Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers…the
place to be for all your spooky fun this October as we count down the days to
Halloween (or in today’s case, count the steps BEFORE Halloween)! Why?
Because it’s FUN, that’s why! ^_^
Today on the blog, I want to wish a very merry un-….I mean
bookish birthday to author Catherynne M. Valente! *throws mountains of book shaped
confetti* You know WHY? Well, okay…obvious guess is a she has a book
releasing today but that would only make you PARTIALLY right. How so?
Because…it’s not just ANY book.
It’s the sequel in a Children’s Fiction series that will have readers of
all ages hungrily reading page after page like so much fairy food…and we all
know we mustn’t partake of the fairy food unless we wish to come back to
Fairyland. (Hehe….*gobbles up a wee bit
more*) Without further ado but with MUCH
fanfare, I give you today’s book of choice…
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There
By
Illustrated by
From the publisher…
September has longed to return to Fairyland after her first
adventure there. And when she finally does, she learns that its inhabitants
have been losing their shadows—and their magic—to the world of Fairyland Below.
This underworld has a new ruler: Halloween, the Hollow Queen, who is
September’s shadow. And Halloween does not want to give Fairyland’s shadows
back.
… Readers will also welcome back good friends Ell, the
Wyverary, and the boy Saturday. But in Fairyland Below, even the best of
friends aren’t always what they seem…
When we last left September, she had tumbled back into her
world just where she left off; with a sink full of tea cups in need of a watch,
just minus a shoe. This time around we
find our young heroine daydreaming of her adventures past in the field outside
her house when all of a sudden….a rowboat rows past her on the waving ocean of
wheat.
Yes, a rowboat and wheat can SO wave….just ask the two
rowing through it! Bumpy ride though, I
must say. Anywho, continuing with our
story….September was daydreaming and wishing and WANTing with all her might
when the rowboat appeared so upon seeing it, she gave chase. Always just out of reach, she was most afraid
that she’d missed the boat on this adventure (get it, missed the boat? ^_^) but I dare remind readers and
downtrodden September…you DID partake of fairy food my dear; the repercussions
of which usually entail returning to the land in which it was enjoyed…among
other things. A quick stumble, tumble
and hard landing later (you try landing in a GLASS forest and see if YOU don’t
wish for a pillow!) and we’re back…only things aren’t quite as we left
them. Time moves faster here it’s true
but it’s not merely the passage of time that’s off, it’s the shadows…or lack
thereof.
Everywhere she looks, shadows are missing and it’s not
merely an inconvenience for the residents of Fairyland, it’s a major magic
problem. You see, magic comes from
shadows, at least primarily and without them, all spells, wishes, and wants
have to be rationed in Fairyland Above, while Fairyland Below parties like its
1999. But why are they
disappearing? Who is taking them? And perhaps the biggest question of
all….why? I can’t answer that for want
of spoiling part of the tale so I’ll just say that they have their
reasons…somewhat valid reasons…but every day that goes by is another day that
Fairyland Above becomes like any other street in any other town without the
bountiful fairy gold laden shores and lacking witches with spoons instead of
wants until one day it might just up and…*POOF*
(*sad face* _deep breath_) Moving
forward…
While September is our leading lady, she does not alone make
the story; she gets by with a little help from her friends. New this time around and most notable because
I’d love to meet her myself is the Night Dodo that she happens upon in a deal
made with Glasswort, the Goblin girl.
She’s a “free with purchase” type “item” added on when they are
negotiating appropriate costs for tickets and transportation to the latest
Revel…sad but true. She’s so sweet and
soft spoken (comes with practicing Quiet Magic) and just a good friend to have
even if she does up and disappear when holding too still for too long.
For those looking for some familiar faces, you’re not out of
luck, just in for a surprise. Remember,
our journey takes us into the underside of Fairyland and for the most part it
is a land of Shadows
Now, I don’t often post book trailers as I prefer to read
all about it, but the ones for this series are too full of awesome to be
denied, plus you get a look behind the cover at the illustrations that
accompany the opening of each chapter.
Ready? Set? Go…
Pretty cool, right?
If you’re still not convinced, well perhaps your imagination needs a
tune up because I’m telling you this is one fantastical adventure from start to
finish. I’ve read a review or two that
didn’t agree stating that it wasn’t nearly as good as book one, but I beg to
differ; it was at least as good, though I’m not certain better. All the whimsy, all the magic, all the
incredible things to think about before after and during breakfast plus the
twists in the story line you didn’t even know to expect and the happy-ish
ending September finds (though there is room for further adventures….*fingers
crossed*). It all adds up to a
magnificent romp to Fairyland and once you begin, I dare you to stop. (Not really, because you won’t want to and
that would be an evil bet to place KNOWING as I know that you will want to
continue.) Suffice it to say that I had
a GLORIOUS time and can’t wait to venture forth with September again soon…
Recommended read for middle grade readers and beyond;
younger than that and you might be asking a fish to fly and a bird to deep sea
dive. Why? Because…just as this is not your average book
story wise, it’s not your average Children’s Fiction title VOCABULARY wise as
well. I dare say adult readers will be
hard pressed at times to immediately know every word they encounter but that’s
okay! That’s what dictionaries and
thesauruses are for and besides, no one ever died of having too large a
vocabulary; that’s one of those forever horizons you see off in the distance
but never quite reach. So I stand by my
assessment, good for the tall and the small and simply brimming with creativity
in both word and illustration (hats off to Ana Juan for creating such visual
gems to tempt and taunt our minds from start to finish! Just look at that LOVELY cover!). I love how the image at the beginning of the
chapter sets the tone for what’s to follow; it brings everything to life in a
whole other way…and a most enjoyable one at that.
ARC for review courtesy of Ksenia at MacMillan Children’sPublishing Group. (THANKS!) For more
information on this title as well as their complete catalog of goodness, be
sure to check them out online, sneak a peek at their blog, like them on
Facebook, take a gander at Tumblr or follow along on Twitter! This book was scheduled for release today via
Feiwel and Friends, making it readily available on a bookstore shelf near
you….if not, how dare they! I give you
full permission to stamp your foot and demand one be ordered for you at
once…with a smile and a curtsy of course. In fact, if you haven't read book one of the series (The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making) or the supplemental short story (The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland - For a Little While), I highly suggest seeking those out too.
Until next time…happy reading!
4 comments:
This looks so awesome!!
This sounds like a neat story and I am curious about September.
Oh this looks great. And love the video. The drawings are amazing. :D Thanks!!
Wonderful review! And no one ever died of having too large a vocabulary? Are you sure? *L*
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