The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

This is probably the most honest adventure book I've read to date.

It's such a treat. It's got all the good bits!
They get dirty, they get hurt, they need to eat... Nothing is magically simple (except one bit, and it wasn't pleasant, not at all). There is Terrible Wickedness afoot, and hair is lost, and THERE IS TALK ABOUT FOOD. And some things are Terrible, though there isn't much on account of blood (I don't think?) There is even a not-dragon Wyverary who is part Library and part Wyvern. One might even like the Marquess a bit (or a lot) and feel sad for her and very very sorry (but not TOO much).

Oh but it was so bittersweet to read about Mallow in The Girl Who Ruled... after reading the book.

Hope you try and carve out some time to show more give this a nibble.

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This weird and wild tale is one part Wizard of Oz, one part Neverending Story, One part Alice in Wonderland, and one part Neil Gaiman tale. At the same time it’s also something completely original and new. It’s a girl on an adventure, dropped down in a fantastical land. She meets a dragon like creature named Ell (A-Through-L) and a blue boy named Saturday. I was completely sucked into the story and am looking forward to the rest of the series.

“When you were born your courage is new and clean. You're brave enough for anything: crawling off staircases, saying the first words without fearing that someone will think you are foolish, putting strange things in your mouth. But as you get older, your courage attracts gunk and crusty show more things and dirt and fear and knowing how bad things can get and what pain feels like."

"Though you can have grief without adventures, you cannot have adventures without grief."

"All children are heartless. They have not grown a heart yet, which is why they can climb tall trees and say shocking things and leap so very high that grown-up hearts flutter in terror. Hearts weigh quite a lot. That is why it takes so long to grow one."

"Why worry about the thing that may never come to pass? Do not ruin today with mourning tomorrow." show less

""Tell me the rules," said September firmly. Her mother had taught her chess when she was quite small, and she felt that if she could remember which way knights ought to go, she could certainly remember Fairy rules.
"First, no iron of any kind is allowed. Customs is quite strict on this point. Any bullets, knives, maces, or jacks you might have on your person will be confiscated and smelted. Second, the practice of alchemy is forbidden to all except young ladies born on Tuesdays --"
"I was born on a Tuesday!"
"It is certainly possible that I knew that," the Green Wind said with a wink. "Third, aviary locomotion is permitted only by means of Leopard or licensed Ragwort Stalk. If you find yourself not in possession of one of these, kindly show more confine yourself to the ground. Fourth, all traffic travels widdershins. Fifth, rubbish takeaway occurs on second Fridays. Sixth, all chagelings are required to wear identifying footwear. Seventh, and most important, you may in no fashion cross the borders of the Worsted Wood, or you will either perish most painfully or be forced to sit through a very tedious tea service with several spinster hamadryads. These laws are sacrosanct, except for visiting dignitaries and spriggans. Do you understand?""

And to her credit, the 10-year-old and wiser-than-her-years, September, does understand the rules; and leaves her humdrum life in Omaha to enter Fairyland - without so much as a wave to her hard-working mother, a thought for her off-to-war father, and sadly, a shoe.

Evoking obvious comparisons to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the Chronicles of Narnia, September wonders, will it be "a marvelous adventure, with funny rhymes and somersaults and a grand party with red laterns at the end"? Or will it be a serious tale, in which, "she might have to do something important, something involving, with snow and arrows and enemies"? September does not know, but the narrator gives the reader a clue,

"Of course, we would like to tell her which. But no one may know the shape of the tale in which they move. And, perhaps, we don not truly know what sort of beast it is, either. Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplines, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. This is why we must close them up into thick, solid books, so they cannot get out and cause trouble."

But thankfully, we as readers, can get in, and well we should! This is a fabulous debut novel. A Dramatis Personae preceding the story helps us to identify the many inhabitants of Fairyland, including, but not limited to, September's sometimes traveling companions, A-Through-L, a Wyverary (part Wyvern, part library), Gleam, a Lamp, and Saturday, a blue Marid.

