Nix, Garth. Frogkisser.

Nix, Garth. Frogkisser. Scholastic/Childrens Press    2017  372p  $18.99  ISBN 978-1-33805-2084  ms/hs  Fairy Tale        E-BN

Princess Anya must save the kingdom from her evil stepfather (who is casting spells on eligible, perspective princes and turning them into frogs) and her clueless sister and find a cure that will turn the frogs back into young men. Accompanied by a talking dog and a thief boy trapped in the body of a newt, Anya sets off on a quest to find the ingredients to make a magic lip balm that will allow her to turn the frogs back into humans and ultimately save the kingdom from her wicked stepstep father’s grasp.

This well-written, fun novel is sure to delight young readers. Playing on twists of several classic and well-recognized fairytales, and using elements of fantasy, it will enthrall readers.  The use of magic and good intentions creates a happily-ever-after. Readers will root and cheer for Anya and her companions as they enjoy this exciting and entertaining page-turner.

Summary: Princess Anya must save the kingdom from her evil stepfather (who is casting spells on eligible, perspective princes and turning them into frogs) and her clueless sister and find a cure that will turn the frogs back into young men.          
                 

Fairy Tales-Fiction                                                     --Susan Ogintz

Meyer, Marissa. Stars Above (Lunar Chronicles)

Meyer, Marissa.  Stars Above (Lunar Chronicles)  Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends  2016  369p  $17.99  ISBN 978-1-250-09184-0  jr/sr  Fairytale  VG

Meyer offers nine stories set in the Lunar Chronicles universe, five of which have never been published elsewhere, as well as an exclusive excerpt of Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts. Fans of the Lunar Chronicles will enjoy the backstory provided by prequels to Scarlet, Cress, and Cinder, as well as an epilogue to Winter.  Several spin-offs introduce new characters and interpretations of fairy tales, such as “The Little Android,” a retelling of Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the Lunar Chronicle universe. 

For fans of the series, Stars Above provides details that will maintain an interest in Meyer’s fantasy series until the next installment (Heartless) is published, even though relatively little new ground is covered. Newcomers to the Lunar Chronicles may find the anthology to be disconnected.  The popularity of the series and its large fan-base make this a must-buy volume for young-adult collections.

Summary: This anthology offers nine stories set in the universe of the Lunar Chronicles.  It provides a variety of details and perspectives to round out the Lunar Chronicles universe.     

Fantasy-Fiction                                 --Hilary Welliver

Stewig, John Warren. Nobody Asked the Pea.

Stewig, John Warren.    Nobody Asked the Pea.  Holiday House  2013  $16.95    ISBN 978-0-8234-2224-1  elem/ms     Fairy Tale      VG-BNe     

This book takes a humorous look at the traditional tale “The Princess and the Pea.” It tells the story by bouncing between several points of view.  Some of the characters who become narrators are, of course, the prince whose mother wants to marry him off, his mother the queen, the princesses being tested, the housekeeper in the palace, and -- of course -- the pea that ends up featuring so prominently in the story. Each character has a say, and they do so hilariously.  The pictures are charming and the characters portrayed have wonderfully expressive faces, which adds to the comedic tone the narration sets. The writing is certain to please readers of all ages, achieving a delightful blend of age-appropriate vocabulary and sly jokes that will appeal to older readers.  Without spoiling the ending, it must be said that only a very particular type of princess will suit, and it takes more than a pea to make her the right one for the prince.           

Princesses-Fiction, Princes-Fiction.                        -–Bethany Geleskie

Thomas, Shelley Moore. The Seven Tales of Trinket.

Thomas, Shelley Moore.  The Seven Tales of Trinket.  Farrar Strauss see Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.                  369p      $16.99   978-0-374-36745-9         2012    elem/ms                E-BN                         Fairy tale                                

Eleven-year-old Trinket sets out to find her missing father after the death of her mother.  Following a tattered map that once belonged to her storyteller father, she sets out with Thomas, the neighboring pig boy.  Through her adventures, Trinket gathers stories to eventually follow her father’s profession.
She meets a fortunetelling gypsy girl, rescues a baby from selkies and returns it to its mother, faces a banshee to receive a message from her mother, outsmarts the Faerie Queen, travels beyond the grave on Hallowe’en, and saves a loyal hound from death.  But her seventh tale answers her question about her father and why he did not return to the family.
 

