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IT'S NOT THE THREE LITTLE PIGS written by Josh Funk, illustrated by Edwardian Taylor Two Lions, 2022 ISBN: 978-1542032438 Source: Blue Slip Media for Blog Tour Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Meet the three (ahem—four!) little pigs as they convince the narrator to tell a slightly different version of their fairy tale: First there’s Alan, the one pig in the bunch who is actually a builder. He’s got a BIG problem with building a home out of flimsy straw. Next there’s Alfred, who wants to be an actor and wouldn’t dream of getting his hands dirty. Then we have Alvin, whose dream is to be . . . a pumpkin. Last but not least is Alison, the fourth pig who is ready to bring some flair to this story, if only she can get the narrator to agree to a few changes. . . . And what about that wolf? Grab your jet-packs and get ready for this rollicking retelling of the popular tale.  ABOUT THE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR Like the characters in his books, Josh Funk doe...

MY ROTTEN STEPBROTHER RUINED CINDERELLA by Jerry Mahoney Stone Arch Books, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-4965-4470-4 Ages 8-12 Middle grade fantasy/speculative (fairy tale) Source: author for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK It wasn't enough to ruin Maddie's report on Cinderella - her stepbrother, Holden, has somehow broken the ACTUAL fairy tale. The ugly stepsister is marrying the prince, and there's no happy ever after! The only way to fix it is by entering the story. But if Holden and Maddie can't solve the problem, they'll be stuck in the fairy tale world forever.   REVIEW   Fairy Tale retellings have become popular in recent years and yet I never seem to get tired of them. Maybe it's because each author comes at the story in such a unique way that I never feel that the retellings overlap too much.  The thing I found most interesting about this retelling is the way one of the characters (...

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...

WAITING FOR PUMPSIE by Barry Wittenstein, illustrated by London Ladd Charlesbridge, 2017 ISBN: 978-1-58089-545-3 Ages 4-8 Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In 1959 the Boston Red Sox was the last team in the Major Leagues to integrate. But when they call Elijah "Pumpsie" Green up from the minors, Bernard is overjoyed to see a black player on his beloved home team. And, when Pumpsie's first home game is scheduled, Bernard and his family head to Fenway Park. Bernard is proud of Pumpsie and hopeful that this historic event is the start of great change in America.  This fictionalized account captures the true story of baseball player Pumpsie Green's rise to the major leagues. The story is a snapshot of the Civil Rights Movement and a great discussion starter about the state of race relations in the United States today. REVIEW I've been reading a lot about the Civil Rights Movement thes...

ELLA'S WILL by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee Sweetwater Books, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4621-1908-0 YA/Adult Fairy Tale Retelling/Clean Romance Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Will Hawkins is just a simple stable boy. How can he hope to woo Ella, his once-wealthy childhood friend who is stubbornly independent, especially when his competition is the prince? Without any magic or fairy godmothers, Will must show Ella that he is her true prince charming in this perspective twist of the Cinderella story. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee graduated with a BA in English from Brigham Young University in 2004. She loved taking creative writing classes, and was particularly fond of the works of Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters. She also studied French and the humanities. Jessilyn grew up in the beautiful deserts of Southern California and now resides in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains in Saratoga Springs...

ONE WITCH AT A TIME by Stacy DeKeyser McElderry Books, 2015 ISBN: 978-1-4814-1351-0 Ages 9-12 Source: publisher through Blue Slip Media All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Magic beans quickly lead to danger in this standalone companion to  The Brixen Witch , which  Kirkus Reviews  called “fresh and satisfying” in a starred review. When Rudi Bauer sets out for town one morning to trade, he never dreams that Susanna Louisa will sell his family’s cow—for magic beans, no less! But that’s exactly what she does, and the consequences will be disastrous unless Rudi can return the magic beans to their rightful owner, the evil witch of Petz. The journey to Petz is long and hard, but Rudi and Susanna Louisa soon find a shortcut: a magically sprouted beanstalk leads them straight there...and straight into danger. Because the evil witch of Petz is a terrible giant who has locked away summer and keeps his kingdom a frozen wasteland. And in order to...

SAM & DAVE DIG A HOLE by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen Candlewick Press, 2014 ISBN: 978-0-7636-6229-5 Picture Book Grades K-3 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK With perfect pacing, the multi-award-winning, New York Times best-selling team of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen dig down for a deadpan tale full of visual humor. Sam and Dave are on a mission. A mission to find something spectacular. So they dig a hole. And they keep digging. And they find . . . nothing. Yet the day turns out to be pretty spectacular after all. Attentive readers will be rewarded with a rare treasure in this witty story of looking for the extraordinary — and finding it in a manner you’d never expect. REVIEW One thing you can always trust in a Mac Barnett book is the unexpected.  When Sam and Dave set out to dig a hole seeking something spectacular they come close to discovering something fantastic.  Jon Klassen really adds a lo...

THE PRINCESS WHO HAD NO KINGDOM by Ursula Jones, illustrated by Sarah Gibb Albert Whitman & Company, 2009 ISBN: 978-0-8075-6630-5 Picture Book Grades 1-3 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Once there was a princess who had no kingdom. She didn't fit in with the other royals.  All she had was a pony and cart and a red umbrella to keep her dry from the rain.  As she wandered far and wide looking for her home, she delivered awkward parcels in her cart.  When she meets a court jester, she finds an unlikely friend who just might help her find her place. This wise and witty modern-day fairy tale by award-winning author Ursula Jones shows that real princesses don't need grand palaces, fancy balls, or lavish dresses--just true friendship.  Sarah Gibb's charming art brings this timeless story magically to life. REVIEW This is a very different sort of fairy tale since the princess does not have a kingdo...

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 ...

Tour Schedule The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson  Everyone knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust. But what happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old? Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston. Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her li...

  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...