Told By the Animals

There are actually a lot of books from animals’ points of view. I find the subject very interesting because first of all, I love animals, and also because stories told by other creatures can say a lot of different things than stories told by humans. We can’t really know if authors are portraying animal thoughts accurately or not, but it’s still fun to read about!

A lot of people have already heard of or read Erin Hunter’s awesome Warriors series, but I love the books so much that I had to include them! They begin with the story of Rusty, a housecat who ventures outside his fence one day and is taken into ThunderClan, one of the four cat Clans in the forest. Soon his name is changed to Firepaw and he’s a warrior apprentice. But evil cats are also among the Clans, and Firepaw must find a way to defeat them. Into the Wild begins Firepaw’s story, continuing with Fire and Ice, Forest of Secrets, Rising Storm, A Dangerous Path, and The Darkest Hour. There are also two sub-series (Warriors: The New Prophecy and Warriors: The Power of Three), going down the generations to include new adventures and new characters.


Another pretty well-known but wonderful series is Guardians of Ga’Hoole by Kathryn Lasky. These are not about domestic cats, however, but about almost magical owls and their kingdom, Tyto. The first books, The Capture, The Journey, The Rescue, The Siege, The Shattering, and The Burning center on Soren, a young barn owl who is shoved out of the nest by his cruel brother, Kludd, and taken away to St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. Along with friends Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger, Soren escapes and sets off for the Great Ga’Hoole Tree, a legendary place where owls are warriors. Two books in the series, The Hatchling and The Outcast are about Soren’s nephew, Coryn, and then the series braches off into the Legends of Hoole for three books (boringest part of the series, I thought) before coming back to Coryn. The release date for the latest book, Exile, is February 1st.


The Good Dog by Avi is very enjoyable. McKinley, an obedient malamute and the top dog of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, is curious when he hears that a wolf is roaming around his territory. It turns out that her name is Lupin and she’s searching for strong, brave dogs to join her pack, which is dying out. This gives McKinley a dilemma—be the good dog that he’s always been and enjoys being, or give in to “the call of the wild” and go with Lupin.




Meredith Ann Pierce’s Firebringer Trilogy has a different twist: these books are about unicorns, and also include griffins, wyverns, and pans. Beginning with Birth of the Firebringer, the protagonist is Aljan (meaning “Dark Moon), hot-headed son of the Prince of the unicorns. Jan is young and not yet a warrior, but when he begins receiving disturbing dreams that speak of a prophecy, he starts to wonder if there’s something special about him. He has to go on a grueling pilgrimage with the other unicorns to become a full warrior, so along with his friend Dagg and their mentor Tek, he goes forward to figure out his destiny. The trilogy continues with Dark Moon and The Son of Summer Stars, but I liked the first book the most.

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread, by Kate DiCamillo. Well, this book is quite silly. Mice read, rats plan, and people have ears that look like cauliflower. The story is that little Despereaux Tilling, a mouse, is outcast by his family, who live in the basement of a castle. So he goes upstairs and sees the princess, Pea who he promptly falls in love with. Then Miggery Sow comes into the scene and makes a deal with the evil rat, Roscuro, because she wants to be a beautiful princess like Pea. What did I tell you? Very silly. But I still had fun reading this book because it was something you could laugh at and read without really having to think. “Cute” is probably a good word to describe it. The movie adaptation (starring Matthew Broderick, Tracey Ullman, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Watson) is due December 19th, 2008.

Ink Mage got me to read The Grand Escape by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor when I was ten or eleven. The book is about two housecats, Marco and Polo, who are fascinated by the world they see outside the window of their house. So they plan their grand escape and are soon wandering the streets until, hungry, they stop at a restaurant’s dumpster for something to eat. There they meet Texas Jake, Carlotta, and Elvis, who are also part-time strays. The adventures continue in The Healing of Texas Jake, Carlotta’s Kittens, and Polo’s Mother.


