Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine is a creative retelling of Cinderella. As a baby, Ella was cursed by a fairy to obey any orders that were given to her, no matter what they were. So when her mother dies and her father remarries, Ella must live with her stepsisters, Hattie and Olive. Quickly, Hattie discovers that Ella will obey her and uses that knowledge to her advantage. Instead of being treated as an equal, Ella is forced to be her stepfamily's servant.

Ella meets Prince Char. Together, they have exciting adventures. Slowly, they fall in love, but she knows that if she marries him, an enemy of the throne could command her to do something awful to him. She struggles to protect him and break the curse, but it seems impossible with such a burden as hers. Will she ever gain the freedom required to be with her true love?

-Grace

The Tales of the Frog Princess by E.D. Baker

The Tales of the Frog Princess by E.D. Baker

   

     Princess Emma of Greater Greensward could never be the princess her mother wanted her to be. The way she walks, the way she laughs, and the places she goes - none of them were right for a princess.

     So when her mother tells her she has to marry Prince Jorge, she hides in the swamp, where she thinks she can hide. But when a frog hops up to her asking for a kiss, she realizes she was wrong. 

     The frog is an enchanted prince named Eadric. He convinces her to kiss him, and says that if she does, he will be released from the spell and transformed into a human again. But when the kiss backfires, Eadric is still a frog- and so is Emma! 

     8+. T I have loved this book for a long time, but just recently got it for my birthday. 

     -Grace

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker

I picked this one up on our last trip to the library, and I'm so glad I did. What a fun story! I'm going to add it right away to my list of clean fantasy romances for growing girls.

I don't know how I missed it until now, but the timing is right, because I just saw that a sequel is forthcoming this Fall.

Here's my Book Review: Princess Annabelle, known as Annie, is the younger sister of Gwendolyn (aka Sleeping Beauty). When the beautiful Gwendolyn pricks her finger on a spinning wheel, everyone in the castle falls asleep. Everyone except Annie, that is.

Annie isn't affected by magic. In fact, any magic near her grows increasingly weaker. The other royals despise her because their magical gifts of beauty and grace fade in her presence. Even her parents keep their distance.

Annie sets out on a quest to find Gwendolyn's true love, so she can wake her family. One adventure proceeds another as she travels through fairy tales.

Along the way, the meet a Hansel-and-Gretel-esk witch, an enchanted prince who is in the form of a bear, a swamp prince who used to be a frog, and a prince holding contests to find a bride.

Baker flips many fairy tales on their heads in this creative adventure.

I thought the witch mentioned above was kind of creepy. She was fattening up a couple children to eat them. Of course, Annie outwitted her, saving the children, and creating a pretty funny and entertaining scene.

As you can imagine, there is also quite a bit of talk about kissing. After all, it IS the only way to wake a sleeping princess.

I read this to my 8 and 6 year olds. They both loved it. We finished it a few days ago, and today my 6 year old girl, Welly, said, "I just keep thinking about The Wide-Awake Princess. I can't believe that..." Sorry. I can't tell you the rest. It would spoil the ending.  :)

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielson

The first time I heard someone compare The False Prince: (Book 1 of the Ascendance Trilogy) by Jennifer A. Nielson to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, I admittedly balked a little. I mean really, Harry Potter AND The Hunger Games? But I put the hardcover in my Amazon cart anyway.

The second time I heard the comparison made, I decided to check my library system to see if I could get it sooner. All the copies in the county were checked out. And there were quite a few.

The THIRD time I heard that it was AS. GOOD. AS. HARRY POTTER. AND THE HUNGER GAMES (!), I said, I need this book now...and downloaded it to my Kindle.

So, how did it measure up?

Considering my HIGH expectations, it did well.

I can't say that it was quite the page-turner that The Hunger Games was, but I certainly didn't want to stop reading at any point either.

I enjoyed this book as well as the first few Harry Potters (BLASPHEMY! you say), but whether the series becomes a true classic remains to be seen. I mean, that 7th Harry Potter book was genius. Pure storytelling genius.

