Fairy Tales

Who doesn't like fairy tales? I can't think of anyone who does so it's no wonder there are lots of updated fairy tales out there. But it's fun to read a totally new fairy tale too. And that's what Patricia Wrede's Thirteenth Child is. As any reader of fairy tales can tell you, the seventh son of a seventh son is born to be a powerful magician. But did you know that the thirteenth child is supposed to be bad luck, a bringer of misery, someone to be avoided? At least that's the case in the world Eff and Lan are born into--Eff, the unlucky thirteenth, and Lan, her twin, the seventh son of a seventh son. But in Wrede's western style fairy tale, there is more than one kind of magic. When Eff's family moves out to the edge of the frontier, she meets a few people who challenge her ideas about the working of magic and mainstream magical traditions. She also learns to believe in herself and saves a whole community while she's at it. It looks like the beginning of a new series called Frontier Magic. I can't wait for more!
Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede, 978-0-545-03342-8, on sale in April 2009

Made me think of:
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale--a graphic novel that also features the melding of fairy tales and cowboy westerns
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede--another girl trying to make a place for herself outside the conventions of fairy tale world

Moral Dilemmas Come in All Sizes

Emma lives in a small town. Everyone knows not only who she is but it seems like they even know what she ate for dinner last night. She hopes a track scholarship will get her out of there by way of Northwestern University but in the meantime she has to navigate the stormy waters of her evangelical high school. Things weren't too bad until she made the mistake of kissing her best friend's boyfriend. True, she and Colin have been friends since they were both two giving Emma longer friendship rights with Colin than with Joann. But kissing Colin, even by accident, totally breaks the best friend code.

Then things get complicated. Colin and Emma witness a popular girl from school getting sick from drinks and drugs. They can't tell anyone because it would make Joann unhappy to know that Colin and Emma were out together, even if it was innocent, and because Emma could be kicked off the track team for being anywhere near where people were drinking. So they don't tell anyone. And that's where the complications really start. Girls start to faint at school and somehow the town becomes convinced that terrorists are poisoning them. Fingers are pointed at everyone who seems a little different or unconventional. Should Emma come clean with what she knows?

Recommended for middle and high school.

Made me think of:
North of Beauty by Justina Chen Headley--another story about a girl runner among other things
Converting Kate by Beckie Weinheimer--another story about a girl struggling with religious choices

What Would Emma Do? by Eileen Cook 9781416974321