โ Scribed by Catherynne M. Valente
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
In the kingdom of Fairyland-Below, preparations are underway for the annual Revels . . . but aboveground, the creatures of Fairyland are in no mood for a party.
It has been a long time since young September bid farewell to Fairyland, and she is excited to see it again; but upon her return she is shocked to find that her friends have been losing their shadows, and therefore their magic, to the kingdom of Fairyland-Below... It spells certain disaster and September won't stand for it. Determined to make amends, she travels down into the underworld where, among creatures of ice and moonlight, she encounters a face she recognizes all too well: Halloween, the Hollow Queen. Only then does September realize what she must do to save Fairyland from slipping into the mundane world forever.
Come and join in the Revels with September and her friends. But be warned: in Fairyland-Below, even the best of friends aren't always what they seem . . .
Praise for The Girl Who Circumnavigated Farilyand in a Ship of Her Own Making:
'A glorious balancing act between modernism and the Victorian Fairy Tale, done with heart and wisdom.' Neil Gaiman.
'An Alice in Wonderland for the 21st century... So effortless, so vivid, so funny. Every page has a phrase or observation to savour and her characters are wondrous creations.' Sunday Telegraph.
'A charming modern fairytale...with a knowing twinkle in its eye.' Telegraph.
'A whole esoteric world of whimsy - Alice meets the Wizard of Oz meets the Persephone story with a whiff of Narnia.' Independent on Sunday.
'Bundles of imagination and wry wit.' Financial Times.
**
Gr 5-8-Valente returns listeners to Fairyland in this sequel (2012) to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (2011, both Feiwel and Friends). An awkward and lonely girl, September consoles herself with the delicious secret that she has been to Fairyland and saved it from an evil queen. On an ordinary day, after a long, impatient wait, September trips over a wall and falls into Fairyland where she discovers that things are not as she left them. The shadows of the inhabitants are being sucked into Fairyland-Below. September begins a quest, along with her dear companions A Through L, a Wyvern (a sweet, loyal, and dragonish beast), and Saturday, a Marid (a bluish boy). Divinely verbose, Valente's brilliantly crafted words evoke exquisitely lush and detailed images in the listener's imagination. She seamlessly and brilliantly blends elements of fantasy, mythology, and historical fiction to create a magical world so cunningly described that it's utterly believable. Startling truths reminiscent of J. M. Barrie, L. Frank Baum, and others ground the story and give it depth. Singer/songwriter S.J. Tucker's satiny voice blankets and captivates listeners. She is a storyteller in the classic sense, and voices lively, distinct characters, some with hints of exotic accents. It is not imperative that listeners are familiar with the first book, but it will lend clarity to some details of the story.-Lisa Hubler, Charles F Brush High School, Lyndhurst, OHฮฑ(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Starred Review In this stellar sequel to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (2011), September is 13 years old and in possession of a teenage heart that is โraw and new, fast and fierce.โ It is this heart that guides her sophomore trip to Fairyland. When she literally stumbles into the magical realm, September finds that the inhabitants of Fairyland Above have been losing their shadowsโsucked Below by the Alleyman, a floating red-feathered hatโand, along with them, their magic. As Fairyland Above becomes depleted, the underworld becomes a stronger, darker, increasingly renegade place under the rule of Halloween, Septemberโs shadow. Can September return the shadows and reset the equilibrium in Fairyland? On her quest, sheโs reunited with friends Saturday and Wyveraryโwell, their shadows at leastโbut mostly meets exciting new characters, from Belinda Cabbage, mad scientist, to a soft-spoken Physickist dodo bird named Aubergine. As with the previous title, Valenteโs inviting, lush, and densely detailed world is evocative of well-traveled lands, such as Neverland and Oz, but, at the same time, is uniquely its own. This is sure to draw new fans, but those familiar with the first book will find the reading a richer experience. Juanโs shaded chapter-opening art puts bizarrely wonderful faces to names and sets just the right tone. Letโs just hope the Green (or Silver) Wind calls us back to Fairyland soon. Grades 5-8. --Ann Kelley
๐ SIMILAR VOLUMES
Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale "The Tale of Shim Cheong," perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazakiโs SpiritedAway. Deadly storms have ravaged Minaโs homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire
**Axie Oh's _The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea_ is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale "The Tale of Shim Cheong," perfect for fans of _Wintersong, Uprooted,_ and Miyazaki's _Spirited_ _Away_. ** Deadly storms have ravaged Mina's homeland for generations. Floods sweep
I'm an orphan. A hacker. I grew up with nothing and no one. But it turns out my whole life has been a lie. All of a sudden, I'm a hero, a villain, a weapon, a puppet, and the last great hope. There's only one person I can trust - but even he is not what he seems. I am not the girl who fell. I am the
**"One of the most extraordinary works of fantasy, for adults or children, published so far this century."โTime magazine, on the Fairyland** --- \*\*\*\*Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. On
"One of the most extraordinary works of fantasy, for adults or children, published so far this century."โTime magazine, on the Fairyland series September misses Fairyland and her friends Ell, the Wyverary, and the boy Saturday. She longs to leave the routines of home and embark on a new adventu