The Ever Afters by Shelby Bach (Middle-School, High
School)
This on-going series, while written for middle-school, can easily be
enjoyed by older teens as well. And for
Bach has created a unique world, where fairy tale
characters are very real and where adventure and magic abounds. But what really
pulls you in and refuses to let go are the amazing cast of characters, going
through the normal trials of kids growing up, dealing with family issues, and
learning who their friends are-only with swords, crazy inventions, and some
truly spectacular adventures thrown in the mix.
Half Upon a Time by James Riley (Middle-School)
This retelling of Jack and the Bean Stalk gets an
interesting twist when Jack (not the Jack from Jack and the Bean Stalk, that
was his father-who’s still missing by the way) has to rescue a princess. Not a
regular princess though-this one fell from the sky, wears a weird shirt that
says “punk princess” and denies that she actually is a princess at all. May
doesn’t believe that magic exists-but she does need help because a hunter is
chasing her. And Jack thinks that she might be the granddaughter of the long
lost heroine, Snow White. What follows is a funny adventure that combines
giants, scary horses, defiant royalty, broken mirrors -and the discovery that
not everyone is who they might seem to be.
Fables by Bill Willingham (Adults and mature Teens)
Fables is a long-running comics series that has been
released into bound graphic novels. If you are a fan of the TV show “Once Upon
a Time” then you will love this series.
The first of the bound graphic novels is titled “Legends in Exile”-which
is the basis of the entire series. All those famous fairy tale characters, such
as Snow White, the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella, Charming, Pinocchio, etc, were chased
out of their homelands and forced into exile by the Adversary. The land they
wound up in? Modern-day New York, hiding in plain sight within-in a section of
the city called Fabletown. But things may not be as peaceful as they seem when
Snow White’s sister Rose Red is murdered and the sheriff (none other than the
reformed Big Bad Wolf) has to determine who killed her. Thought you knew who
the good guys and the bad guys are in those fairy tales? Well think again-you
won’t see most of these twists coming!
Goldi
Rocks and the 3 Bears by Corey Schwartz (Easy Picture Book)
In this adorable musical retelling of Goldilocks, the 3
bears like to rock out with their band. But they don’t
Princess by Jessica George Day (Teens and Middle -School)
Jessica George Day re-imagines the tale of the 12 dancing
princesses in this enchanting and well-written series. Rose and her 11 sisters
disappear each night, and return with their slippers worn through. Galen, a
soldier returning from war, and Rose must fight to free the sisters from a
curse that is slowly killing them. With an invisibility cloak, a black wool
chain knit with silver needles and true love they should have a fighting
chance. But dark forces are working against them-The King Under Stone is as
determined to keep the sisters as they are to free themselves. With a
delightful cast of characters, and a very interesting twist on an old story,
this is not a series to miss!
500 Kingdoms by Mercedes Lackey (Adults and Teens)
In her 500 Kingdoms series, fantasy and science fiction
writer Mercedes Lackey produces some truly fantastic variations on many
well-known fairy tale characters from the Fairy Godmother, to the Snow Queen
and the Little Mermaid. In book 1, “The
Fairy Godmother” Lackey introduces a world where The Tradition rules the
outcome of the lives of every person, from the lowest sheepherder to the
highest king, uncaring of how many die as long as Tales are played out. Elena,
mistreated by her stepmother, finds herself in training to be the kingdom’s
next fairy godmother. She battles with The Tradition, trying to keep those it
forces into Tales, such as questers, alive. When she comes across a
particularly headstrong and unforgiving quester-well let’s just say the
punishment matches the man, with hilarious results. With strong world-building,
engaging and flawed characters and interesting plot twists, this book is the
beginning of a series you shouldn’t miss!
A
Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (Middle-School)
This series revolves around some other well-known characters
from the Grimm Brothers-Hansel and Gretel. In this clever series, Hansel and
Gretel manage to walk out of their own tale and straight into some other
characters’ tales. The must rely on themselves and each other, and learn the
true story behind the gingerbread house and weird witches. They also must learn
their own strengths if they want to write their own destiny into a new story.
Wide Awake Princess by E.D. Baker (Middle-School)
E.D. Baker re-imagines Sleeping Beauty in this delightful
and charming middle-school series. Princess Annie is the younger, less graceful
and less perfect sister of Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty.
In a kingdom where magic reigns supreme, used to alter undesirable physical
characteristics, Annie is cursed (or possibly blessed?) with immunity to magic.
Her family ostracizes her, as her presence causes their own magical alterations
to wane. But when Gwen pricks her
finger, causing the castle to fall asleep, Annie is left awake-and determined
to rescue her family. What follows is a fantastic adventure as our young
heroine discovers her own strength. And if you like the “Wide Awake Princess”
make sure to check out E.D. Baker’s other series, also retelling classic fairy
tales: “Tales of the Frog Princess” and the origins of the evil (or perhaps
not) witch Baba Yaga in her book “A Question of Magic”.
--S.R. Youth Services
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