Book Review: Spiderwick Chronicles Book 1: The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1: The Field Guideis a fun introduction to the Spiderwick series. The Grace family just moved into a big and creepy new house. Not only are they still adjusting to their father being gone, but now they have to deal with weird creatures that play mean tricks on them in the night. When Jared finds a book full of illustrations of strange beings, he doesn't realize just what the consequences of that find will bring.

Things I Liked:
I listened to this one on audio and I loved the voices the narrator used. Especially the ones for the creatures. The story itself is quite interesting and I am very interested in reading the rest of the series (or listening). It is imaginative, fun, and full of strange adventures. The only regret I have about listening to it is missing the illustrations! I think I would have loved this when I was a kid.

Things I Didn't Like:
The book is definitely just an introduction to the series and doesn't really have a very complete story arc. The story is not wrapped up at the end at all - which just ends up leaving us begging for more! I was a bit annoyed by the mother always blaming Jared for everything that went wrong.

Read-alikes:
Reminded me of the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull
A little bit like the Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke (in feeling, not really story)

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
not so much violent as a bit scary

Overall rating: ****

What books have you discovered as an adult and wished you'd known about (or wished they were written) when you were a kid?

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Book Review: Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede

Thirteenth Childis what Eff thinks defines her - she will never be able to do anything right because of that curse. But, when her family moves out to the frontier, she leaves that label behind, hoping to make a name for herself that isn't evil. But when bad things begin to happen to her during magic classes and elsewhere, she is afraid her curse might not be that easy to avoid.

Things I Liked:
This was not exactly what I expected - it was better. I loved the alternate history parts - a mixture of our past and, of course, magic. I love the cast of characters she's created for us, particularly Eff herself, with all her weaknesses. I thought the different forms of magic and the whole construct of magic Wrede created were very unique and interesting. I had to include this quote:

"There are many ways of seeing. Each has an element of truth, but none is the whole truth. If you limit yourselves to one way of seeing, one truth, you will limit your power." p. 50

Things I Didn't Like:
While most of the characters were good, I was annoyed by some, almost all of them men - her brothers, her uncle. There whole purpose seemed to be to put Eff down. I also struggled with the story. I kept expecting things to happen, but not much ever does. The very end is pretty exciting, but after all the build up, it was a bit of let down. I guess since it's first in a series, perhaps that is the nature of the book.

Read-alikes:
It was quite a bit like Seventh Sonby Orson Scott Card
And a little like Little Town on the Prairieby Laura Ingalls Wilder

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a few
mrg-factor: none

v-factor: X
some minor stuff
Overall rating: ***

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Book Review: A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

A Countess Below Stairsis a sweeping story of Anna, a rich Russian countess, whose family must flee to England during the revolution. There, after losing all their riches, they must work as servants to earn money. Anna takes a temporary position as a maid for the Earl of Westerholme, but she doesn't expect to fall in love with him, nor he with her. Especially when his not-so-friendly fiance shows up.

Things I Liked:
I thought that the writing, some of the time, was very good. I loved the historical atmosphere, the descriptions of setting, especially the Russain culture in England. I pretty much enjoyed the simple, straight forward, and practically perfect story. I do love a good happy ending, most of the time. Here were a few of my favorite quotes:

"It was the last of these [governesses], a gaunt and angular spinster with whose nose one could have cut cheese, that Anna inexplicably chose to worship, enduring at the hands of the Englishwoman not only cold baths and scrubbings with Pears soap and the wrenching open of sealed bedroom windows, but that ultimate martyrdom, the afternoon walk." p.3

"With her stick-like arms, jerky movements and the tendency to whiskers which has been the Nettleford scourge for generations, she relentlessly reminded the onlookers that pink is not only the color of budding roses, but of boiling prawns." p.152

Things I Didn't Like:
The language, while sometimes very beautiful, became too convoluted. Her descriptive passages went on and on for pages. It was like she was trying too hard to make lovely turns of phrase and throw in lots of descriptors. I also thought the book was longer than necessary and the plot quite predictable, but it is enjoyable if you are looking for something fluffy and happy. One final thing that bothered me was wondering what exactly made the Anna and Rupert fall in love? At the first, not much really happens between them.

