Author: Catherynne M. Valente
Genre: Middle-grade fantasy
Pages: 256 in hardcover edition
Series: Fairyland #1
How I found it: Multiple mentions in the book blogosphere, follower-of the author
What it's about: September is 12 years old and lives in Omaha. Her father has gone to war and her mother works in a factory making planes. One day the Green Wind appears to her and starts her on an adventure in Fairyland. She makes new friends and travels different, amazing locales, all while trying to help the natives free themselves from the Marquess' reign.
What I thought of the book, spoiler-free: I loved this book. I’ve read 3 Catherynne M Valente books including this one, and she has finally won me over completely. Palimpsest was interesting, with some very cool ideas and wonderful prose, but left me cold on the plot and characters, and Deathless won me over by the end, but I still suffered from some problems in connecting with the characters. But I loved this book. It manages to be a modern take on Oz, with a bit of Alice in Wonderland and yet still be something all its own. It’s not the sort of thing where you delve into character and plot, but just get swept along with the story and fall in love. It says a ton about growing up, and I’m totally going to read this to my future kids.
Notes from the Inner Writer: Nothing specific, but it’s such a good example of taking a small idea and turning it into something grand. Also an example of how to take something old and turn it into something entirely new while still respecting the tropes of the old.
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