Here's a summary:

The royal family is dead but few members of the Kingdom know. One of the princes, however, was lost at sea years ago. A power-hungry regent chooses four orphans who look similar to the missing prince and begins training them. One will become Prince Jaron. The other three, knowing too much of the treacherous plan, will be killed.

Sage, an unruly boy full of spunk, is our narrator. He doesn't want to be a prince, but what choice does he have? Full of twists and turns, we watch this unique character face challenge after challenge in his unusual way.

And it is Sage's character that makes this book great. Jennifer Nielson did an excellent job crafting this boy...making him someone stubborn yet lovable. He's always fighting the system, but the more we get to know him, we see that his intentions are honorable and worthwhile. I don't know if I loved him at first, but I watched him become a man and grew to LOVE his character.

While this book has some adventure, the violence is more comparable to the first Harry Potter novels than any of The Hunger Games books. One orphan is killed early on to prove that the regent is serious about his evil plot, but it isn't graphic.

So, despite my balking (like a chicken), I consider this book a 5 star read. Adventure, a little romance, a good fairy tale...

If you want to know if Sage ranks up there with the likes of wizard boys and the tributes of district 12, you'll just have to read it and decide for yourself.

Book Review: Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo, author of Jane Austen Ruined My Life.
Review by Me, Emily.

Claire Prescott is anything but thrilled when she gets roped into going to a Jane Austen seminar in place of her sister. Unlike her sister, she doesn't see the appeal of the iconic Mr. Darcy. Claire has been dating a 'nice guy' and is content with him. Mostly.

While at the seminar, she is swept away by a handsome Darcy-like character. She also comes into possession of the long-lost first draft of Pride and Prejudice in Jane Austen's own writing.

Will she be whisked away by the handsome man at her romantic getaway in Oxford? Or will the nice guy win her heart after all?

I thoroughly enjoyed this Austen spinoff. Although, I am not sure I agreed with the ending...you know...did she really end up with the right guy? I'm not sure.

Anyway, the book is 'good, clean fun'. It's quick and enjoyable.

(PS. A little shameless self-promotion...If you are ordering anything from Amazon this Christmas, I'd really appreciate it if you clicked through my site to get there. Thanks!)

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

I have decided that I love Bloomsbury...the publisher. I love them. (Of course, I'd love them more if they published one of MY stories...)


Anyway, the latest review book I got from them is this one.



The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry.


And guess what? We are very lucky today to have the author with us for a little interview. Yay!


But first, let me tell you a bit about this wonderful new YA fantasy.


Lucinda Chapdelaine's parents died in a carriage accident years ago, leaving her to live with a distant uncle. They toil in a jewelry shop under the direction of her demanding step-aunt.


One day, a mysterious lady comes into the shop with an even more unique jewel. This sets a chain of events into motion that will change Lucinda's life. She'll befriend a goat, find her childhood home, meet a prince, and be sent to her death.


I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel by Julie Berry, so I contacted her for an interview. Here goes...


Hi Julie,
Thanks so much for agreeing to answer a few questions...

First of all, I'll start with the flattery (you can blame Shannon Hale for that). The Amaranth Enchantment is a stunning debut novel. The plot is quick and fresh, and the characters are realistic and engaging. Readers who enjoy books by Jessica Day George, Robin McKinley, and Shannon Hale are sure to find a gem in The Amaranth Enchantment. Anyway, I devoured the book (and found it quite delicious.)

1. Tell us a bit about you.
I grew up on a farm in western New York, the youngest of seven children. I attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an undergrad, majoring in communication, and have worked in software tech writing, marketing and sales for most of my career. I'm married with four young sons, ranging from 4 to 12 years old. I earned an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of the Fine Arts in January 2008. I love gardening, quilting, and singing -- I'm a choir director at church. And, I write a humor column for the MetroWest Daily News.

2. How did you get the idea for this story?
It was a long process with many false starts. I started thinking about a decaying but once-magnificent house full of memories. I thought about falling from Paradise and how that might happen. And I thought about a fairy-tale heroine with a sidekick who rescues the fallen one. From there, the pieces gradually came together.


