“Part Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink”

Recommended for grades 4-10

Okay, so it took me over a week to get back to you…sorry, life found a (good) way to distract me. But nonetheless, I’m back with my second dose of fairy tales. These books contain the motifs (it’s my new fancy word) typically found in fairy tales, but they are their own original (for the most part) stories.

I thought I’d be a rebel when Ella Enchanted became popular and read Gail Carson Levine’s other novel, The Two Princesses of Bamarre (grades 5-7). Turns out, I made the right choice. I enjoyed reading about these two sisters (girl-power all the way), Addie and Meryl. Addie, the youngest and the one lacking in courage of the two must partake on a solo journey to find a cure that will save her sister from the Gray Death. Addie must find the strength and will power to stand up against creatures like the spectral and a dragon. How does she fare? Read the book to find out ;)

Can I get a side of humor with this fairy tale? Why, certainly! Once Upon a Marigold (grades 7-9) by Jean Ferris serves up just that, with its many endearing characters and a fast-paced plot. We first meet Christian, who is being raised by a troll, Edric. Soon, we find out he is in love with Princess Marigold (and she with him) from across the river. Christian makes the journey to the castle and becomes hired help there, but soon finds out that the princess is to be wed to another. Christian then uncovers a murderous plot set against the king and Marigold by who else, but the queen herself. Oy!

Last, but not least, I have to plug Michael Buckley’s The Sisters Grimm series (grades 4-6). Clever! Two sisters go off to live with their grandmother, Granny Relda, in a place called Ferry Port Landing. The other residences in the town prefer to be known as the “Everafters,” and include such characters as Snow White and the Three Little Pigs. Turns out, these two sisters are descendants of the Brothers’ Grimm themselves and the book of fairy tales the brothers wrote is actually a history book of cases! As the first title in the series indicates, the sisters now become The Fairy-Tale Detectives.

Buckley, M. (2007). The Sisters grimm: the fairy-tale detective - . New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams.

Ferris, J. (2004). Once upon a marigold. Orlando, FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Levine, G. (2003). The Two princesses of bamarre. New York, NY: Trophy Pr.

Cinderella Is So Yesterday

Books range from grades K-6

There are so many different versions of Cinderella that it’s easy to come up with a comparative literature unit just on that story alone. But, what if you happen to get sick of Cinderella? There, I said it…someone had to. Throughout the years, many authors have decided to try their hand at retellings of traditional tales. And with much success, there are authors who have made it big…Jon Scieszka’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Gail Levine’s Ella Enchanted, and Disney's versions of the many fairy tales out there.

Some of the readings for my graduate classes were of different versions of folktales or fairy tales. The two most prominent that come to mind are Lon Po Po by Ed Young (China’s Red Riding Hood)—(grades K-3) and Snow White In New York by Fiona French (grades 3-6).

Lon Po Po is brilliant simply with the illustrations alone. I remember my assignment for class involved finding the hidden wolf throughout the pages of illustrations. This added a layer of depth to the story making for an even darker plot in some ways. I really enjoyed turning a critical eye to the illustrations.

Snow White in New York takes a more mature approach to the story, taking place in the 1920’s with art deco flair. The illustrations play a big role in this title too. The sharp lines and angles of the illustrations make New York come alive. Snow White still has her evil step mom, but seven jazz musicians who want her to be their singer save her. And it wouldn’t be the height of the New York social scene if Snow White weren’t poisoned by a cherry in her cocktail; or her falling in love with a newspaper reporter.

Retellings will be the theme for this week, so stay tuned…

Young, E. (1996). Lon po po. New York, NY: Puffin.

French, Fiona. (1990). Snow white in new york. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, USA.

“Moo”ve Over Dr. Seuss

Recommended for grades PreK-1

From the author of Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs

Judi Barrett combines numbers, rhyming, and animals in this colorfully illustrated story, I Knew Two Who Said Moo. Silliness takes over from the very beginning, with an elephant lying “on a toasted bun…playing the accordion…” Barrett makes sure that the rhyming words are in a different color from the rest of the text making them more readily identifiable. Sometimes she might get a little carried away with the rhyming, but at the same time it works because it adds to the humor of the book. We also have to remember that this is from the author who made it rain French toast with syrup.

The illustrations are brightly colored and mirror the text, making this a good choice for read aloud. In fact, kids can guess what the rhyming words are based on the numbers (the selected words rhyme with the featured number) and the clues in the illustrations. This book integrates language arts and math concepts very well.

Barrett, J. (2003). I knew two who said moo. New York, NY: Atheneum.

Luck Of The Irish Be With This Book!

Typically, I try to post a younger book review on Mondays, but I just read that one of my favorite books was voted Irish Book of the Decade!

Recommended for grades 4 to 8

From a walking, talking skeleton to vampires and the undead, magic--mind you, extremely powerful ancient magic--abounds in Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. The plot of the story revolves around an adolescent girl named Stephanie, who has just inherited her uncle’s estate and another unlikely treasure (or curse, depending on how you look at it).

The other main character is Skulduggery Pleasant, a frank speaking, and did I mention suavely dressed, ace detective, who just happens to be a skeleton. Skulduggery’s connection to Stephanie is through her deceased uncle. Skulduggery ends up becoming Stephanie’s mentor to the magical world of elementals and adepts, where her uncle’s death has set off a chain reaction leading to the breaking of a treaty between good and evil to attain the scepter--a supposed mythological artifact that will give whoever possesses it ultimate power.

Stephanie and Skulduggery set out on a thrilling and magical adventure to discover where the scepter is located, how to stop Serpine--the evil antagonist--from getting his hands on it, and just what lengths one will go to save a friend.

I loved the story and characters in this book so much, that half way through listening to the audio (you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t listen to this on audio; Rupert Degas reads the novel with great zest, sarcastic (sometimes dark) humor, and a gotta love Irish accent), I realized I wanted to read the story again; it was just that intriguing and funny.

The main character, Stephanie, is brilliant and humorous. I laughed out loud at her quirky, yet sometimes deadpan comments. Stephanie has supernatural powers of her own that develop through the series, but her true powers lie in her intelligence, strength in will and determination.

I’m always trying to think of what novel I hold up to par with Harry Potter and this would be the one. I really loved Skulduggery Pleasant and highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, mystery, and strong female protagonists.

*This is the first in the series and is now renamed Scepter Of The Ancients.