Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods

Written by Catherynne M. Valente

Narrated by Heath Miller

“I loved every speck of it.” —Kelly Barnhill, Newbery Medal–winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon

From New York Times bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente comes an inventive middle grade fantasy that follows a boy journeying away from the only home he’s ever known and into the magical realm of the dead to fulfill a bargain for his people.

Osmo Unknown hungers for the world beyond his small town. With the life that Littlebridge society has planned for him, the only taste Osmo will ever get are his visits to the edge of the Fourpenny Woods where his mother hunts. Until the unthinkable happens: his mother accidentally kills a Quidnunk, a fearsome and intelligent creature that lives deep in the forest.

None of this should have anything to do with poor Osmo, except that a strange treaty was once formed between the Quidnunx and the people of Littlebridge to ensure that neither group would harm the other. Now that a Quidnunk is dead, as the firstborn child of the hunter who killed her, Osmo must embark on a quest to find the Eightpenny Woods—the mysterious kingdom where all wild forest creatures go when they die—and make amends.

Accompanied by a very rude half-badger, half-wombat named Bonk and an antisocial pangolin girl called Never, it will take all of Osmo’s bravery and cleverness to survive the magic of the Eightpenny Woods to save his town…and make it out alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Apr 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781797139562

Catherynne M. Valente

Catherynne M. Valente is an acclaimed New York Times bestselling creator of over forty works of fantasy and science fiction, including the Fairyland novels and The Glass Town Game. She has been nominated for the Nebula and World Fantasy awards, and has won the Otherwise (formerly Tiptree), Hugo, and Andre Norton award. She lives on a small island off the coast of Maine with her partner, young son, and a shockingly large cat with most excellent tufts.

Reviews for Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods

[Ashtyn s · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods was an amazing audiobook! I absolutely loved it, and I identified a lot with Never the pangirlin. The story was so well written and the characters were so relatable. I also loved the way the story was narrated. It made the whole experience even more enjoyable. I would highly recommend this audiobook to anyone!

[Kara Delahoussaye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Definitely top ten of my favorite books
definitely highly recommend

[Anne R Naugler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another amazing story from Catherynne M. Valente, charmingly performed by Heath Miller.