3. How did you break into publishing? Do you have advice for the hopefuls like me who haven't been able to YET?
I think several things made a difference for me. My newspaper writing experience taught me to write quickly, for an audience, paying close attention to voice. My years in grad school forced me to write extensively, think and write critically about what I was reading, write lots, and revise lots. Many people do publish without an MFA, of course, but it made a great difference to me. Beyond that, just writing daily, diligently, and being willing to write honestly and revise painfully makes a big difference. Setting all that aside, I met an agent at a conference, followed up with her, and she decided to represent me. Her efforts led to the publication opportunity with Bloomsbury.


4. Who do you most closely identify with in The Amaranth Enchantment? Is there a bit of you in Lucinda? Beryl? The Prince?
I always say that everything I write is autobiographical. It may be true that every character I write is in some way a reflection of me! Probably I feel closest to Lucinda, though, among those you've mentioned. We spent the most time together. I appreciate her flaws and her persistence.

5. Congratulations on the awesome article in the Boston Globe! How do you think being LDS/Mormon has influenced your writing? Why do you think more and more LDS women are writing for teens?
More writers are writing for teens, period, Mormon or otherwise, so Mormons are part of a larger trend in this instance. But I think there's a natural fit between many Mormon writers and children's/YA literature, inasmuch as there's more overlap between youth literature and LDS standards. Mainly, though, I think LDS women are encouraged to develop their talents and pursue their goals, so when the Harry Potter tidal wave hit the world and re-confirmed the legitimacy and vitality of young adult literature, many LDS women rose to the example set by J.K. Rowling, herself an inspiring writer-mom. I think this is true whether or not someone likes Harry Potter or is drawn to fantasy. The entire children's literature universe was expanded and energized by its Potter encounter.


6. How do you balance being a mother and writer?
It's not easy. I'm not sure that I do balance it. I don't write when the kids are awake and needing attention. I write when they're asleep, or elsewhere. I need to focus in order to write, and that's hard to do when they're here. And they need me to focus on them when they're around. So I need to search every day for pockets of time when I can write without taking time away from them.

7. And finally, tell us about any new projects you are working on.
Right now I'm hacking my way into a mystery. Alas, much of it remains a mystery still to me! Beginnings tend to take me quite a while. I need many rewrites and start-overs to find the right entry into my story.

Just One Wish by Janette Rallison

Just One Wish by Janette Rallison

Review by Me.

The more books I read by Janette Rallison, the more I like her work. She writes consistently clean teen romances filled with laughs.

In Just One Wish (released last week), Annika Truman has promised the impossible. Her little brother has an upcoming surgery. Convinced she knows exactly what her brother will wish for, she offers to grant any wish he makes, hoping that the happiness he feels will help his surgery go well.

Unfortunately, things don't always go as expected with little brothers. He wishes that the (very famous and attractive) actor who plays Robin Hood on TV will come to his house and teach him to shoot arrows.

Annika, being determined to grant his wish, heads off to the set of Robin Hood to convince the actor to come meet her brother.

A hilarious chain of events ensues, as you can imagine.

I recommend this book to teens and tweens who enjoy a good romantic comedy. You can see reviews of a couple of Rallison's other books here as well. It's a Mall World After All and My Fair Godmother were also a lot of fun.

Princess of the Midnight Ball

It's official. Jessica Day George is one of my favorite authors. From this point forward, I will be sure to own all of her books as soon as they are released. I loved Dragon Slippers and the sequels and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.

Besides loving her books, I've heard her speak and believe me, she's a red-headed riot. Here's an interview I did with her a while back.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Review by Emily Beeson

Princess of the Midnight Ball is a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. To be honest, I'm not familiar with the original tale, so I can't tell you how much this version deviates. However, I can certainly tell you that this version is very enjoyable.

Tall, handsome Galen is returning from war. His parents and sister have all been killed, so he is headed for his aunt and uncle's house in Westfalin.

