dresser, etc). Those spaces are graphically tied to the edges of each panel, and as Hilda learns to travel between then, she is given the ability to travel between panels, thus opening up the format.

Hilda's friendship with the house spirit and the on going news of a black hound attacking people the in city are beautifully interwoven. It's a tight plot made better through the artwork.

Five stars

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Thursday, November 06, 2014 at 15:34:15

Kim Aippersbach

I really need to get my hands on these; I keep hearing about them and they look and sound fantastic. "A homeless house elf who swears he's been framed" sounds like a character I'd like to meet!

Comment #2: Thursday, November 06, 2014 at 13:51:53

Pussreboots

They really are marvelous. I've read all but the first one, which I do plan to get a copy of.