Fairy Tales for Young and Old

Don't be put off by the heading. Jane Yolen is internationally known for her retelling of fairy stories, myths and legends from around the world as well as an award winner for her original tales. She also does a good line in dinosaurs and manners (e.g. How do the dinosaurs eat their food?). In the past few years I have used her picture books for storytimes at the library and enjoyed her childrens and young adults fiction.

It was at a Children's & Teens Librarian book chat that I was recommended her adult novel Except the Queen written in collaboration with Midori Snyder. If I wanted to go over the top with my alliteration it is a fantastic fantasy fable of two fairy sisters thrown out of their fey home and into the world of (gasp) humans. To make matters even worse, they are separated from each other and there is a little more going on in the human world that what we can see. Enough of their fairy magic remains for them to read the signs, rescue a couple of lost souls and defend them against the dark. But will them make it home to fairy land... and would they want to go?

Of course, there is a bit more to it than that. Tattoos bind girls to the dark side and bring nightmares. Birds act as messengers and crows are orphan changelings. As well as action, mystery and magic, there is also humour in how the sisters cope with a completely foreign world.

If you want to check out either this book, or any other Jane Yolen title (from picture book to graphic novel, to adult fiction) there are 178 entries on the library catalogue to choose from.