Archive for the ‘fairy tales’ Category

Everlasting by Angie Frazier
Scholastic Press

In Everlasting, Camille is the daughter of a ship captain in the year 1855. She’s lived her life back and forth between San Francisco and her voyages on her father’s ship. Now that Camille is 17, she’s engaged to a man that is a partner in her father’s company, but before her marriage, she is taking one last trip with her father to Australia. On the ship is an friend of the family and first mate, a young man named Oscar. On the way to Australia, Camille discovers many things aren’t as they seem–her father’s company is failing, and if she doesn’t marry his partner, the company will become bankrupt, a mysterious letter talking about a magical stone is the reason behind the Australia trip, and Oscar seems to be acting oddly around her, and she can’t help but feel different in his presence as well.

After a disastrous ship wreck, the letter, which contains information on Camille’s long-missing mother, leads herself and Oscar to Adelaide, where they must fight against those that also want what is in the letter, as well as their growing feelings for each other. Through a series of twists and surprises, Camille fights to find this magical stone, as well as find a way to let her true feelings shine through. This is a book ripe with adventure and romance, with waves of thrills and suspense.

Camille is a relatable character, in many ways. Her eagerness to please her father, who has become distant, her romances, and her passion for the sea, are admirable traits. I enjoyed the relationship between her and Oscar especially. Compared to many other novels today, where characters jump into relationships with others right off the bat, this felt fresh, and realistic. The voyage on the sea, and in Australia’s jungles, was thrilling and often had me on the edge of my seat. The cast of characters faced a series of villains, and you never knew what was going to happen next. Several surprising twists presented themselves in this novel, and I never felt they were contrived, but a necessary part of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and was delighted to see there will be a sequel next year, called The Eternal Sea. I recommend this book for fans of historical fiction and romance, but also for fans of a good mystery as well.

3Q, 4P, J/S

Purchased from local Borders!

For More: Visit Angie Frazier’s website and check out the gorgeous book trailer for Everlasting!

For my latest assignment in library school, I had to review several folk tales/fairy tales as well as create a podcast of myself reading a folk tale. Take a look and listen below!

My Uncle Emily. Yolen, Jane. (ill. by Nancy Carpenter). Philomel Books, 2009.

Uncle Emily isn’t an uncle at all, but Emily Dickinson, and in this book, Yolen shares insight into the life of Dickinson, while also teaching readers about poetry. Children can relate to this story through the narrator, Gilbert, and his attempts to analyze poetry. Yolen is able to tell the story from a child’s point of view, simply, without being condescending. The illustrations, crafted in pen and ink, help place the story in time as well as exemplify the emotions behind the words.

Eric Carle’s Dragons Dragons & Other Creatures That Never Were. Whipple, Laura (compiled by). (ill. by Eric Carle). Puffin Books, 2004.

This topical poetry book covers a favorite topic among children: mythical creatures. The poems within are pulled from a wide variety of poets from many different time periods. Each is illustrated with a dazzling work of art by Carle, colorful, bold, in his classic and well-loved style. While some of the poems contain words that may not be well understood by children, the art helps to clearly convey the meaning behind the words. Some of the poems are comical, while others simply descriptive, but the topics within are pulled from many different cultures, which give this poem book a wider breadth. A glossary of definitions and descriptions of the mythical creatures adds another level to help children understand and appreciate this book.

Beautiful Blackbird. Bryan, Ashley. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003.

In Beautiful Blackbird, all the colorful birds want one thing: black coloring like that of the most beautiful bird of all, blackbird. This story contains rhyme and rhythm, giving some parts of it a sing-song feel that will entertain children of all ages. The simplistic, yet colorful art adds to the story and makes it easy for readers to see the plot being told. Themes abound in this story, including belonging and appreciating beauty of all kinds.

Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan — podcast (as read by me! for a fictional “celebrity” podcast series)