When he arrives, he finds a welcoming home and a job as an under-gardener at the palace. While working in the gardens, he befriends the eldest princess, Princess Rose. He discovers that Rose has a secret. She is a prisoner and is required to dance every night from midnight until dawn, along with her eleven younger sisters.

A string of princes come to rescue the princesses from their unseen captor. When none of them are successful, Galen takes the matter into his own hands...but he doesn't know anything about magic...and the captor is certainly not a regular mortal.

Princess of the Midnight Ball is full of romance, humor, mystery, adventure, and fantasy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

It is perfectly clean (as long as an innocent kiss is clean to you :). I recommend it to fairy-tale-lovers of all ages.

Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Princess Ben. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. 344 pp.

Review by Lina Crowell

Benevolence (Ben), daughter of a prince, is herself second in the line of succession to the throne of the small fictional country of Montagne, her uncle the king having no children. Ben, however, is not your typical princess. She has been raised away from the glamour and elegance of the castle, dresses plainly, and freely socializes with the common people, having often accompanied her mother, a healer, on her visits to the sick. When her parents and uncle fail to return from a day’s outing and are later found dead, Ben, not yet old enough to ascend to the throne in her own right, finds herself being “tutored” by her aunt, Sophia, the Queen Regent who rules in her stead until Ben comes of age. Ben, having never before considered that she would one day rule Montagne, balks at her aunt’s demands that she begin conducting herself more in the manner in which a princess is expected to behave.

Eventually, Ben’s unruly behavior leads to her being banished to a small tower room except for the hours of her schooling. In the tower Ben discovers a hidden and magical passageway leading to the invisible “Wizard Tower” where she finds a spell book and other magical instruments that she uses to secretly teach herself rudimentary magic skills. Through use of her magical abilities, Ben discovers a network of hidden passages throughout the castle and uses these to learn of the queen’s plans for Montagne to secure an alliance with another country by arranging a marriage between Ben and a suitable prince, a plan that does not meet with Ben’s approval, particularly if that marriage is to Prince Florian of Drachensbett, Montagne’s sworn enemy and the most likely suspect in the deaths of her parents and the king. The king of Drachensbett has made it clear that he will invade Montagne if such an alliance is not made. Although Ben believes herself to be as capable as any man, and is not content to wait idly for rescue by a knight in shining armor, she has come to realize that it is through marriage that many political alliances are made and must now decide whether or not to use her skills in magic to save Montagne from impending attack by Drachensbett, a decision that may mean her secret could be exposed, or else give in to Drachensbett’s demands.

Princess Ben is a fine fantasy that works in elements from various fairy tales and that features a strong female protagonist who is not afraid to speak her mind. Recommended for age 12 and up, particularly for those who enjoy light fantasy and/or romance.

Ever by Gail Carson Levine

Ever by Gail Carson Levine

Review by Emily, head mama of DCR and ...whimsy...

Ever is a brand new fairy tale brought to you by the author of Ella Enchanted, Fairest, and many other great stories.

Ever is told from both the perspective of Olus, god of winds, and the mortal girl he falls in love with, Kezi.

Olus lives a lonely life. None of the other gods are even close to his age. When he turns 17, he leaves the Akkan gods and seeks a life with the mortals. He becomes a goatherd for Kezi’s father. He watches Kezi and grows to care for her. The other gods tell Olus that it is a waste to care about mortals because they are soap bubbles. They are here one moment and die the next. But when Kezi’s life nears its end, Olus can’t stand the thought of it. He and Kezi embark on a hero’s journey to save her.

As I mentioned, Ever is an original fairy tale. The characters are fun and interesting, but I’m not sure they are as fleshed out as I would have liked. The plot is fresh. Seeing from each character’s point of view is intriguing, although occasionally confusing.

I definitely recommend Ever to teens and preteens who enjoy fairy tales. I didn't love it as much as Fairest and Ella Enchanted, but it is still worth reading.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Review by Natalie, regular contributor

From the very beginning, "Wildwood Dancing" kept me absolutely captivated. There is such imagery and beautiful language and authentic names and places and folklore – and it fulfilled every hope I had for it!