The Silverwing Trilogy, by Kenneth Oppel, is very awesome. Shade, a young silverwing bat, is the smallest in his colony. During the winter migration to the tropics, Shade gets separated from the others and thinks he’ll die because he’s too small to make it on his own. However, he meets Marina, a brightwing bat, who decides to help him on his journey. But things don’t go as planned, and soon the two friends are fleeing for their lives as they get swept along on a daring quest full of predatory owls, rats, and evil vampire bats who are trying to take control of the bats’ world. There is also a Silverwing-based TV series, but it’s hard to find unless you want to buy it.

Exiled: Memoirs of a Camel by Kathleen Karr is certainly one-of-a-kind! The only story about a camel that I’ve ever read or heard of, this book is about Ali, who lives with his mother in Egypt in the 1800’s. Separated from his mother when he’s young, Ali is sold to the Camel Corps in the U.S. The sea crossing is treacherous and Ali has trouble with another camel who’s vying for his love interest, but soon the entire Camel Corps expedition is abandoned, and Ali has to escape to a real life in the desert-like landscape of Texas. The story ended strangely, but it was original and I felt affectionate for Ali and his friends.


M.I. McAllister’s Mistmantle Chronicles are of a different sort. The animals in her books (squirrels, otters, moles and hedgehogs) are more like humans because they cook, use weapons, and even wear clothing and spectacles! Nonetheless they’re fun books, and most animal lovers would probably enjoy them. So far there are only three volumes in the series: Urchin of the Riding Stars, Urchin and the Heartstone, and The Heir of Mistmantle. They follow the adventures of Urchin, an orphaned squirrel who fell from the sky on a night of “riding stars,” and discovers foul plots after he becomes a page in the castle.



I’d really like to read Asta Bowen’s Wolf: The Journey Home, which is about a wolf family who has to journey back to their hunting grounds after being mistakenly relocated by scientists. Unfortunately my library won’t purchase it.






Recently I read The Wild Road, by Gabriel King, and loved it. It’s hard to explain the actual plot, but it’s basically about a kitten, Tag, who has never known anything but a warm house and food out of a can. He grows bored with this life, however, and when the Majicou—a cat with magical powers—sees a “Great Cat” in him and wants him as an apprentice, Tag is a little bit excited at the prospect of an adventure. But things turn out harder than he ever imagined, and soon Tag is fighting for not only his own life, but for the life of every good animal in the world. The Golden Cat is the sequel.




Something you might not have heard of yet is Erin Hunter’s new series Seekers, which will center on bears. The first book, The Quest Begins, is being released on May 27th. I can’t wait!





Other YA “Animal Protagonist” Books:

Fire Bringer, by David Clement-Davies
Tailchaser’s Song, by Tad Williams
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The Sight
Fell, by David Clement-Davies
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The Dark Portal
The Crystal Prison
The Final Reckoning, by Robin Jarvis

For Younger Readers:

Swordbird, by Nancy Yi Fan
A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray, by Ann M. Martin
The Wainscott Weasel, by Tor Seidler
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Varjak Paw
The Outlaw Varjak Paw, by S.F. Said
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Air Ferrets Aloft
Rescue Ferrets at Sea
Writer Ferrets: Chasing the Muse
Rancher Ferrets on the Range
The Last War: Detective Ferrets and the Case of the Golden Deed, by Richard Bach
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Catwings
Catwings Return
Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings
Jane on Her Own
Tales of the Catwings, by Ursula K. Le Guin
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I, Jack
Jack and Rebel, the Police Dog, by Patricia Finney

The Legends of Sherwood

So you’ve heard all about how Robin Hood was dashing and witty, made a fool of the Sheriff of Nottingham, won the golden arrow, saved Maid Marian, stole from the rich and gave to the poor, and was rewarded for it all by good King Richard, and it’s all old stuff, right? Think again; the novels below bring new excitement to the ancient tales, most with some sort of twist.