And while September does not fathom the depth of the story into which she has been deposited, she nevertheless has an innate sense of purpose, and a willingness to create her own destiny. Unlike Alice, who passes through Wonderland in random fashion, September charts her own course. Much like a narrative computer game, September is presented with a series of quests, problems, and puzzles, each one requiring foresight, courage, and personal choice. (Would you rather lose your way, your life, your mind, or your heart?) In each instance, the brave little September is suprisingly resilient and equal to the challenge.

Each delightfully titled chapter, "Shadows in the Water: In Which September Crosses a River, Receives a Lesson in Evolution, and Loses Something Precious but Saves a Pooka," tells the reader what will happen, but Catherynne Valente manages to surprise us anyway. The black and white illustrations are a perfect addition to the story and offer just enough detail while leaving room for imagination.

This is a rich, complex, and thoughtful story, yet it reads as a delightful and enchanting romp through a bizarre Fairyland, where we may be frightened, but not terrified, and joyously giddy, but on guard nonetheless. Don't wait for an invitation from the Green Wind. Read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her own Making today. You will not be disappointed! A fabulous debut fantasy for children, young adults and adult fantasy fans!
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I am a huge Valente fan and so far have loved everything I have read by her. So it is probably no surprise that I absolutely adored this book as well. This book was much funnier and less vague than other Valente books I have read; but just as wondrous and creative.

September is sick of washing teacups and sick of the company of her little amiable dog. So when the Green Wind shows up and offers her a ride to Fairyland on the Leopard of Light Breezes she jumps at the chance. September quickly discovers that not everything in Fairyland is going well. The Marquess has been instating horrible rules (although she has a marvelous hat). September decides to go to the capital Pandemonium and find the Spoon that the Marquess has stolen from the show more Witch Good-Bye. She is accompanied by The Green Wind's thoughtful coat, and a red Wyvern who cannot fly. Along the way her quest is diverted again and again and September learns many fabulous things.

This book was beautiful inside and out. Valente's writing is a spectacular weaving of beautiful and lush images that absolutely come alive. The book itself is wonderful with delightful pictures at the beginning of each chapter. The book reminded me of Alice in Wonderland a bit, you just never know what new and fantastical thing September will find around the next curve.

Valente creates a classic tale that is very creative, beautiful, witty, and intelligent. The whole book is just a delight to read. The characters are easy to love; September is stubborn and determined but adores her friends and is quick to defend them. Even the bad characters are understandable in their evilness.

The book ends well but has a couple story threads left hanging. For example we never find out what happened to September's shadow and then there is the mysterious girl that asks September to play hide and seek.

Overall an absolutely spectacular book; I was sad when it ended. A must read for fantasy fans, especially fantasy fans that adore fairy tales. This is a beautiful, humorous, heartwarming, creative, and absolutely engaging read that no one should miss out on. Fans of Neil Gaiman's books should also check this one out; there are times when the storytelling reminds some of his stories as well. show less

Rating: 5* of five

The Book Description: Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named show more Saturday.

With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.

My Review: Magic is real.

Hello? Are you all right down there? Nothing broke in the fall, did it?

Magic, as I was saying, is real. Magic, not the stupid majgicqk of the boring nonillion-ologies of million-paged forest-rapers about the Queen of the Orc's long-lost son's Qwest to Fynd the Hynd or whatever. That shit should be banned. Or very very heavily taxed.

Ahem. Trying to find polite again.

So yes, September is magic, and Fairyland is magic, and Valente is a sorceress whose incantation is this book. The real deal, laddies and gentlewomen, le pur sang, descended from the right hand of the lawrd (which always sounded vaguely naughty to me, but I'm incurably low-minded). This YA fantasy novel is what y'all who need magic should aim yourselves towards like lodestones to the pole. Look no further, this is it.

Seriously, should I call someone? This falling down while gasping is a smidge alarming.

September is Ravished from her mother and her life, goes on a quest to find a Spoon for a Witch, meets the Magical Helper and overcomes the Magical Foe, and in the process saves Fairyland, grows into a wise woman, and goes home for a nap. That's the plot. Basic government-issue story.