"Wildwood Dancing" is a loose retelling of several fairy tales, including The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Frog Prince, and Dragutsa, also realistically incorporates such elements as the fairy court and vampires. It follows the point of view of Jena, second-oldest daughter of a frail widower who is about to leave the family in the care of an old family friend as he goes away to better his health. Jena has a secret – every Full Moon, she and her sisters go to the fairy realm to dance and play with all the mythical creatures there. But their innocent revelry is about to end, as forces collide and the fate of all is in question.

My favorite aspect of this book was the attention to detail Juliet Marillier used. She employed authentic names and places and folklore to make this seem as though it really could have happened in Romania. I also felt she didn’t impose too much of the twenty-first century on Jena – so often, readers are stopped cold by an attitude that just wouldn’t exist at that time, and while Jena and her sisters have somewhat unconventional views, I never felt they were too out of place for the time period. Jena is forward-thinking, but also bows to tradition in a lot of ways.

I would recommend this book to anyone! It is certainly most appropriate for teenage readers and up, but even older children can appreciate the suspense and unmasking that goes on in this story. There are vampires (a.k.a. "Night People"), but the subject is touched upon so delicately that I feel confident people of all ages can enjoy "Wildwood Dancing".

Jessica Day George

I ran across this video interview with Jessica Day George over at Fuse #8's School Library Journal Blog and decided it would be the perfect thing to share with you while you are waiting to find out if you are the lucky winner of the signed copy of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.
I'll announce a winner in the morning...until then...

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

Review by Emily of ...whimsy...

The difficult thing about reviewing is finding a balance between telling about a story and not giving anything crucial away. I am finding this balance particularly difficult with Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.

If I knew everyone would be intrigued enough to read it with a recommendation that simply said, "I love this book. If you enjoy YA fantasy, such as books by Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, Patricia Wrede, C.S. Lewis, etc. don't pass this one by"...that is all I would write. I enjoyed the journey through this book, not having any clue about the story ahead of time. I have seen reviews since I read Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow that gave away crucial elements of the story that I am glad I didn't know.

Having said all that, here is my review. I know. Finally.

The girl, aka the pika, lives in a place that is always winter. Her family is poor. The girl, though a teenager, remains nameless. Her mother was so upset at having another worthless girl, that she refuses to name her.

Legend has it, that nameless girls are often stolen by trolls...but it isn't a troll that takes the pika away from her safe home and beloved brother. It is an isbjorn, or ice bear. The great white bear takes the girl to live in an ice castle for a year, promising that her family will be wealthy.

Many girls have been taken by isbjorns in the past, but the girl has a special quality that distinguishes her from the others.

She can talk to animals, which certainly helps when you have been taken captive by a bear.

Jessica Day George loved this Norwegian fairy tale and decided to flesh it out into a full length novel. At the BYU conference, she said she chose the story because it had everything...adventure, trolls, castles, mystery, romance.

I also enjoyed the details she added to the tale...like how the ice castle smells of rotten meat. Ewww. So gross. Great description though.

Recommended readers: lovers of YA fantasy/fairy tales.

Don't forget to comment (in a relevant way, please) on this review, the review of Dragon Slippers or the interview posted earlier today for a chance to win a signed copy of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow!!!

Interview with Jessica Day George

What can I say about Jessica Day George? She is a riot in a bottle. She is a red-headed firecracker. When asked for a picture of herself she sent the one to the right, saying, "Oh, here, post this picture! I swear, it's an exact likeness!"

Today we have the opportunity to find out a bit about her, her books, and her writing habits.

But quickly, before we get started, let me remind you about her books. The first one was Dragon Slippers, which I requested from the publisher after hearing it was something I might enjoy. I did. Tremendously. To find out all my thoughts about it, visit my review here.

The sequel to Dragon Slippers will be released in April. Dragon Flight is a fantastic sequel and lovers of Dragon Slippers will surely be happy with it. I have had the chance to read it already and will be reviewing it fully closer to its release.