The Forestwife by Teresa Tomlinson is a completely new take on the legends of Robin Hood. It’s rather more believable than other versions, also, with very little theatrical swashbuckling. Fifteen-year-old Mary de Holt is to be forced into marrying a man more than twice her age when she makes a run for Ecclesall Woods. There she comes to be known as Marian, and an assistant to the Forestwife. As more people seek the Forestwife’s help, a band of people forms; soon it grows to include a group of renegade nuns, a charcoal burner’s daughter, and the young men who follow the teasing Robert of Loxley. All of whom, for various reasons, become outlaws.
The second book in the series, Child of the May, turns the role of main character over to Magda, daughter of Little John. Magda is tired of her mundane life in the forest and longs to go on adventures with Robert and her father.
Both books are unique and unforgettable, making me very sad that I have not been able to get my hands on a copy of the last book, The Path of the She Wolf; unfortunately it has not been published in the U.S. and is much harder to find.

A young mute boy known as Dummy escapes from his harsh master and makes his way to Sherwood, where he literally falls into Robin’s Country. Once past their initial suspicion, the Merry Men take Dummy on as a sort of apprentice to their good-natured thievery. Here in Robin’s sanctuary, for almost the first time he can remember, Dummy is cared for and respected. As he makes friends among the outlaws, Dummy’s voice and memories of his past begin to return, and he may remember surprising things about his previous life. As usual, Monica Furlong fashions a quickly engaging novel about learning the ways of life and making your place in the world, which is suitable and younger readers, but equally enjoyable for teens and adults.

Nancy Springer brings readers an intriguing version in which Marian never makes an appearance. After her mother’s sudden death, 13-year-old Rosemary sets off to find the father she never knew...Robin Hood himself. Befriended by a wolf-dog and the ancient and mysterious aelfe, Ro eventually finds the outlaw’s hideout. But Robin doesn’t know he ever fathered a child—or that Ro is a girl—and Ro feels she must prove herself before she tells him who she really is. The series has a good strong-girl theme without being sexist (the boys in the band get their spotlights, too) or unrealistic, as Ro and her friends wrestle with loyalties and leadership. Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest is the first of five books in the Tales of Rowan Hood series; don’t miss the rest of the maiden outlaw’s adventures in Lionclaw, Outlaw Princess of Sherwood, Wild Boy, and Rowan Hood Returns.

I began to read In a Dark Wood, but for some reason just could not find the interest to finish it. While hearing of Robin’s trickery from the Sheriff of Nottingham (in this case named Geoffrey) is an interesting idea, for some reason it couldn’t hold my attention. It’s possible that I was simply not in the mood to read it, but I recommend that you try it yourself. If you like it, there is a companion titled Forbidden Forest: The Story of Little John and Robin Hood, also by Michael Cadnum.
The Outlaws of Sherwood—once past the slow beginning—tells a good tale, but the characters don’t really stand out from one another, and Robin McKinley’s writing is sometimes confusing because she adds so many interjections into a sentence. Still, if you can get into the writing style the story is worth reading and enjoyable, with a few new characters appearing.
More Robin Hood Stories for YA & Juvenile Readers: The Gallows in the Greenwood, by Phyllis Ann Karr
Sherwood: Original Stories from the World of Robin Hood, by Jane Yolen and various authors
Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest, by Ann McGovern
Young Marian’s Adventures in Sherwood Forest, by Stephen Mooser

Fairytales: The Old and the Retold

What makes fairytales so appealing? I think Bravepandagirl explained it very well on her blog:

“The youngest, the poorest, the weakest, the ones who are cast out are the ones who’s stories we hear about in fairytales. They become better people. They slay evil, overcome their fears and turn into brave, wonderful people by the end of the story. I think this is why we love fairytales. This is why they are still around after hundreds of years. Because we can see some of ourselves in Cinderella, or in Vassilissa, or the youngest Tsarevich. We know that part of us is just like them, and we hope that one day our story might turn out as theirs did.”

