" The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo

Title: The Tale of Despereaux

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Have I Read it Before: no

I think I just have to accept that I am not a fan of Kate DiCamillo (and by this, I mean her books. I'm sure she is a lovely person). I didn't care for Fiona & Ulysses, nor did I care for The Tale of Despereaux. I get the appeal of this book, but for me it was a little boring. I liked the overall premise; mouse is born under unusual circumstances, befriends a princess, is banished but comes back to save the day. The only thing that I can figure is I just don't care for DiCamillo's writing style.

I first tried to read this book soon after it was announced that it was the recipient of the 2004 Newbery Medal. I only got a few chapters in because it just didn't keep my interest. I was hopeful that reading it this time around would be a different experience, but sadly that was not the case. Overall I don't have much to say about this book other than I didn't enjoy it. I can see it appealing to those that love fairy tales, but are ready for something that is a bit more challenging to read, but I have a feeling it won't be one that I recommend to readers (instead, I'll probably stick with recommending The Sisters Grimm).




Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Little Bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood" by Timothy Tocher

 Normally I like fun re-tellings of fairy tales. Sure, there are a lot of bad ones out there, but there also quite a few that are great. I'm still not sure how I feel about Timothy Tocher's Little Bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood. I did enjoy reading it, but as I found myself laughing as I read, I wondered if the jokes would really appeal to kids or if this story would be better enjoyed by adults.

Little Bad Wolf's father has been missing for a week. He's beginning to worry. How are he and his mother going to get food without his father? Soon he meets a girl in a red cloak and he devises a plan to get food from Little Red Riding Hood. What he doesn't know, is that his father has already devised a similar plan. 

I did like that this book had absolutely no violence (no, I'm not someone who gets upset with violence in kids books, but I do remember that the scene where the hunter would cut Grandma and Little Red out of the Grandmother freaked me out as a kid. So this change was a plus for me). I was also amused that instead of eating Grandma, the Big Bad Wolf had just taken advantage of the fact that Grandma had just gone to Florida. However, I couldn't help but think of times when I have shared other funny re-tellings of Fairy Tales. It always seems like the majority of kids are bored or a little confused by the changes whereas adults usually get a kick out of it. Because of this, I have a hard time believing that kids will be overly fond of this read. But since I enjoyed it, it might be worth it just for a fun read for the adults.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Sink or Swim (Whatever After #3)" by Sarah Mlynowski

This is nit-picky, but where is Abby's watch?

Abby and Jonah are back and this time they are visiting the world of The Little Mermaid in Sink or Swim. This time, Abby really wants to mess up the fairy tale because she knows that if the mermaid doesn't marry the prince, then the mermaid will be no longer. Things would be a little easier if she wasn't afraid to swim. Things start off a mess because Abby and Jonah accidentally scare the mermaid off, but soon they are able to talk to her (turns out her name is Lana). Abby does her best to convince Lana not to go to the sea witch, but before she knows it Lana has traded her fins for legs and it's up to Abby to once again create a happily ever after.

The Little Mermaid is my all time favorite Disney movie. I have loved it longer than I can remember. So you can imagine my horror when I found out the ending of the original story. I am really glad that Mlynowski acknowledges that the Disney versions of many of these fairy tales are cleaned up so you don't have to worry about them giving your kids nightmares (though as a child, Ursula getting electrocuted always freaked me out a lot). I really felt for Abby in this book. The weight on her shoulders this time around is enormous. Before, if she failed the princess would just miss out on the prince. But if she messes up this time, then there won't be anything left of the princess.

Like the rest of the series, this book is mostly made of lighthearted moments with plenty of humor. Jonah acts like a real little brother with most of his focus on having fun rather than saving the day or finding a way home (though I like his logic that they can't go home until the adventure is over). Abby worries a little too much and takes on a little more than she can handle, but always comes out learning about herself and becoming a better person for it. This series is one that I think that all young girls should read. They focus so much on being true to yourself and not changing who you are for someone else and the characters are some of the best role models I have ever encountered in the literary world. If you haven't yet, check them out!



Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Falling For Rapunzel" by Leah Wilcox and Illustrated Lydia Monks

Kids will get a kick out of Leah Wilcox's Falling for Rapunzel. The prince comes across Rapunzel's tower and calls for her to let down her hair...only she doesn't hear correctly and instead throws down her underwear. The book continues like this, with the prince calling to Rapunzel but her throwing down one random object after an another (my personal favorite being pancake batter). In the end, this book does have a fairy tale ending, but not the one that you would expect.