Read-alikes:
I enjoyed The Star of Kazanby Ibbotson, despite its also fairly predictable plot
The Season by Sarah MacLean
a bit like the Luxe series by Anna Godberson (which is definitely more risque)

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ***

So I'm not having much luck with historical fiction recently. Please share your favorites with me and hopefully I can pull myself out of the historical fiction slump!

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Book Review: Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

*e-copy (ARC) provided through NetGalley*

Front and Centeris not where D.J. Schwenk likes to be. But, when she returns for her junior year from taking care of her injured brother, that is right where she is placed. Faced with decisions about college, boyfriends, and basketball, D.J. finds the attention increasingly difficult to face and isn't sure she can live up to everyone's expectations.

Things I Liked:
D.J. She makes the story - she is the story. Her voice is real - her family interactions are real, her thoughts, emotions and insecurities are real. I love how, even though I did not to sports in high school, I totally remembered feeling the same way she did about lots of things. It is her original, funny, and very relatable voice that makes all these books so enjoyable. Here is a taste of her:

"I opened my mouth to shoot back a response, but nothing came out because all the thinking blood had rushed to my ears instead, and my bright red cheeks." p. 85

"I didn't say too much - big surprise there - but my mind was going about a million miles an hour, checking all the time to make sure I wasn't doing anything embarrassing, and then checking the other tables to see if anyone was looking at me funny, and then whenever someone asked me a question being extra careful to make my answer acceptable, you know, before I opened my mouth. Which put a brake, an even bigger brake, on my talking." p.101 (e-copy of ARC, page numbers may differ)

That last one is just how I felt (and still feel sometimes) when I was around people - especially those I don't know well.

Things I Didn't Like:
Honestly, I can't think of any. I didn't like how D.J. doubted her abilities in basketball, but that made the book even more real. Lots of us doubt our own abilities.

Read-alikes:
Read the first two books about D.J.: Dairy Queenand The Off Season

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
possibly one or two

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: *****

Have you ever felt really connected with a character from a book? Which one?

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Slow the Flow

Fortunately, things have slowed down on my holds list (I keep having to speed read through books to get them back in time - I'm a no-late-fees-nazi). I was very excited to pick up these delights:

If You're Reading This, It's Too Lateby Pseudonymous Bosch
Evermoreby Alyson Noel
Liarby Justine Larbalestier
Obernewtynby Isobelle Carmody
Going Bovineby Libba Bray
Al Capone Does My Shirtsby Gennifer Choldenko
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsby J.K. Rowling (book on CD)
Fairy Taleby Cyn Balog

I guess to make up for my smaller list, I managed to win a bag of books from Scholastic's On Our Minds blog (poor me). All these goodies came in a fabulous canvas book bag:

Mary Tudor: Courageous Queen or Bloody Mary?by Jane Buchanan
Ivan the Terrible: Tsar of Deathby Sean Price
Ruined: A Novelby Paula Morris
Beingby Kevin Brooks
Marcelo in the Real Worldby Francisco Stork
The Best Teen Writing of 2009
and a few other various magazines and catalogs

Do you mind getting late fees or are you like me and think they are a fate worse than death?

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Book Review: The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch

The Name of this Book Is Secretand you really shouldn't be reading it. Cass and Max-Ernst become friends when they discover a mysterious box containing a symphony of smells - and a missing magician, presumed dead. Now they are both being drawn into a dangerous secret that attracts villains right and left. Can they find the missing magician and figure out the secret before they are captured?

