Valente, Catherynne M. The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Rebels There.

Valente, Catherynne M.  The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Rebels There.    Macmillan/ Feiwel & Friends   258p      $16.99     

978-0-312-64962-3       2012       ms/hs   E-BN            Fantasy    

In this novel, the sequel to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, September returns to Fairyland more than a year later, to find that all is not well.  Her shadow, calling herself Halloween, is stealing shadows and magic from Fairyland-Above and taking them to Fairyland-Below.  September wants to set things right and restore the balance to all of Fairyland.  She discovers that shadows can be tricky and act quite differently from their corporal counterparts.  Without her happy companions in a physically dark and psychologically darker world, this sequel has a much darker and unhappier feel.  Even the pace seems slower and the text overly wordy.  The luscious descriptions and quirky places and characters that fill Fairyland with wonder are still present, however.  The author is adept at slipping minute detail into the plot, which later proves to be important to its successful resolution.

As September is maturing, this sequel has lost some of the enchantment and happy wonder that filled the first book.  It is a slower and more difficult read, better suited for older or more accomplished readers.  The line-drawing illustrations which introduce each chapter are charming.  They help the reader visualize some of the bizarre characters.

Fairies–Fiction, Adventure–Fiction                         --Joan Theal

Valente. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship Of Her Own Making

Valente, Catherine M.   The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship Of Her Own Making       

Feiwel&Friends/Macmillan Child Pub Gr      2011  247p  16.99 978-0-312-64961-6 ms/jr E-BN  Fantasy     

  

    A twelve year old girl is spirited away to Fairyland.  She meets some very unusual characters and has the opportunity to demonstrate courage, bravery and faithfulness.
Reminiscent of Andre Norton and Frank L. Baum, for middle school. September, a twelve year old girl from Omaha is brought to Fairyland by the Green Wind.  All is not well in Fairyland at this time.  The Marquess rules tyrannically having made numerous changes in the rules.  September meets many unusual characters as she travels along .  She thinks she chooses to follow a certain path but she may be controlled by other forces.  In fact she was brought to Fairyland for a very specific purpose.
   As September chooses her path, she discovers in herself bravery, courage, and loyalty to friends.  September had not previously identified these characteristics in herself .
   The language is vividly descriptive and frequently almost poetic.  The style reminds one of Andre Norton, with a touch of Frank L. Baum.  The beasts and characters are totally original  such as the Wyvern who believes his father is a library or the herd of wild bicycles, but are so clearly described that the reader can fully imagine them.  The drawings that introduce each chapter do help give the reader some ideas.  They are full of whimsy and just twisted enough to fit the story.
   A thoroughly pleasurable fantasy read for middle school students who enjoy the challenge of sophisticated language and never ending immagination..               Fairyland  Joan Theal