Fairytales are not only just still “around,” but constantly in style. For instance, Wildwood Dancing has been so popular since its release in January that it was constantly checked out of my library until just last week. No wonder, as Juliet Marillier creates a story as rich and detailed as the cover of the novel. Jena is the daughter of a merchant who lives in an old castle called Piscul Dracului. She and her four sisters have kept a very large secret for nine years; every full moon they cross into Wildwood—the world of the fey—and dance the night away. But as the sisters grow older, changes come and the fairy court becomes more sinister. If you enjoy this novel, don’t miss the sequel, Cybele’s Secret.

Award-winning author Alex Flinn is changing course from her usual realistic fiction with her upcoming novel, Beastly. It’s a retelling of—guess—Beauty and the Beast set in modern times. I believe it will be told through the eyes of the Beast himself, a.k.a. Kyle Kingsbury. I am enormously anxious to see what Ms. Flinn will do with this new genre, as her previous books have been excellent.

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller is a very well done collection of fairytales from around the world—although mainly Russia and Germany—told by the Storyteller (John Hurt) and his dog (voiced by Brian Henson). The tales are told in a way that is enchanting for all ages, and offer a great cast including Miranda Richardson and Sean Bean.

Edith Pattou’s East is not too well known, but it should be. The 500-page plus book really doesn’t seem as long as it is because the whole thing is extremely engrossing, taking you into a world of sparkling snow, loneliness, and love. East is a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, a Norwegian folktale of a girl following her stolen love to the Troll Queen’s palace.

Just Ella, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is a funny but not stupid retelling of Cinderella, which takes place after Ella is swept off in a carriage to live in the palace. Once she gets there, however, the perfect Prince Charming actually turns out to be Prince Dreary. Ella gets sick of it pretty quickly and has to find a way to escape—and from the dungeon, too, where she has been placed for unladylike behavior.

Shannon Hale’s The Goose Girl breathes a lot of life into the old fairytale, especially the new idea of wind-speak, although I found the beginning just a tad slow. Once past there, the book becomes a delightful and easy read (the sequels, Enna Burning and River Secrets, are also really good, but they move on to different plots than fairytales). Ms. Hale’s forthcoming Book of a Thousand Days is based on the little-known Brothers Grimm tale, Maid Maleen. I am not familiar with the story, nor is there much information about the book online, but I’m sure Shannon Hale will give readers another expertly woven plot and flowing narration.

Patrice Kindl creates a sort of fairytale-collage in Goose Chase; the beautiful Alexandria was formerly a goose girl and is now locked in a tower while two suitors fight over her. With the help of her twelve geese, Alexandria escapes the tower only to be tried by trolls, an evil baroness, and the foolishness of Prince Edmund of Dorloo. The plot is fast-paced and funny, but there are a few too many “by my troths!” in my opinion.

I don’t think there are many people in the world who haven’t seen—or at least heard of—The Princess Bride, but I’ll throw it in here anyway. The movie is the classic type of fairy story, including an evil prince, a captured princess, a giant, and Rodents of Unusual Size. If you haven’t watched it yet, I sincerely recommend that you do so. Maybe some of you don’t know of the novel on which the movie was based, The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.

More YA Fairytales:

Beauty Sleep, by Cameron Dokey
Before Midnight, by Cameron Dokey
Beast, by Donna Jo Napoli
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister: A Novel, by Gregory Maguire
Crazy Jack, by Donna Jo Napoli
Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine
Golden, by Cameron Dokey
The Magic Circle, by Donna Jo Napoli
Midnight Pearls, by Debbie Viguié
Mira, Mirror, by Mette Harrison
The Night Dance, by Suzanne Weyn
The Phoenix Dance, by Dia Calhoun
The Rose and the Beast, by Francesca Lia Block
The Rose Bride: A Re-Telling of the White and Black Bride, by Nancy Holder
The Rumpelstiltskin Problem, by Vivian Vande Velde
Rose Daughter, by Robin McKinley
Scarlet Moon, by Debbie Viguié
Snow, by Tracy Lyn
Spindle’s End, by Robin McKinley
Spinners, by Donna Jo Napoli
Spirited, by Nancy Holder
The Storyteller’s Daughter, by Cameron Dokey
The Swan Maiden, by Heather Tomlinson
Water Song, by Suzanne Weyn
Zel, by Donna Jo Napoli