Things I Liked:
This book is absolute silliness and I loved it. Not only is it full of devious secrets and hilarious footnotes, but also has a touch of something deeper - it isn't all about being silly. I enjoyed the crazy adventures Cass and Max-Ernst experienced throughout, though I definitely think younger kids will enjoy them more. Then again, the author's tongue-in-cheek tone throughout might appeal to older readers as well. Here are just a few of my favorite quotes:

"The writer of a novel is like the dictator of the novel; he makes all his characters do exactly what he wants them to do, and say exactly what he wants them to say. But please don't draw any conclusions about the kind of people who write novels. After all, not all novelists are power-hungry madmen - some are power hungry madwomen." p.126-127 (footnote)

"Cass and Max-Ernest found themselves in a small, vault-like library crammed with books - piles and piles of books - all of them, you could tell at a glance, rare and priceless. Some were gilded and encrusted with jewels...It was like walking into a treasure trove of books, hoarded by pirate librarians." p.270

You know I couldn't resist the pirate librarians. :)

Things I Didn't Like:
The characters are definitely not fully developed, but this is definitely not a character-driven story. The strength of the book lies entirely in its humor and the absolute fun of the plot and writing.

Read-alikes:
Definitely reminiscent of A Series of Unfortunate Eventsby Lemony Snicket
A bit like the Alcatraz books by Brandon Sanderson
The footnotes reminded me of Larklight by Philip Reeve

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
some parts a bit scary

Overall rating: ****

Do you like books that directly address the reader and provide commentary throughout, or does it distract you? (And does anyone know if there is a technical term for when the author talks to the reader?)

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Book Review: Daylight Runner by Oisin Mcgann

Daylight Runneris a complex story of a human kind's struggling survival during a vicious ice age. Ash Harbor is one of the last places where humans have survived - a huge domed structure that is kept running by the workings of The Machine. When Sol Wheat's father doesn't come home, Sol is afraid the Clockworkers got to him - the special police force who protect the machine. But, things get a lot worse when Sol's father is accused of murder and Sol himself becomes a target of the Clockworkers.

Things I Liked:
The ending was quite well done, full of adventure and lots of surprises. It was hard to put down right near the end. I also liked some of the world-building and the dystopian elements. It was an interesting look at what the world would be like if we had to survive a new ice age.

Things I Didn't Like:
The first half was really quite boring. I had a hard time getting into the story and didn't really like or connect with any of the characters. Some of the stuff mentioned seemed like tangent information - not useful or relevant to the story at all. The action, until the very end, was not every exciting. I thought The Machine was extremely vague - I really never understood what it was or what exactly it did. The dystopian idea was interesting, but not very well developed. And the title annoyed me - I'm not sure it works.

Read-alikes:
Some better executed dystopia:
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#
swearing throughout

mrg-factor: X
implied, not described

v-factor: ->->->->
some of it was disgusting and detailed

Overall rating: **

And as a special treat today, thanks to Haiku Amy, I'm going to Pay It Forward by offering the first three commenters a special surprise gift. If you win, you will be required to pay it forward by giving three people a surprise gift (whether you have a blog or not). Winners will be emailed, so if your email isn't readily available (on your profile), please leave it in the comment. Good luck!

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Book Review: Between Me and the River by Carrie Host

*ARC provided by online publicist*

Between Me and the Riveris the beautiful memoir of Carrie Host following her life from the time she is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at age 40 and through all her subsequent treatments. The ups and downs of dealing with this disease are described without flinching - her true thoughts, her fears for her family, particularly her young baby, and her hope for a future.

Things I Liked:
The language Host uses is beautiful and descriptive, it brings to life all that she deals with and feels throughout this turbulent time. I loved the stories of her real life experiences, her struggles with the pain, sorrow, anger, and multitude of other emotions about having cancer. The river that she uses metaphorically, weaving it into her life and using it to describe what she feels, is just perfect.

Things I Didn't Like:
Some of the time, her words became a bit more about moralizing than about her experiences. I loved it when there was a story from her life attached, but a few times it was just a little like a sermon. Those few parts felt a little out of place.

Read-alikes:
I haven't read any other cancer memoirs, but The Possibility of Everything by Hope Edelman kept coming to mind

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
religious exclamations mostly

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

Do you think cancer patients and family members would enjoy reading memoirs? What about if they are not survivor stories?

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Book Review: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

When You Reach Meis an interesting tale of how a person's actions can impact those around them. Miranda and Sal have been best friends forever, until one day when Sal is punched for no reason and begins to shut Miranda out of his life. Now she must try to understand the clues someone is leaving her, to figure out why Sal avoids her and how that someone knows so much about her.