So why am I, YA-averse and phauntaisee-phobic, giving it five stars? Because. It's magic. The real deal. Every one of us begins life in a universe of unbounded possibility and slowly but surely submit ourselves to the chains and locks and gears of adulthood. Fairyland, that state of unbounded possibility, recedes from us as each nasty rule and wicked, spiteful decision made by or against us does its grim work.

We use our unique, indescribable, polymorphous magic tools to sever and close and shut off, just as September is gulled into thinking she must do to uncouple Fairyland from reality, from our world of machines and banks and school. We're taught that the painful and nasty process is necessary, will save us and everyone we love, is right and just and correct. So most of us mangle and chop away, thinking the pain is growing up and growing wise and becoming adult.

Some few of us, like September, are given a moment of magic, and see the process for what it really is: Death with slow rotting, oblivion enough to be bearable but shot through with the awareness of the loss we've been tricked into suffering at our own hand. And some fewer still retain, magically, access to that other and better world. They come and they go, leaving us trapped souls for just long enough to be noticeably changed on their return, if we're sharp and attentive. Which, to my utter shock (not), most of us do not.

Valente's work, in the main, is polished prose telling interesting stories. Her adult tales will repay your reading time, and even (for many who Don't Read Such Things) be a revelation of quality work taking place in fields far from the ordinary haunts of dull adults. Seek that out, do, and firmly squelch the lip-curling until one full book has passed before your eyes.

But here? This? This is magic. The real deal. Approach it slowly, with a heart open and a mind clear, and it will enfold you in its warmly feathered, hard-muscled wings, and bear you away to that place you cut off so long ago. March in with your expectations set on stun, your ideas loaded like rocks in a slingshot ready to let fly, and your experience will resemble that of the US Army in Afghanistan: What hit me? Ow! Stop that! Ow!

I speak from (happily changed) experience. show less

A favorite read of the year! And Valente has officially become a must-read author for me.

While The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan all sprang to mind while reading this, this book is truly in a category of its own. It’s one of those books where you know right away whether you will love it or hate it because Valente’s writing style is so distinct and specific, and it stays that way consistently.

Whimsical, clever, funny, and surprisingly dark for a middle grade book at times, I knew I would love this from the first chapter on! The writing was such a sensory delight I could practically taste it.

There are so many fantastic characters, but I think my two absolute favorites were both sentient objects: September’s green show more jacket, and also her faithful key!

If you’re a reader who loved this book, definitely check out the book Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell. Their writing style and tone is very similar! show less

Valente's 1st YA is stunning, a feast of modern day storytelling, beautifully written and intelligent, fun and heartfelt.

Once upon a time, a girl named September grew very tired indeed of her parents' house, where she washed the same pink-and-yellow teacups and matching gravy boats every day, slept on the same embroidered pillow, and played with the same small and amiable dog.

September is carried away by the green wind one day, an opportunity to have adventures in fairy land is not to be missed and yes once there she makes friends, undertakes a Quest and tries to thwart the evil ruler.

This however being Valente an old old tale is turned upon its head. The characters are delightful and nuanced, the plot, with short chapters speeds show more along at a fair old pace, mini adventures segue with the big one and at the end it’s hard to put down. Each chapter has a gorgeous illustration too and I defy you not to want your very own library wyvern.

As all mothers know, children travel faster than kisses. The speed of kisses is, in fact, what Doctor Fallow would call a cosmic constant. The speed of children has no limits.

Enjoyed by everyone familiar with fairytales. Adults will enjoy it, for its sheer delight but also the knowing narrator and its adults wisdom, a nostalgia for childhood things and a mothers heartache. Children will enjoy it for its playfulness and mad inventive fun and for the newness of discovery, (new words, techniques and ideas). It’s not for the easily frightened for there are dangers and not for those only ready for a single truth and a neat happy ending for its bittersweet and satisfyingly untidy.

"All stories must end so, with the next tale winking out of the corners of the last pages, promising more, promising moonlight and dancing and revels, if only you will come back when spring comes again

Highly recommended, I may gush because I am a fan of Valentes brand of tale but this is her most accessible book yet.. just dive right in. show less