Juvenile Fairytale Retellings:

Beauty, by Robin McKinley
Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine
Rapunzel, the One with All the Hair, by Wendy Mass
Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird, by Vivian Vande Velde
The Door in the Hedge, by Robin McKinley
The Frog Prince, Continued, by Jon Scieszka
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The Frog Princess
Dragon’s Breath
Once Upon a Curse
No Place for Magic
The Salamander Spell, by E.D. Baker

Much Ado About Shakespeare

On this day in the year 1564, a boy named William Shakespeare was born to a glover and his wife. Little did they know that he would come to be known as “The Swan of Avon,” the “Bard of Avon,” or just “the Bard.” How could anyone guess how famous his plays and sonnets would become? They have been translated into all languages and influence and permeate our modern culture in a thousand ways. Below is an article on novels that I hope will bring a new view to anyone who finds Shakespeare’s works hard to read or “boring,” and give fans another way to enjoy his wit and humor.

Eleven-year-old Nat Field has been chosen to perform in an all-boy a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the new replica of the Globe Theatre. Nat is thrilled, but when he arrives in London he begins to feel dizzy and smell strange smells. Falling ill one night, Nat awakes in a strange room, and soon realizes that he’s in Shakespeare’s time as another Nat Field who is also playing Puck at the newly built Globe. Susan Cooper does an exceptional job with King of Shadows, pulling you into the 1590’s along with Nat and leaving you to wonder, along with Nat, whether he traveled through time or not.

Ariel, by Grace Tiffany was pretty weird. It’s a retelling of The Tempest, the main character being the self-centered sprite, Ariel. The characters have the same names, but their personalities as well as the events of the story are changed around quite a lot. I found it interesting and unusual, but not one of my favorite retellings.

In Ophelia, Lisa M. Klein reveals another side to Hamlet, which begins long before, leaves off far past the end, and delves much deeper into the entire play. A different kind of Ophelia is brought out, too, one who isn’t just a girl mad with lost lover’s grief, but an interesting, strong, and smart young woman. As you can probably tell, I found it excellent.

Carolyn Meyer’s Loving Will Shakespeare is unique; telling the story of Anne Hathaway, a young woman who dreams of finding love. Though she is eight years his senior, Anne has always had a soft spot for Master Shakespeare, a bright youth she has known from birth. And the little boy himself has given her several childish signs of affection, but though they are teased, no one thinks much of it. Anne soon becomes betrothed and plans to be happily married, however when disaster strikes, her life is changed immensely. I like how Ms. Meyer gives real personality to a woman who is not known for her own achievements but those of a male relation. After I read it I thought, “Wow, Anne was a living person, too, not just ‘Shakespeare’s wife.’”

Younger readers will enjoy Swan Town: The Secret Journal of Susanna Shakespeare, which is narrated by Shakespeare’s eldest daughter. Susanna is an amateur playwright and longs for adventure and for her play, The Parrot’s King, to be performed. When her uncle Ned gets in trouble, will she have the chance to save the day and have some excitement? It was good but not great, and the Shakespearean insults were just a little too common. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it between the ages of 10 and 13 or so.

The Two Loves of Will Shakespeare, by Laurie Lawlor, is based on the record of a Will Shakespeare registered to marry an Anne Whatley the day before his marriage to Anne Hathaway. In this novel, Will is torn between two women; the sweet, pious, and golden-haired Anne Whately and the dark-haired, bold, and “experienced” Anne Hathaway. Will he choose for love or must he marry only to clear up a trouble? I thought it was interesting and easy enough to read, but not especially wonderful.