Things I Liked:
I loved the time travel element that is slowly revealed. Also, I felt like the emotions of Miranda, her dealing with friendship and school and family, all felt very real. I also really enjoyed the overall story arc - the plot. The humor was also very welcome:

"The hose is all cracked-looking and about a hundred years old, and Mom always says that if there's an actual fire it will be of no use whatsoever and we'll have to jump out the window into the neighbor's garden. It's a good thing we live on the second floor." p.11

"So you're saying this diamond chip is just sitting there minding its own business, and then suddenly a bunch of kids land in the diamond chip's broccoli patch..." p.104

Things I Didn't Like:
It seemed a little too vague, like there was not enough explained, or not enough details included. I was also just a bit disappointed after all the hype that I didn't think it was that fabulous.

Read-alikes:
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt, for humor and middle school feel
A Wrinkle in Timeby Madeleine L'Engle - because it is such an integral part of the story

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
an intense scene for very young kids

Overall rating: ****

What do you think - is time travel possible? Would you want to travel in time if it were?

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Book Review: Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

Keturah And Lord Death is the beautiful story of a young woman, hopelessly lost and at the brink of death, who weaves stories for Lord Death to bargain for her life. Now she has only 24 hours to find her one true love or return to be his for good.

Things I Liked:
While not strictly fairy tale, this story evokes a fairy-tale feeling. The village setting feels real to me, beautiful and loveable. I absolutely adore the story - it is different from many kinds of fairy tales, though there is a handsome prince of sorts. The language, while not flowery, seems just right and the romance is quite lovely. I loved how I felt while reading it. There is something old-fashioned about her language and wonderful about the way she weaves her tale. It definitely left me thinking:

"If untimely death came only to those who deserved that fate, Keturah, where would choice be? No one would do good for its own sake, but only to avoid an early demise. No one would speak out against evil because of his own courageous soul, but only to live another day. The right to choose is man's great gift, but one thing is not his to choose - the time and means of death." p.162

Things I Didn't Like:
I didn't like how she kept pleading with Lord Death to save people. It is an understandable feeling, but not exactly a healthy one. Did she really think she could save everyone she knew and loved from death? This definitely didn't detract from how much I loved this book, though.

Read-alikes:
Reminiscent of The Princess and the Hound and The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison and Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Death as a character: The Book Thiefby Markus Zusak

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
unless you count naming the place where Lord Death presides

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: *****

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A Retelling of My Own

For this fabulous Thursday, as we near the end of the Once Upon a Week, NotNessie invited us to take a fairy quiz and rewrite a fairy story. And here are the...interesting results:

Having taken this quiz, I came out as Little Red Riding Hood. Not my favorite. But, you will see how I re-imagined this one with my own unique ideas. (Ok, so it's not really me as the heroine, but I think this heroine is a lot more interesting.)

Red Hood

Putting on my scarlet cloak and pulling the hood over my head, I begin to feel the thrill that comes from the hunt. Ostensibly, I'm headed to grandmother's house to visit her. The real reason for this trek through the wood is to eliminate the werewolf that's been terrorizing the nearby villages for months. Beneath my cloak, I clasp the trusty silver dagger and run my thumb along the familiar imprint of a wolf's head on the handle. Woflbane has been with me for most of my time as a wolf-hunter. It came most unexpectedly after I'd removed a female who prowled the king's own castle. From deep in his royal horde of weaponry, he'd produced this deceptively plain dagger. One look at the etching told me it was an ancient and very powerful weapon I'd only heard of in wolf-lore - the original blade of the original wolf-hunter. Having this dagger in my grasp helps me face the inevitable fear. I'd taken down hundreds of wolves in my time, but I never failed to feel that chill run down my spine and the blood pumping in my heart. I never forgot just how powerful and dangerous each wolf was.

But, now is not the time to let my fears surface, I have a job to do and I will complete it. Leaving behind the safety of the village, I step boldly into the forest. Almost immediately I feel isolated and oppressed by the trees. This must be a very powerful wolf to survive in this dark place. Sounds are muffled, creature noises faint and unidentifiable. My unease resurfaces and I glance from side to side, treading more cautiously. The track I follow is becoming more and more difficult to see with strange plants crowding its edges and trees moving in to obscure it.

