Fairytale Twists

Does Disney have a corner on the fairy market? No, I don't think so. I have recently found two books for children — one a picture book, the other a young adult book — about fairies. Both were enjoyable in their own right.

"What the Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy"
By Gregory Maguire
For ages 9 – 12
Known for his adult novels, such as "Wicked," Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister," and "Son of a Witch," it was a surprise to see that Maguire had also dabble in children's literature. While leading a middle school class through a writing assignment Maguire decided to try his own hand at the assignment, and what evolved became, "What the Dickens." It is the tale of a rogue tooth fairy on a dark and story night. Forget everything you ever thought you knew about tooth fairies and sink your teeth into Maguire's vision of warring fairy clans, mistaken identity and stormy nights.

Ten-year-old Dinah and her sibings are trapped by a storm and are separated from their parents. Their older cousin Gage attempts to keep their spirits up with a fairy tale about tooth fairies and wish harvesting. The dark and stormy night bit is turned on it's head and never quite explained, but the real story is that of the fairies. Maguire deftly weaves subtle lessons about liberty and the evils of facism and totalitarianism into the tale.

In the midst of the chaos Dinah wants to believe in the twisted fairy tale her cousin Gage is telling and by the end so till you.

"Gone with the Wand"
By Margie Palatini
Illustrated by Brian Ajhar
For Ages 4 – 8
The world's top fairy godmother has a wand on the fritz and is at a loss as to what to do. She is in the dumps and cannot find the slightest bibbity for her boppity boo. Her best friend, who happens to be a tooth fairy, tries to help out. She suggest changing jobs and offers several positions a plump fairy might be able to fill — fairy duster, snow fairy, sugarplum fairy, and so on. As evidenced through the illustrations as much as the dialogue, nothing seems to fit. Palatini meanders a bit in her storytelling, but eventually brings both you and the fairies around to the right job for a fairy godmother.

"Gone with the Wand" offers no attempt at morals. It just offers a bit of fun. children will be enthralled by Ajhar's illustrations. He brings each character to life with pizzazz. Children will enjoy pointing out characters from other famous fairytales in the fairy godmothers photo collection. They'll find all the famous princesses, princes and even a dragon or two.

The tale is cute, but the illustrations are what will have my children requesting to read "Gone with the Wand" multiple times.

Midnight Double Feature

The days of the Midnight Double Feature are all but gone. It is a rare occurrence to see a double billing of monster flicks, sci-fi pics or B-movies. But a walk through your local bookstore will tell you a lot about how much impact movies have on books. Sure we know books become movies, but what happens when authors are inspired by the media around them?

"Killer Pizza"
By Greg Taylor
For ages 10 and up
What a tasty title. It was the only reason I picked up the book. It spoke to me from the bookshelf. "Killer Pizza" is a fast-paced romp with humor and excitement spiced with horror. The story follows Toby, a 14-year-old boy who wants nothing more than to be a celebrity pizza chef. He is beside himself when he lands a job at the new Killer Pizza franchise opening in town. Making pizzas is fun and tiring work, but Toby and the new employees soon find out there is more to Killer Pizza than meets the eye. The store is just a front for a monster hunting operation. Yes there are monsters — vampires, werewolves and many other frightening creatures. Currently there are monsters in Hidden Hills, OH and Toby and this new rag-tag "Scooby Gang" have the opportunity to become monster hunters.

"Killer Pizza" isn't high art. It won't go down in history as classic literature. It's B-movie, midnight double feature fun at its best. With a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" flair "Killer Pizza" delivers an enticing entrée of action, monsters, and humor that will have preteen and teen readers turning the pages looking for a sequel. There are perilous moments, grossmoments, and even frightening moments, so if your preteen or teen is prone to nightmares I'll suggest you be cautious with this hot delivery. Otherwise order your "Killer Pizza" and enjoy.

"Fade to Blue"
By Sean Beaudoin
For ages 14 and up
A mind trip involving bouts of sci-fi and horror. This dark teen dramedy hooks you in just a couple pages and never lets up. A couple days later you'll find yourself finished and seriously wondering what actually happened and if any of it actually made sense.

Sophie Blue turned ultra goth on her last birthday. It just happens that her father disappeared that day and a seriously demonic ice cream truck has been stalking her ever since. Kenny Fade is the school hero. Everything he does is golden. Guys want to be him and every girl wants to date him and their mothers give him their phone number. It's too bad he thinks he is losing his mind. How are they connected — it's twisted to say the least.

"Fade to Blue" is a "Matrix" style tale about reality only this one deals with teenagers. At it's heart it is an exploration of who we are — a character study. On the surface it is a darkly demented thrill ride that will keep you guessing even after the tale is finished. "Fade to Blue" is definitely a book for teens and it didn't make much sense to me. I guess I'll have a better understanding once I unplug.