Gary Blackwood’s trilogy—The Shakespeare Stealer, Shakespeare’s Scribe, and Shakespeare’s Spy—was brilliant. The beginning of the first book’s a bit slow, but it picks up soon and takes you for a whirling ride through Elizabethan London. An orphan boy, Widge (shortened from “pigwidgeon”), is chosen to be taught “charactery,” a kind of writing so easy to write that one can pen words as fast as another speaks. Once he has learned that, Widge is sent to the Globe to listen and steal the text of Mr. Shakespeare’s plays. To construct the text completely, Widge must return again and again, and soon gets to know some of the actors. As he does, Widge dreams of becoming an actor himself.

Twelfth Night: Or What You Will is definitely one of my favorite movies. The story is about identical twins, Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck and end up on the shores of Illyria. Viola dresses as a boy, taking the name Cesario, and goes to work as a servant of Duke Orsino, then falling in love with him. Orsino, however, loves Olivia, a countess who has sworn to allow no man inside her gate for seven years hence. Eventually Sebastian, too, finds his way to the Duke’s court, and one of the Bard’s classic tales of mixed-up identities and double weddings ensues. The casting is very well done (Ben Kingsley makes a more subtle but interesting fool), and being set in the 19th century does not take anything away from the story.

Kenneth Branagh has made some excellent films of Shakespeare’s plays, including Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, and Love’s Labour’s Lost. I would really like to see his newest production, As You Like It, which is set in a fairytale-like Japan, but it seems that it will not be widely released in the US.

For modern film retellings, check out 10 Things I Hate About You (based on The Taming of the Shrew), and She’s the Man (a varsity soccer-themed version of Twelfth Night). I have not seen either of them, but I think 10 Things I Hate About You sticks closer to the original story, and She’s the Man looks like a funny and slightly stupid chick flick. It was funny to see young guys driving cars and wearing Hawaiian shirts while speaking the text from Shakespeare’s play in Romeo + Juliet. It was rather violent, though, and at times rather odd. I have not seen it in a long time, but I remember liking A Midsummer Night’s Dream (set in a historic Athens with bicycles). Puck and Bottom were very good.

Other Shakespeare Books for YA Readers:

Dating Hamlet: Ophelia’s Story, by Lisa Fiedler
Enter Three Witches: A Story of Macbeth, by Caroline B. Cooney
The Juliet Club, by Suzanne Harper
Romeo’s Ex: Rosaline’s Story, by Lisa Fiedler
Saving Juliet, by Suzanne Selfors
Shakespeare’s Daughter, by Peter W. Hassinger
Shylock’s Daughter, by Mirjam Pressler
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The Playmaker
The True Prince, by J.B. Cheany

Faeries

Fairies have always fascinated me, ever since I was a little kid. So of course I’d want to read about them. There are some really terrific books about the Wee Folk, so if you’re interested, read on....

Probably my favorite fairy book is Herbie Brennan’s Faerie Wars, followed by The Purple Emperor, Ruler of the Realm, and Faerie Lord. These sci-fi type books are about Henry Atherton, a boy who’s just found out his parents are divorcing and is having a hard time about it. He starts working for Mr. Fogarty, an old man in the neighborhood, and one day he discovers a fairy named Pyrgus in the shed, which starts many adventures for the teenager. These books are terrific, and although Faerie Wars starts a little slow, it picks up pretty fast. The characters are great and the plotline has plenty of adventurous escapes, as well as personal struggles and funny moments. I’ve read the series too many times to count, and I can n ever decide which book I like best!