The stories rely heavily upon Celtic folklore, as the author explains in the author’s note.  These tales gathered by Trinket provide a bridge between fiction and story-collection titles.  They also provide an alternative to typical fairy tales.

Middle grade and middle-school students will enjoy this title (grades 4-8).  

Storytelling                                                                                                                                                                --Joan Theal

 

Kontis, Alethea. Enchanted.

Kontis, Alethea.  Enchanted.  Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt Brace     308p  $16.99  978-0-547-64570-4           VG    Fairy tale     

When Sunday kisses an enchanted frog, he is transformed back into the crown prince.  But Sunday’s family despises the royal family. How can Prince Rumbold win Sunday’s heart?    Enchanted, at its center, is a re-telling of the fairy tale The Frog Prince.  Sunday, the seventh child of a seventh child, discovers a talking frog in a woodland spring near her home.  She immediately recognizes that the frog is under a spell and that they are soul mates.  She bestows the spell-breaking kiss, but does not see the transformation of the frog into the despised crown prince, Rumbold.

Rumbold, from his conversations with Sunday, knows it will be an uphill battle to win her love in his human form.  Prior to being be-spelled, Rumbold was a degenerate character.  He was also responsible for the death of Sunday’s brother Jack. 

Elements from a great number of fairy tales are incorporated into this tale. There are elements of Bluebeard, Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk, and others. One of Sunday’s sisters, now dead, was the unfortunate recipient of THE red shoes, and danced herself to death.  Another sister ran away to become a pirate. Yet another is reminiscent of Cinderella.  The names may be days of the week, but the plots are recognizable. 

The problem with this novel is that it attempts to fit in too much, which forces the narration to become mundane.  When Sunday describes her sisters’ fates -- especially the death of a sister she loved -- she is emotionless.  Readers may find it difficult to follow the many threads of Sunday’s extended family’s tales.  Kontis admits that the novel is the result of a writing project in which she attempted to fit as many fairy-tale elements as she could into one story.

Readers who wish their lives were more like fairy tales may have second thoughts after reading Enchanted.  Not every tale ends with “happily ever after”.                

Fairy tales, Fantasy – Fiction                              -- Hilary Welliver     

Carter, Scott William. Wooden Bones.

Carter, Scott William.  Wooden Bones.     Simon & Schuster  148p  $16.99  978-1-4424-2751-8           ms/jr       E-BN      Fairy Tale 

They came knocking at his door demanding he share his secret.  They wanted what he gave Pino or they wanted him gone from the town.  How could Geppetto give life to other puppets when he did not know how it had happened in the first place?  

Pino and Geppetto lived quietly on the outskirts of town.  Geppetto had been a very sad man after his wife and baby died during childbirth.  His sadness increased day by day until he created a wooden puppet resembling a little boy.  Then one day that little puppet boy turned into a real boy, amazing everyone in town.

Geppetto had no idea how it happened, but he was glad to have Pino as his son.  Although he was a very good father, Pino noticed that he was always very sad.  One day Pino came up with the idea of creating a wooden puppet from a picture he found of Geppetto’s wife.  Somehow, the puppet came to life, but it was not like a real person!  It followed them around, and Geppetto declared it an abomination.  When people found out about it, they came knocking on his door demanding he create life-size puppets of their own dead loved ones and that he bring them to life.

Their demand was ridiculous, and he could not do it, as he did not how he had done it the first time.  When he refused his neighbors, he knew he and Pino were in grave danger and they were forced to go on the run after the villagers learned that the puppet made by Pino to represent Geppetto’s dead wife could move like Pino.  Then the day of reckoning comes, when Geppetto and Pino must face a new challenge that could end Pino’s life.

This is an old fairy tale retold with a new twist and a great ending. I loved it!                                                   --Magna Diaz