Geo Librarian

IT'S NOT HANSEL AND GRETEL It's Not a Fairy Tale #2 written by Josh Funk, illustrated by Edwardian Taylor two lions, 2019 ISBN: 978-1503902947 Source: publisher for review (through Blue Slip Media) Picture book Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In the fairytale mashup, Hansel and Gretel talk back to the narrator, refusing to play their roles. ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR   Like Hansel and Gretel, Josh Funk doesn't like being told how stories should go—so he writes his own. He is the author of a bunch of picture books, including the popular Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, illustrated by Brendan Kearney, and recently, How to Code a Sandcastle, illustrated by Sara Palacios, and Lost in the Library: A Story of Patience & Fortitude, illustrated by Stevie Lewis. He lives in New England with his wife and children. Learn more about him at  www.joshfunkbooks.com  and follow him o...

MIGUEL'S BRAVE KNIGHT Young Cervantes and His Dream of Don Quixote Poems by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Raul Colon Peachtree Publishing, 2017 ISBN: 978-1-56145-856-1 Ages 4-8 Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra finds refuge from his difficult childhood by imagining the adventures of a brave but clumsy knight. This fictionalized first-person biography in verse of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra follows the early years of the child who grows up to pen Don Quixote, the first modern novel. The son of a gambling, vagabond barber-surgeon, Miguel looks to his own imagination for an escape from his familys troubles and finds comfort in his colorful daydreams. At a time when access to books is limited and imaginative books are considered evil, Miguel is inspired by storytellers and wandering actors who perform during festivals. He longs to tell stories of his own. When Miguel is ni...

IT'S NOT JACK AND THE BEANSTALK written by Josh Funk, illustrated by Edwardian Taylor two lions, 2017 ISBN: 978-1542045650 Source: Blue Slip Media for review Ages 5 and up Picture book All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Jack is not fond of the bossy narrator of his fairy tale! When Jack is told to trade his beloved cow Bessie for some magic beans, throw the beans out the window, climb the ENORMOUS beanstalk that sprouts overnight, and steal from a GIANT, he decides this fairy tale is getting out of control. In fact, he doesn’t want to follow the story line at all. Who says Jack needs to enter a life of daring, thievery, and giant trickery? He takes his story into his own hands—and you’ll never guess what happens next! With laugh-out-loud dialogue and bold, playful art (including hidden fairy tale creatures for kids to find), this Jack and the Beanstalk retelling will have children rolling with laughter till Bessie the cow comes h...

BIG BAD DETECTIVE AGENCY by Bruce Hale Scholastic, 2015 ISBN: 978-0-545-66538-4 Ages 6-9 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK From the comic genius behind CHET GECKO comes a new kind of fairy tale hero -- and a big, bad, crime-solving adventure! The houses of all Three (not-so-) Little Pigs were broken into and ransacked, and the Pigs are squealing for justice. So Prince Tyrone, ruler of Fairylandia, drags in the obvious suspect: Wolfgang. The lone wolf has big teeth, sharp claws, no alibi -- and a single day to find the real culprit and clear his big bad name. When Wolf (reluctantly) teams up with the fourth Little Pig to crack the case, the Big Bad Detective Agency -- and an adventure way funnier than your average fairy tale -- is off to a howling start! REVIEW I've read many fractured fairy tales, even fractured fairy tale mysteries, but none quite like this one.  The tongue-in-cheek tone of the narrator add to the humor o...

THE HERO'S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE by Christopher Healy, with drawings by Todd Harris Walden Pond Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-0--06-211845-5 Middle Grade Fantasy Grades 3-8 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You remember them, don't you? They're the Princes Charming who finally got some credit after they stepped out of the shadows of their princesses - Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Briar Rose - to defeat an evil witch bent on destroying all their kingdoms. But alas, such fame and recognition only last so long. And when the princes discover that an object of great power might fall into any number of wrong hands, they are going to have to once again band together to stop it from happening - even if no one will ever know it was they who did it. Christopher Healy, author of the acclaimed The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, takes us back to the hilariously fractured ...

Title: Nissa: a contemporary fairy tale Author: Bethany Lopez Release date: April 23, 2013 Age Group: Young Adult Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17392482-nissa ABOUT THE BOOK At 900 years old, Nissa is finally ready to follow her mother's path and become the best Fairy Godmother she can. She’s not thrilled when her first assignment turns out to be a teenage human girl with self-esteem issues, but she knows she has to start somewhere. Her assignment has dealt with bullies since her freshman year and they haven’t let up. If Nissa can’t help her regain her self-confidence her future is bleak. To complicate matters Nissa experiences all the signs that she's met the being fated for her. This impossibility distracts her from her purpose. After all, fairies and humans aren't meant for each other. How can her heart believe otherwise? Can Nissa successfully complete her first assignment as a Fairy Go...

  UNLOCKING THE SPELL A Tale of the Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker Bloomsbury, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-59990-841-0 Middle Grade Fantasy/Fairy Tale Re-telling ABOUT THE BOOK Now that Annie has helped her sister Gwendolyn (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty) wake up from the 100-year curse by finding her beloved prince, you would think that things would get back to normal. Think again! That beloved prince, Beldegard, is stuck in the body of a bear and the only way that Annie can be free of the two irritating lovebirds is to help-by finding the evil dwarf who cast the spell. Luckily, Annie has assistance from handsome prince Liam, and she has many tricks up her non-magical sleeve . .   ABOUT THE AUTHOR E.D. Baker made her international debut with The Frog Princess , which was a Book Sense Children's Pick and has been optioned for an animated movie. Dragon's Breath and Once Upon a Curse continue the Frog Princess series. A mother of three, Ms...

THE WIDE-AWAKE PRINCESS by E.D. Baker Bloomsbury, 2010 ISBN: 978-1-59990-487-0 MG Fantasy Grades 4-7 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK In this new fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie—blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic—can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen's true love to kiss her awake. But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn't possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father's guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and...

Welcome to the Fairy Tale Read-a-thon!   This read-a-thon is being sponsored by Debz of Debz Bookshelf . I'm excited to participate in this read-a-thon, I have a large stack of fairy tale books ready to read. Check them out. Since I favor middle grade that's what these all are. I plan on starting with Storybound by Marissa Burt, this one has been on my TBR pile for months. It's great to finally have an excuse to move it to the top of my pile. Since I'm working today there won't be much updating until this evening. Also be sure to visit each of the websites participating, each will be offering a mini-challenge and/or a giveaway. My mini-challenge and giveaway will be posted tomorrow, so be sure to come back enjoy the fun. Today's mini-challenge and giveaway is at Kami's Library Thoughts . See if you can identify which fairy tale is being retold in each of the six books being highlighted. Then enter the giveaway! DAY 1 (borrowe...