Pardon the Interruption!

I must apologize for the long delay between posts. I have had a great deal keeping me busy the last two months. My family and I moved from Columbia, South Carolina to St. Louis, Missouri and have been in the process of rehabbing a house. I have been reading a ton of new books, but unable to spend much time on the computer. There is good news though. I will be sharing a new review this week with at least one update in each of the next two weeks.

Look for "Midnight Double Feature" in the next couple days.

The Flu Pandemic

With the recent World Health Organization announcement the the N1H1 flu virus is now and epidemic it seems only appropriate for me to introduce you to "Winnie's War." Walker & Company sent me this unassuming book to review about a month before flu panic spread through our media. I decided to read it shortly after the first flu case was reported in the U.S. I didn't expect much, but I could have for it was an excellent read.

"Winnie's War"

By Jenny Moss

For ages 8 – 16

Winnie is a confident rambunctious 13-year-old girl in the small town of Coward Creek, Texas. The year is 1919, young Americans are going to Europe to fight in WWI, and the memory of a catastrophic hurricane that swept through Galveston in 1900 is still etched on everyone's minds. Then the flu begins to spread along with rumors of treatments and conspiracy theories as to it's cause. Tensions rise and so do the emotions. 

Winnie's father makes coffins so she is face to face with death and has to confront the flu epidemic every day. As the story progresses she has to face it head on. Although the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 and 1919 is the backdrop for this story, "Winnie's War" is really about relationships, strength and the acceptance of life and it's many facets. 

The turbulent relationship between mother daughter and grandmother is very interesting. As Winnie strives to uncover the reasons for her mother not being very "motherly' she finds a sad tortured soul that could never "let the good and the sad live side by side." Winnie struggles to accept everything around her, including a new love and marry it into a harmonious life. 

Jenny Moss does a fantastic job of handling this morose subject matter with a deftly romantic hand. The tragic losses and emotional scenes will bring tears to your eyes without being gratuitous or overly dramatic. Then, like a rain storm they pass and the sun comes out again. 

I highly recommend this novel. The meaningful relationships, beautiful moments, and emotional losses really bring home how the flu epidemic shaped the landscape in the U.S. A few author's notes in the end papers gives more factual information about the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918 and 1919 and how it affected major cities as well as small towns.

Love that Poem

Most books of poetry for young readers are collections of silly poems. Sometimes they relate to a specific topic, other times the poems have a similar feel. "The Swamps of Sleethe," "Polka Bats and Octopus Slacks," and "Where the Sidewalk Ends" come to mind. Granted, Shel Silverstein was a genius with words, rhythm and creativity so his works stand above most. But even with fun rhymes in hand the process of introducing poetry to young readers can be very difficult. Many young readers think of boring, mushy stuff, or limericks they won't be aloud to recite when it comes to poetry. So what is the trick? Are there any books of poetry that young readers will actually enjoy? Absolutely.

Aside from the late Shel Silverstein and and Calef Brown there are a few other writers creating superior works of poetic literature for young readers. Two of my favorite books are "Love that Dog" and "Hate that Cat." And they are both excellent introductions to poetry that young readers won't want to put down. I can't recommend them highly enough.

"Love that Dog"

By Sharon Creech

For ages 9 – 12

Jack doesn't like poetry. As far as he is concerned he doesn't understand it, it's too mushy and only girls write it. For some reason though his teacher, Miss Stretchberry keeps giving her class poetry assignments. 

Creech uses free verse disguised as a poetry journal to tell Jack's story. And in a particularly believable stretch of poems Jack finds an appreciation for certain poets, including William Carlos Williams. Jack tries his hand at his own interpretation of their work. The more he writes the more Jack discovers he has something to say. Miss Stretchberry encourages Jack by posting his work on the bulletin board and offering advice. Jack is especially taken by the poetry of Walter Dean Myers, which leads him to write about the issues in his life. One particular poem is about Jack's beloved dog. 

Creech uses less than 100 pages  of short free verse to convey a story of a young boy with a big heart trying to find his voice and his way in the world. Jack learns to use his poetry journal as a therapist and Creech manages to make it all very believable. It is risky to use a " gimmick," as a vehicle. Sometimes they can bog the story down or distract a reader. This is not one of those unfortunate cases. The free verse works seamlessly with the story and exposes young readers to forms of poetry in an wonderful story of hope and love.

"Hate that Cat"

By Sharon Creech

for ages 9 – 12

At the end of Creech's "Love that Dog," Jack had learned to accept the passing of his beloved pet dog. This was a long process involving a poetic journal and a very understanding teacher. "Hate that Cat" catches up to Jack during his next school year and Miss Stretchberry is, once again, his teacher. Jack has kept up with his poetry journal and Miss Stretchberry is very worried about a series of anti-cat poems he has been writing lately. She helps Jack and encourages him to continue working through his "problems." Pretty soon Jack's uncle begins to give advice as well and his view of poetry is quite different from Miss Stretchberry's. He insist that good poetry consist of long lines, symbolism, and rhyme, alliteration, consonance and more. It's enough to make Jack hate poetry almost as much as he hates cats.