Jessica Day George's latest book, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, is my favorite of the three. I will be reviewing it shortly. If you love fairy tales and fantasy, you don't want to miss this book. I loved it.

If you comment on this post (be relevant, please), the one about Dragon Slippers, or the review of Sun and Moon (which is coming soon) you will be entered into the drawing for a free signed copy of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow!!! Comments will close a week from today, on Wednesday, March 5th at midnight. A winner will be announced the following day.

JDG: Okay, let's get to these questions before my brain falls out my ear, which is a very likely scenario at this point.

1. How much research do you do for your stories? How do you organize it?

JDG: Ah, organization. Yes, er, I'm not that organized, actually. It's kind of alarming. For Dragon Slippers, I pretty much did no research, since I like my dragons a certain way and I invented the customs, language and culture of Feravel. But for Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, I reread the original fairy tale both in English and Norwegian, and kept an Old Norse dictionary at hand for reference. It was a project I had been mulling over for years, and so I already knew what elements of Norwegian culture I wanted to bring to it.

2. How did you get the ideas for Dragon Slippers and Dragon Flight?

JDG: Dragon Slippers came to me one night like a bolt of lightning, which is just as painful as it sounds. The entire book just downloaded into my brain (again: ouch!), and I just had to type fast enough to get it all in before I forgot any of it. I never intended to write a sequel, but one day while telling my husband that I had no ideas for a sequel, I thought of one. So Dragon Flight was a bit harder to write. I knew that certain dragons were still alive (not to spoil anything), and I knew that I wanted to go to a new country, and have that country using dragons like cavalry horses. But piecing the rest of it together took a lot more effort than the first book. Hilariously, I've just finished the first draft of a third dragon book, which was much easier to write than the second one.

3. Is the setting in Dragon Slippers and Dragon Flight based on a real location and society?

JDG: Not at all. But if there is a Feravel out there, I'd love to visit. (Not so much Citatie, I don't do well with heat.)

4. How did you get into writing?

JDG: "Oh, yo ho! Yo ho! The writer's life for meeeee. . . ." I am just completely unsuited for anything else. All my life I've wandered around with my nose in a book or my head in the clouds, making up stories. I've got a Cabbage Patch Kid diary from when I was eight that has about five pages of actual diary entries, and then it suddenly goes off on some story about a girl and her horse. (Which, incidentally, I'm turning into a trilogy based loosely on World War I England.) I've been telling people I was going to be a fantasy author since I was at least eleven, and my parents always supported me in that. They would take me to writers' conferences or to booksignings so that I could meet real authors, and all I've ever wanted was to be one of them.

5. What authors have influenced you as a writer? As a person?

JDG: The person and the writer are the same being, really. And I owe so much of my childhood and my writing to Robin McKinley, Patricia C. Wrede and Diana Wynne Jones. If you haven't read The Hero and the Crown, Dealing with Dragons, or Dogsbody. . . . for shame! And there's also the inestimable Tad Williams, whose giant, 1,000 page fantasy novels were the most treasured possessions of my awkward high school years. (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn: best fantasy trilogy ever.)

6. Why did you choose to retell Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow?

JDG: It is, hands down, my favorite folk/fairy/legend/tale/story. Trolls, polar bears, fabulous palaces, it has them all! And it's set in Norway, one of the most gorgeous places on the planet. I used to read the P.J. Lynch picture book version over and over, and dream about how I was going to turn that story into a full-length novel. There was just something about it that appealed to me. It was my story, the way little girls now dress up like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, I wanted to be the woodcutter's youngest daughter.

7. After Dragon Flight, do you have any other books in the works?

JDG: Oh, my yes! I have a retelling of Twelve Dancing Princesses coming out next year (title is under construction), which will have knitting patterns in it, and I'm a hundred pages into a sequel to that. Plus I just this week finished a third dragon book, and have about half a dozen more books planned. So far.