Another series I’ve been enjoying is the Chronicles of Faerie by O. R. Melling. They’re more of the Celtic, old-fashioned fairy kind, which I also love. The first book is titled The Hunter’s Moon, and follows the story of a young girl named Gwen, who goes to visit her friend Findabhair in Ireland. Almost as soon as they get there, however, Findabhair is stolen by the King of the Faeries and taken away to live with him in the Faerie Court. Gwen is thrown into an adventure she didn’t count on, trying to save her dear friend from living forever with the Faeries. Next in the series come The Summer King, The Light-Bearer’s Daughter, and The Book of Dreams. So far I have only read the first two, and although I liked The Hunter’s Moon, The Summer King was even better. These books have all the elements that make a great novel; magic, mystery, adventure, and even a bit of romance.

Recently I also read The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones, which I found to be a little disappointing but still readable. Sixteen-year-old Anita Palmer is on a boating trip with her boyfriend, Evan, when everything goes wrong and the boat crashes. Anita wakes up in the hospital to find that Evan is in a coma, but after finding some mysterious gifts she is transported into the land of Faerie, where she discovers that she’s actually the missing daughter of King Oberon and Queen Titania. Although this novel looks appealing and it does have somewhat of a good storyline, I was a bit irritated by the forced-seeming, old-fashioned way the faeries talked and the strange way the humans talked. However, if you like fantasies/fairy tales, this book does have its good points. Also read The Lost Queen and The Sorcerer King, books two and three in the series.


FairyTale: A True Story is about the only good movie about fairies, in my opinion. I’ve had the VHS tape for a long time and used to love it when I was little. I still like it. It’s an in-depth story of the Case of the Cotingley Fairies, when two girls photographed fairies with their father’s camera.



And last but certainly not least, are the Old Oak Wood books by Wendy Froud and Terri Windling. In book one—A Midsummer Night’s Faery Tale—everyone in the wood is getting ready for Midsummer’s Eve, which is a time of great celebration. Sneezlewort Rootmuster Rowanberry Boggs VII, a small tree root faery, is feeling useless because he doesn’t think he’s good for anything. But Sneezle might be more useful than he ever imagined, when Queen Titania’s crown needs fetching.... Though this is technically a picture book, it is not the kind suitable only for five-year-olds. It has a good, fairly long story as well as exquisite illustrations of the dolls made by Wendy Froud. Along with Terri Windling’s excellent writing and storyline, it results in a wonderful book that I would recommend to all ages. The other books in the series are titled The Winter Child and The Faeries of Spring Cottage.

Other Young Adult Fairy Books:

Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr
Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie, by Holly Black
The Blue Girl, by Charles de Lint
The Fairy Rebel, by Lynne Reid Banks
The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm, by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling
The Turning, by Gillian Chan
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Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale
Ironside: A Modern Faery’s Tale, by Holly Black
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Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Letters
Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book, by Brian Froud & Terry Jones

For Younger Readers:

Fairy Dust, by Jane Denitz Smith
Beck and the Great Berry Battle, by Laura Driscoll & Judith H. Clarke
The Faery Flag: Stories and Poems of Fantasy and the Supernatural, by Jane Yolen

The Fairy School Series by Gail Herman:

Tooth Fairy Travels
Fairy Cloud Parade
Mixed-Up Magic
The Best Book Ever!
Look Out, Earth-Below!
Little Star
When Wishes Come True
Hide and Peep
A Fairy Merry Christmas
The Icicle Forest

The Fairy Realm Series by Emily Rodda:

The Charm Bracelet
The Flower Fairies
The Third Wish
The Last Fairy-Apple Tree
The Magic Key
The Unicorn
The Star Cloak
The Water Sprites
The Peskie Spell
The Rainbow Wand

Pixie Tricks by Tracey West:

Sprite’s Secret
The Greedy Gremlin
The Pet-Store Sprite
Halloween Goblin
The Angry Elf
The Sporty Sprite
Double Trouble Dwarfs
The Wicked Wizard

The Fairy Lair Books by Anne C. Lemieux:

A Special Place
A Magic Place
A Hidden Place