I come to a point where I am uncertain precisely which direction to go. Instead of curling ahead of me like smoke, the path has evaporated into the thick foliage. I curse myself for being in such a hurry that I didn't ask more about the path. I have no desire to be stuck here at night. While the trees menace and creatures rustle nearby, I can imagine how all these things will appear without even the scant light that filters from above. Just as I am bending down to look for clues to my path, I see movement out of the corner of my eye.

In a flash, I am crouched low to the ground, Wolfbane in my hand, ready to strike. The muffled quiet of the forest is broken by a sound - chilling in its familiarity. It is a laugh - clear and strong and I'm flooded with memories from the sound. My body wants to relax, but my instincts keep me in my defensive stance, now facing the source of that laugh. Dread has begun to settle on me, draping my confidence in a cold blanket of fear. Only this time the fear is tinged with sorrow. I know that laugh. I watch in growing horror as he emerges from the trees wearing his human form, wearing that face that is so dear to me. It is as though someone twisted a knife in my belly.

"Not you," I pray, "not you."

"Hello, Red," he says as easy as if we were meeting on the village streets and not as enemies in a dark forest. I can't respond. "I see you have found a new purpose in life. I'd heard you became a wolf hunter. A good one, too." The cold fear in my heart is joined by a hot panic. I didn't foresee this, how could I not foresee this?

"Rumors of you have begun to bleed fear into our kind." Those last two words are enough to break my heart. Our kind. His kind. He was changed. I thought he was dead, but instead he was changed. He reads these thoughts in my face, my traitorous eyes. I see a slight softening of his hard features.

"You didn't know? How could you not know?"

He was the reason I became a wolf hunter, his death was the fuel for my burning hate, my motivation to become who I am today. With that foundation yanked from beneath my feet, indeed turned upside down, I feel a creeping weakness. I've never doubted myself before, but I am now. I know the wolf in this forest has terrorized the villagers - killed those who strayed into his path. And yet, I remember the softness of his embrace, the gentle way he touched my hands. All the memories I'd suppressed burst out of their hidden boundaries. These two conflicting sides of his being spark conflict in my own heart. Unconsciously, I lower my weapon. This man who is also a wolf will not hurt me - not me, who he once loved. There is still in his sometimes-human heart something that speaks of compassion.

We continue to gaze at one another without thought for our own safety. Our eyes greedily taking in the sight of each other - after all these years, he is still the same. Of course. He will not age. I have changed, in more than appearance. My nature has hardened into a hunter - one who would need to dig deep to find her own compassion.

I am just beginning to wonder how long our gaze will last when we both hear a stumbling and crashing in the wood not far from here. Instinctively I draw the dagger that I have put away. I see him flinch away from its power. We are both ready for what may appear down the faded track. Still some distance away, a white figure is clumsily fighting her way through the encroaching trees. This must be the grandmother I was going to see, but what is she doing out here in the wood? A whine escapes from him as he sniffs the air. The look of compassion from before is replaced by cold hunger, the spark of humanity gone - in his heart, he has already changed.

And yet, I hesitate. In that instant, he is gone - leaping in wolf form to that helpless victim. It is enough to spur me to action, slipping back into my hunter's mind. Unfortunately, with his head start, he is already upon her. I yell, hoping to distract him, but he ignores me. It is only when I reach them, grandmother's blood already staining the forest floor that he looks up. But, I am already in motion, the blade on its path. He moves just enough that the strike does not reach his heart. It has struck deep into his shoulder and I know he will not heal quickly. He has backed away from grandmother and is trying to get away from his enemy, from me. That moment when he looked up, his eyes were not wolf eyes, but human ones, full of remorse and sorrow, pain and betrayal. I think he feels guilt for his brutal nature. I think I feel guilt that my nature has changed as well.