Once again, this is a book that I love partially for the illustrations. There are lots of little details in the pictures that are fun to look for (I particularly liked the way the pine trees were created). I know that this is the kind of book that is prefect for reading aloud to kids. Books that rhyme are great for kiddos that are learning to read, because they will start to try and figure out what that rhyming word might be and since this book is so hilarious, they will be filled with giggles as they read with you. This will easily become a family favorite and despite it being a "princess book" I think that boys will have fun with this one too.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"If the Shoe Fits" by Sarah Mlynowski

I am really loving this series!  Shorty after returning from Snow White's fairy tale, Abby and her brother go back through the mirror in If the Shoe Fits.  Abby's mission is to get her lime green pajamas back.  Unfortunately, instead of visiting Snow they end up in Floom and are smack in the middle of CInderella's tale.  Determined to not mess anything up this time, the two begin to look for a mirror so that they can get back home.  But in the process they manage to mess things up big time for Cinderella.  Now they have to help her become self-sufficient so that she is worthy of marrying the prince.  I'm not going to tell you how it ends- but know that a lot of baking is involved (I really wanted chocolate after reading this book).

Fairy Tales are all the rage right now (and they have been for quite some time).  It seems that a good chunk of stories coming out at the moment (not just books, but movies too) are either some sort of retelling or a modernization of someone else's story.  Sometimes I am okay with that.  Sometimes I wish the author had just left the source material alone.  And sometimes someone like Mlynowksi comes along and writes a book that I just can't put down and keeps me laughing until the end.  Though, let's be fair, everything that I have read by Mlynowski (and that's quite a bit) has kept me laughing.  Awhile back the Top Ten Tuesday theme was authors you automatically buy just because their name is on the cover.  I didn't realize at the time (and no, I didn't participate that week), but Mlynowski would be on that list.  I just love everything she has written!

If you like (good) retellings of fairy tales, like funny stories, or know a little girl who's into either, then this is the series for you!



Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Rapunzel Untangled" by Cindy C. Bennett

I wanted to like this book, I really did.  This was a fairy tale that  I had yet to read in a modernized format.  Sadly, that didn't make it good.  In Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett, Rapunzel has never left her tower.  Her mother has kept her locked away due to SCIDS disease and Rapunzel can't risk her health.  But she longs for companionship which she finally finds when she makes her first facebook friend, Fane.  Of course he introduces Rapunzel to many of the world's wonders and she begins to risk everything for more life experiences.  She's careful, but what happens when she gets caught?

Only one word describe this book for me: convenient   Everything just falls perfectly into place every time   There is no real conflict until the end of he novel and even that felt forced and awkward.  I felt like I was reading waiting for the plot to get started but that didn't really happen.  There were elements of the book that were really sweet and I could certainly see girls swooning over Fane, but I wanted a little more from this book.  If you are looking for a relatively calm, modernized fairy tale, then you will likely enjoy this book.  However, if you are like me and getting a little tired of fairy tale re-tellings and not into books with weak plots, then maybe skip this book in favor of something else.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Fairest of All" (Whatever After #1) by Sarah Mlynowski

Following the trend of giving fairy tales and other classic stories and new modern twist is Sarah Mlynowski's Fairest of All (first in the Whatever After series).  This book is somewhat what one would expect.  After Abby and her brother Jonah get sucked into the weird mirror in the basement of their new house, they find themselves in a strange forest.  As they are trying to figure out where they are and how to get back home, they come across a cottage just in time to save the young woman inside from being poisened by a witch.  What they don't realize is that the young woman is Snow White and by saving her, they have changed Snow's fate to meet and marry the prince.  Now it is up to Abby and Jonah to get the story back on track- and get home before their parents wake up.

I'm sort of picky about these sort of books that retell a story.  The author has to do a really good job in reshaping a story that I have hear time and time again if they want to impress me.  I was pretty impressed by Mlynowski's interpretation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.   It was a very silly story in which Snow becomes shy at the idea of meeting the prince, the queen is obsessed with interior decorating (and being evil of course) and magic mirrors hiss and turn purple.  I giggled quite a bit while reading this book.  It is certainly a title I would recommend to young readers (particularly girls, probably about 8 or so).  It is different from the story most of us are used to, but still enjoyable.  I look forward to reading the next in the series, If the Shoe Fits. 






Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Between the Lines" by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Though I haven't read many of her books, I would still call myself a Jodi Picoult fan.  So when I saw Between the Lines accompanied by a Young Adult sticker, I was instantly hooked.  At first I didn't realize that she had co-written this book with her daughter, Samantha Van Leer.  So even though it wasn't what I was expecting- I loved it!

Since I didn't do my research, I was expecting a typical Picoult novel- not at all what I got.  Instead it's clear that they took Van Leer's idea and ran with it.  And what a great idea it was!  Between the Lines  tells the story of Oliver and Delilah.  Delilah lives in our world.  She's obsessed with books and reading and though she isn't the most popular girl in the school, she's a very normal teenager.  Oliver lives in the fictional world.  He is the main character of the story-within-the-story (also called  Between the Lines) and must play out the same story line again and again every time the book is opened.   Naturally, Delilah is the first to discover that the characters of her favorite fairy tale are actually alive and she finds herself trying to grant Oliver's wish of escaping the pages that hold him prisoner.   

I loved the design of this book.  The illustrations are beautiful and I loved that the alternating chapters have different colored fonts.  It was nice to see that as much care went into the actual printing of the book as went into it's writing.  I wouldn't recommend this book if you are reading it for the same reason I did.  Just because Picoult's name is on the cover, don't expect what you would normally get out of one of her novels.  This book doesn't contain an unexpected twist at the end or anything like that.  But it is a wonderfully sweet story that I enjoyed immensely and one that I think YA readers will enjoy too.



Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Beauty and the Beast" by Jenni James

I am getting a little tired of all of the remakes, reboots, and retellings that have been crazy popular the past few years.  Sadly many of these either seem to be rush jobs that appear to have been produced solely for profit, not out of joy or passion or I have simply seen the same story so many times that it really has no effect on me any more.  Because of this, I was a little nervous about reading Beauty and the Beast by Jenni James.  Thankfully I thought it was a pretty decent read.


Like my experience with Robin Hood, I haven't really been exposed to a Beauty and the Beast story not produced by Disney.  I didn't have many expectations story-wise since I am not really aware of the origins of the story (and admittedly I'm still not).  This book in particular follows Cecelia Hammerstein-Smythe and Prince Alexander (if you guessed that Alexander is the Beast, then bonus point to you!).  Cecelia is utterly repulsed by Alexander's very existence but finds her friendship with the wolf the be one of the best experiences of her life.  Of course this proves to be a problem as Alexander is the wolf.  That was probably my biggest concern with this book.  The curse placed upon the prince only made him change into a wolf at night.  During the day he was his usual human self.  It was an interesting twist since he still had to find someone that loved him in his wolf form, but I think I would have preferred something a little different.  Maybe I was just frustrated because Cecelia fell for the wolf so quickly but wouldn't give the Prince any sory of chance to clue her in to the whole situation.  Overall, I felt that this was one of the better fairy tale adaptations I have seen (after all, I am horribly spoiled by the Disney cartoons and am therefore a little picky).  I look forward to reading more Faerie Tale Collection from James.

What can I say, I love this part!


Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Once Upon A Toad" by Heather Vogel Frederick

I am sad to say that I didn't enjoy this book very much.  I wanted to.  I really wanted to (So far I love The Mother Daughter Book Club series so I thought I would like Heather Vogel Frederick's writing overall).  But Once Upon A Toad left something to be desired for me.  The book follows Cat who is in the process of moving in with her father and step-family as her mother has to spend a few months on the ISS (International Space Station- and their name is Starr.  Her mother is an astronaut and her name is Starr.  That was my first problem with the book).  Cat loves her father, stepmother and half brother.  However she cannot get along with her stepsister, Olivia.  Of course she and Olivia share a room and spend the beginning of the novel not getting along.  Of course, Cat's fairy godmother shows up (and of course she didn't know that she even had a fairy godmother), casts a spell that doesn't work as expected but takes off where she can't be found before the characters figure out that there is a problem.

The basic synopsis for this book is cute.  The target age group will likely enjoy it (around 8 years old or so). I was not the target audience.  I kept describing the plot as convenient.  How convenient that Cat's mother wasn't even on the planet when her daughter needed her.  How convenient that Cat's best friend back in Houston is a super genius and is able to track down Great-Aunt Abyssinia.  I struggle when the plot falls into place too easily.  I want to be able to believe in the plot and characters even if it's a completely made up world.  This book just didn't do it for me.  Again, younger readers will likely enjoy this book, it just wasn't for me.


Happy Reading!
-Melanie