8. How did you break into publishing?

JDG: With a crowbar and a delicate set of lockpicks. . . . Oh, sorry! That's another story. . . . I was at BYU's Writing for Young Readers Conference (which I very much recommend), and the girl sitting next to me during one of the sessions heard me talk about Dragon Slippers. She invited me to attend a private writing retreat she and some local authors were putting together. They were bringing in a real live New York editor to talk to about 20 people about publishing, and then we would each get 15 minutes alone with the editor to tell her about our writing. I went, it was wonderful, the editor loved my story and ended up buying it. I couldn't understand one word in ten of the contract, though, so I called up an agent I had met at the BYU conference, and asked her if she could negotiate it for me. Now she's my agent full time, and Bloomsbury is my publisher! I really recommend attending writing conferences. Not only does it help you become a better writer, but meeting an agent or editor face-to-face gives you a much better chance at selling your story.

9. What is the hardest thing about being a writer?

JDG: Not enough time! Balancing writing new books, editing the ones on their way to the printer, and taking care of my little one and our messy house is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Added that are making time for school visits and booksignings, it's just crazy-busy!

10.What advice do you have for other aspiring writers?

JDG: Make sure you don't forget to read, not just in the genre you're writing in, but all kinds of books. Write down all your ideas and keep them, even if you think they sound stupid five minutes later. A few years down the road, you may find a use for that scene/character/plotline. Did you catch my above comment? I'm using a story I wrote when I was EIGHT as the starting point for a trilogy! And writers' conferences = invaluable.



A commenter at Clean Reads asked the following questions:

What are you reading right now?

JDG: I am currently reading Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing, which is also a Twelve Dancing Princesses story (but vastly different from mine), and next I am very excited to read Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay, a wonderful writer for grown ups and a cool person too!

What do you do when you get writer's block?

JDG: Eat licorice and dance around the room. (You're laughing because you haven't tried it.)

What's your favorite part of the creative process?

JDG: Sitting down at the computer and starting a fresh new story. There is no writer's block yet. There is nothing but that blank screen. And as soon as I start typing, I get this giddy feeling and think that I could go on and on for days . . . if only my family didn't need dinner and clean underwear.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

JDG: You're welcome, you're welcome!

To find out more about Jessica, visit her website, http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/, where she blogs and there's all kinds of fun stuff about the books.

DRAGON SLIPPERS by Jessica Day George

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

Review by Emily of ...Whimsy...

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George is absolutely delightful.

The story begins with this great opening: “It was my aunt who decided to give me to the dragon. Not that she was evil, or didn’t care for me. It’s just that we were very poor, and she was, as we said in those parts, dumber than two turnips in a rain barrel.”

Creel’s aunt hopes Creel will come away from the dragon with a rich husband. Creel hopes to come away with gold from the dragon’s hoard. What she actually comes away with is something nobody expected…a pair of enchanted slippers.

When she escapes from the dragon’s lair, she can’t return home, so she makes the long journey to the King’s Seat in search of a job as a dressmaker. Of course, things don’t often turn out the way we expect. Many obstacles arise, but in the midst of her struggles, she finds love, courage, friendship, and the strength to pursue her dreams.

As you can probably tell, I highly recommend this novel. It is an original fairy tale full of dragons, princes, adventures, and laughs. Nothing pleases me more than a good fairy tale.

Shannon Hale's Books on Amazon

I've been playing around with Amazon's widgets. This one shows all of Shannon Hale's published books.



Remember, if you purchase books through DCR, a portion of the money comes back to us and helps fund giveaways. Click on any of the book covers to see its Amazon page. Thanks.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

PRINCESS ACADEMY by Shannon Hale



Review by Emily, Head Mama of DCR
My other blog: Whimsy Books



I believe Princess Academy was my first experience with Shannon Hale's books. I expected a typical novel about a normal girl who falls in love with a prince, becomes a princess, and lives happily ever after. I was wrong.



What I discovered, instead, was something fresh and unique, something different than all the other princess books I had ever read.



Miri wishes to be helpful in her small mountain community, but her father will not let her work. Miri assumes it is because she is so small. The people of her community work very hard in the quarries to make a meager living.