I follow the wolf, aware he will not get far. When he does collapse, I hesitate again. It is always easier when the kill is immediate. As I prepare for a second strike, he turns his eyes on me again. Those eyes are full of pain, sorrow, guilt, heartache, so much in one pair of eyes, one look. They seem to plead both for life and for quick death - to remove him from this world where he is cursed. It is this pleading look that loosens my grip on the knife and it falls. Wolfbane, the blade of power, with some perverse awareness falls straight and true, blade down, right into his heart. With a last twitch, the light in his eyes is gone. And so is a part of me.

Why We Love Fairy Tales

I've been thinking lately about why fairy tales are so enduring. People are still reading (and writing) about these characters and stories hundreds of years later. I asked J.T. Oldfield this question in my interview with her and she says, quite succinctly, "They include all of the archetypes that speak to us." This, in essence, is one reason why fairy tales endure. Why they resonate with us so much. Why some tales like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast have versions in many different countries. I did a little research to get some other opinions and ideas.

In The Enduring Modern Phenomenon of The Fairy Tale, the author states:

"The common sense morals to "Little Red Riding Hood" can be endlessly rewritten into relevant forms, distilled down to essentials: Don't talk to strangers, Appearances can be deceiving, etc. and so while an earlier version of the tale has the Wolf tricking Red into eating some of Grandma and a modern, more child-friendly version might not, both can be told as the same story and the core message will still resonate with truth without needing any one version to predominate."

This is so wonderfully true! While some modern retellings of fairy tales may not retain those essential morals, many of them will invoke those morals, simply by association with the original fairy tale. I love that this kind of story can be told in hundreds of different ways and still have similar themes.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes wrote in her introduction to Tales of the Brothers Grimm

"Fairy tales have survived political aggression and oppressions, the fall and rise of civilizations, massacres of generations, and immense overland and oceanic migrations. They have survived argument, augmentation, and fragmentation. How very diamond-hard these multifaceted jewels truly are. Perhaps this is their greatest mystery and milagro, miracle: The great soulful facts imbedded in the tales act exactly like the rhizome of the green plant whose hidden food source remains alive underground - even during the winter, when the plant appears to live no discernible life above ground. The ever-alive hidden essence remains, no matter the weather: that is the power of story." p. x

It is this essence of the tales - those experiences common to the human family - the morals, hopes, and ideas that ring true to our souls and thus, ensure the tale's survival. We can relate to those experiences and ideals - their familiarity speaks to us. We want these things to be true: that love will prevail, that good conquers evil, and that those who do good receive their just reward, just as those who do evil receive theirs. Whether these things always happen in real life or not, deep down, we hope they will.

In J.R.R. Tolkien's essay "On Fairy-Stories," found in the book The Tolkien Reader he discusses many aspects of fairy tales including what constitutes a fairy-story, their origins, and how they became associated with children, among other things. He offers us this metaphor for what may be hidden in our books of fairy tales:

"Collections of fairy-stories are, in fact, by nature attics and lumber-rooms,... Their contents are disordered, and often battered...but among them may occasionally be found a thing of permanent virtue: an old work of art, not too much damaged, that only stupidity would ever have stuffed away." p.59

I find this to be true of many of the glossed over, happily ever after Disney versions. A lot of clutter to hide one small truth. I do love happy endings, but I also sometimes prefer the older, less pretty versions.

On the subject of fairy tales being for children, I was interested, not being a child anymore and still being drawn to the fairy tales. Tolkien had a lot to say in defense of adults enjoying fairy tales. Here is just one quote (among many I considered) that explains one part of our attraction:

"The prime value of fairy-stories will simply be that value which, as literature, they share with other literary forms. But fairy-stories offer also, in a peculiar degree or mode, these things: Fantasy, Recovery, Escape, Consolation, all things of which children have, as a rule, less need than older people." p.67

I encourage those of you interested to pick up this essay, which is long and sometimes obscure in language, but which has a lot of insight and interesting thoughts on fairy-stories.

As a kind of conclusion, I offer you a quote from Fortune's Folly by Deva Fagan, a fun fairy tale retelling:

"Whether or not there is magic, or fairies, or trolls, or dragons in the world, there is love." p.46

I think that love in some form is found in every fairy tale - and it is the true magic in these enduring stories.

Please share your thoughts on fairy tales - why you love them or why they speak to you.

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