However, Jack is able to use his poetry in a away that most adults would envy. He can discuss everything in his life, from his mother's deafness to his uncle's ideas of poetry, to pets. Jack soon learns to love poetry again and his relationship with cats changes one Christmas morning as well.

Creech does an amazing job of having a purpose for her poetry within the realm of this fiction story. There is never a point at which you wonder why Creech decided to write this tale in poetic entries. Her use of language to create visual images with words and creative expression set Creech apart in the literary world. 

The Hardest Part

McGeath Freeman Rants About Writing.

As a writer I have always believed the most difficult part of writing a story, or writing anything for that matter, is getting started. Staring at a blank page or computer screen can be overwhelming for the most seasoned writers. That is why I took to just jotting down notes and thoughts on stories. I may write notes and thoughts on one story or 15. Whatever happens to be flowing that day is what I write. Then I go back and fit those notes into rough outlines for my stories. Now when I sit down to write a specific story I already have something on the page. It may still be difficult to write a good story, but getting started doesn't seem so daunting.

These days getting started doesn't seem to be the most difficult part. Finishing however... that may be. I have more unfinished stories in folders than anyone should. My story file looks like a closet full of dress shirts that haven't been worn in 10 years, only most of the stories are not out of style, yet. Why can't I finish them? I keep telling myself, "Just sit down and finish them." But I always seem to find something shiny to distract me.

Assuning I actually do finish a story the next step is sellin it. This feat takes time too. Do your research on publishers, send out letters and manuscripts and wait... and wait... and wait. Responses can take up to six months and most of the time it is a rejection. Sometimes the rejection is a simple it's not you, it's us scenario where they say your story "doesn't fit their catalog at this time." Sometimes the rejection letter is biting and says they had high hopes but "were sadly let down by the story." Other times the letter is just flat and doesn't really say anything, "Thank you for your submission." What does that mean? Do they like it or not? Can you imagine breaking up with someone like that. You say, "Thanks for going on a date with me." Then turn around and leave. That would leave anyone with questions. And just imagine, you may have to go through this 100 times or more before getting something published. Thank God dating is not that hard - usually.

Ah, writing. It's difficult getting started, finishing and making any money at it. On top of that you have to get rejected over and over. What's not to love?

Tons of Tails

New Animal tales offer fun lessons for story time and beyond.

"The Pout-Pout Fish"

By Deborah Diesen

Illustrated by Dan Hanna

For ages 4 – 8

Ever meet a pouty, grumpy person who just spreads gloom in their wake? The pout-pout fish is the undersea equivalent of that guy. The pout-pout fish swims along with a frown on his face and an attitude that is definitely a downer. Although his friends and acquaintances try to cheer him up, he just says I'm a pout-pout fish and continues to spread the "dreary-weariers all over the place."

Then a lovely young girl fish comes swimming along and plants a kiss right on his pout. He has a revelation, which leads to a transformation. Our hero the pout-pout fish puts his old ways aside and becomes a kiss-kiss fish, "spreading cheery-cheeries all over the place." So what is the message for your kids? The next time you see that grumpy person hanging around bringing everyone down, plant a kiss on his pout and see it turn upside down. Not really, but it is a funny thought.

The clever rhythm and rhymes make "The Pout-Pout Fish" a fun read-aloud story. They are light and breezy, like the humorous illustrations. Hanna offers bright clean undersea life with exaggerated expressions that will have children enthralled throughout story time.

"Are You a Horse?"

By Andy Rash

For ages 4 – 8

This delightfully silly tale follows a cowboy named Roy, who has a slight problem. He has no idea what a horse is. So when his friends give him a saddle and explicit directions to  "find a horse," Roy sets off on a very funny journey.

he asks a wagon, a cactus, and a snake if they are a horse. All to no avail. Roy not only has no idea what a horse is, he obviously doesn't have a clue about much of anything else either. This adds to the ridiculous situational humor. Roy proceeds to ask a variety of other animals including crabs, lions and zebras. When Roy finally discovers a horse he puts the saddle to good use — in a humorous fashion, of course.

The gouache and ink illustrations are appropriately funny and clever. The pleasing images will distract children from the ridiculousness of the story and fuel giggles as they read aloud.

"Library Mouse: A Friend's Tale"

By Daniel Kirk

For ages 4 – 8

This follow up to "Library Mouse" covers sharing, secrets, reading, writing and book making in a heartwarming tale that will inspire young writers and offer teachers possibilities for classroom activities.