Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

I have absolutely no clue why this book hasn't had more buzz. I don't know why it's not at the top of every single bookish parents holiday gift list. This book has languished, it doesn't deserve it, and I hope to change that with this write up. In short, buy this book. Make it a priority. Do it now. I'll wait.

 The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is a book that deserves to be a bedtime story. It's broken into manageable chapters, each starting with a lovely illustration, that demand to be read out loud. Valente's prose is poetic in structure, but also accessible to young people. The story is beautifully constructed with just the right amount of darkness to make it scary and just the right amount of light to make it a fairy tale.

September's journey is a cross between the Phantom Tollbooth and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  She'll also going down in history as a classic heroine. September is reluctant to take on the role, but as the story unfolds her journey becomes something larger than herself. Her choices make her so memorable to me that I hope Valente makes this into a series. I want to go back to Fairyland. I need to know what happens next.

Moving on, I'm reading East of Eden. I've been slacking on my classics so it's time I got though this one. I'm going to keep a running total of how many times I get asked, "Are you reading that for a class?"

Apparently, Steinbeck can't be read for pleasure.



Oh, I'll be posting my best of video sometime tonight. Just an FYI. 

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