Soon, their whole world is turned upside-down. The king's priests determine that the prince's bride will come from their little town of Mount Eskel. All eligible girls are sent down the mountain to a makeshift princess academy, where they are to learn how to become princesses. At the end of their training, the prince will choose a bride from among them.



Miri has mixed feelings about the whole thing. Does she want to be the princess? Fierce competition ensues, but Miri is still battling with herself as well. At the academy, Miri finds herself, and, at the same time, is able to save the girls and the whole village.



I think what makes Princess Academy so different is the setting. A beautiful world of light fantasy that feels completely realistic. You won't find mystical creatures in Princess Academy, but you will find magic, magic that stems from the people of Mount Eskel and the mountain itself.



Miri is a well-developed strong female character. She is small in size, named after a tiny mountain flower, but big in heart and inner strength. Her relationships with her father, a mountain boy, her best friend, and the prince are complex and realistic.



I recommend this Newbery-honor book to readers of all ages. It was a pleasant surprise for me, and I have become the kind of fan that reads each new Shannon Hale title as soon as it is released.



PS...Don't forget to leave a comment on any (or all) of the Shannon Hale posts to be entered into the drawing for one of two signed Shannon Hale books!

PSS...We'll be posting the interview tomorrow. See you then!

Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley

Not too long ago, I reviewed Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley. I thoroughly enjoyed that book even though the story was very similar to The Beauty and the Beast I already knew, thanks to Disney.

Twenty years after Robin McKinley wrote Beauty, she was struck with inspiration and wrote another retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Rose Daughter begins much the same as Beauty, but then strays farther and farther from the original tale.

In Rose Daughter, Beauty and her family find themselves in financial ruin and move to Rose Cottage by the small town of Longchance. Beauty finds her life passion in gardening. She particularly loves roses.

But, as you know, Beauty’s fate lies in a mysterious castle with the Beast. The Beast’s roses are dying, so Beauty takes it upon herself to revive them. Will she save the roses and turn the Beast back into a prince? You might be surprised. I was.

Robin McKinley truly put a fresh twist on an old tale in Rose Daughter.

This is an adult novel but I believe it is appropriate for teens as well. Enjoy!

Review by me, Emily.

whimsy books

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Aerin may be a princess, but she has never been truly accepted as part of the royal family. Her mother, a witchwoman, died giving birth to Aerin. Although Aerin develops a relationship with her father, the King of Damar, she has basically been raised by a series of governesses. Anxious to prove she is an important part of the Kingdom, Aerin figures out how to kill dragons. She becomes a hero in the outskirts of the Kingdom but still struggles to gain acceptance in the royal family.

Then she discovers that she must fight a much darker power than dragons to save her beloved Damar.

This book truly has it all…adventure, betrayal, action, well-developed characters, intense plot, coming of age themes, romance, dragons, wizards, potions, war and family.

The beginning and end of this book dragged a bit for me, but the meat of the story was totally worth it. It won the Newbery in 1985, so it would fit into the “Oldie-but-goodie” category. I can see why it won. It is an excellent clean read.

Posted by me, Emily

whimsy books

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. 2006.

Keturah followed a hart from her small town into the forest. When exhaustion overwhelmed Keturah, Lord Death came to take her away. But Keturah was not ready to die. She told a story about how she yearned for true love. Bargaining with Lord Death, she asked for one more day to live. At the end of the day, she'd tell the end to her story. Lord Death gave her one day. If, in that day, she found her true love, she would not have to return to the forest and Death.


Thus begins Keturah's search for love. Will it be the gardener? Royalty? Choirmaster? Or Death Personified?


Keturah and Lord Death was a joy to read. It sounds like a dark premise, but the story is actually fun and rather light-hearted. It is truly clever, unique, and compelling. Highly recommended for lovers of YA fantasy romances...like me. This book is totally and completely clean (YAY!) and was a National Book Award Finalist.


Review by me, Emily
www.whimsybooks.livejournal.com/

PS. If you're interested, I posted notes from Martine Leavitt's workshop entitled How Not to Write a Boring Story at Whimsy Books today.