Book Blogger Hop #2!

Crazy for Books hosts a weekly Book Blogger Hop! Please feel free to hop around my site to read reviews of current historical fiction for children and teens as well as my recent report on my sighting of Lemony Snicket. Let me know if you visited through the hop and I'll come visit your blog as well.

Book Review: The Wager, by Donna Jo Napoli (Henry Holt & Co., 2010)

Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Donna Jo Napoli's most recent book is a worthwhile addition to the ever-growing number of fairy/folk tale retellings for teens that have been published over the last decade or so. Napoli herself has written a number of novels in this genre, including YA versions of Rapunzel (Zel), Cinderella (Bound), and Beauty and the Beast (The Beast), among others.

The story of The Wager is likely to be less familiar to most readers than those named above. Don Giovanni, a young Sicilian nobleman, seems to have it all. He's the most handsome young man in the town (and well-known for his skill as a lover), he's well-educated, having been groomed to one day be an advisor to the king, and he's rich. But when an earthquake and tsunami caused by the eruption of Mount Etna destroy not only the city of Messina but all Don Giovanni's wealth, he is reduced to stealing and begging on the streets. When a stranger offers him a magic purse that will produce an infinite number of gold coins, Don Giovanni realizes it must be the devil in disguise. But the devil doesn't want his soul; instead he demands the youth's beauty. For three years, three months, and three days, Don Giovanni must not wash, change clothes, shave, or comb his hair. If he does, he will forfeit his soul. Of course, Don Giovanni accepts the wager.

We 21st century Americans are so obsessed with being clean and free of body odors that I never gave much thought to what would happen if a person didn't wash for an extremely long time. Of course we all know the person would be dirty and smell bad. But I never thought about the other problems that Napoli describes in gruesome detail, such as sores which fill with pus, boils, and insects which work their way inside and on top of his body.

As time passes, no human will come near him as he wanders around different regions of Sicily; only his faithful dog, a stray who attaches himself to Don Giovanni on the road, remains loyal. Giovanni is unable to tell anyone why he refuses to change clothes or bathe, and people think he is mad. But in Palermo, he uses his magic purse to buy a palazzo, where he is able to pay to hire servants to tend to his needs (although they don't come too close). Soon he opens his house to all the needy of the area, and even the king hears of his largesse.

King William seeks Giovanni's help to build a new cathedral--Monreale (an actual cathedral and one of the great monuments of Sicily, whose construction began around this time). In gratitude, the king offers Giovanni the hand of his sister. Can Giovanni beat the devil at his own game--and win the wager, allowing him to wed when his sentence is up...and live happily ever after with his beautiful bride?

The Wager is a re-telling of a traditional Sicilian folk tale, Don Giovanni della Fortuna. While the story is not historical fiction in the strict sense, I would call it "historical fantasy,"; although there are supernatural elements in the story, the author has also set it in a very specific time and place (Sicily in 1169), and filled the tale with the kind of attention to historical detail that we would expect to find in well-written historical fiction.

This book delves into many themes we find in folklore, such as the true meaning and importance of beauty, and whether money really leads to happiness. In many ways this folktale echoes some of the themes of Beauty and the Beast in the transformation of the main character; here, as Giovanni becomes more and more sub-human, through his filth and stench, he becomes more and more human in his compassion, charity, and love for others. In the beginning of the novel, Giovanni is not a very sympathetic character; but as he becomes more and more physically repulsive, to himself and others, the reader is drawn into his story and can't help but empathize with Giovanni's loneliness and hunger for human contact.

One aspect of this novel that I found particularly enjoyable was the manner in which Napoli captures in words the many flavors of Sicily, in all its multicultural splendor, including mouth-watering descriptions of the international Sicilian cuisine, the cacophony of languages, the different religions--Muslim, Christian, and Jewish, and even the landscapes.

While we're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, I'd like to draw attention to the dramatic red and black design of the cover; it's a great fit for the dark nature of this story.

For those interested in exploring the original story, a short version of the original folk tale can be found at the Sur La Lune website. A similar story by the Brothers Grimm is known as The Bearskin. An interview with Napoli about this book was published on Fantasy Magazine's blog.

Lemony Snicket and his wife Lisa Brown at the Skirball Museum

I was fortunate to be able to attend a delightful program on Sunday at Los Angeles' Skirball Museum in which Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, and his wife, author/illustrator Lisa Brown, were interviewed by a local journalist in conjunction with the museum's exhibit Monsters and Miracles: A Journey through Jewish Picture Books. This was my third time seeing Mr. Handler in person, but my first time seeing Lisa Brown. I was not surprised to discover that Ms. Brown shares her husband's wicked sense of humor; but I also learned they share an interest in cocktails.

I am eager to read and review Brown's newest book, which was just published in May, Picture the Dead, written by Brown and Adele Griffin. Picture the Dead is a graphic novel/ghost story for young adults set during the Civil War.

Brown also spoke about some of her earlier work, both with and without her husband, which includes How to Dress for Every Occasion, by The Pope, Baby Be of Use, a series of witty instructional board books designed to "teach your precious little angels to be useful at long last. And why shouldn't they help a little around the house?", and How To Be, a picture book. Brown and Handler also shared some very funny bits from their first collaboration together, the American Chickens, a "general purpose magazine," some issues of which are available on-line. These include gems such as a theme issue on how to have a fairy-tale wedding, which offers advice such as "For a Snow White wedding,all bridesmaids and users must be less than 4'1" tall."



Both Handler and Brown discussed some of their earliest influences. Handler mentioned his love for Edward Gorey, and said that his book Blue Aspic was the first he bought with his own money, when he was nine years old. Handler was drawn to Gorey because he "tells dastardly stories where bad things happen."

Handler's own family history explains his fascination with this particular theme. Handler said, "My father fled Germany in 1938 (guess why?) so the stories I grew up with were stories of random calamity. Hiding Place A worked but Hiding Place B was a disaster. Cataclysm finds you randomly..." He also learned the "futility of adults trying to protect children." "I was annoyed at children's books," he added. [The happy endings in these books]"were the opposite of the stories I'd heard growing up."

Brown said that she was a huge fan of Maurice Sendak, and reminisced about writing him a fan letter when she was in high school (to which she got no response). Sarah's Room, written by Doris Orgel and illustrated by Sendak, was her favorite of his books.

They also discussed their joint release from several years ago, The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story. Some of the art from that book is featured in the Skirball exhibit. The art is a combination of hand-drawn (the latke itself) and computer generated. In this story, the poor latke (potato pancake traditionally eaten at Hanukkah) is misunderstood over and over again by different Christmas symbols he encounters in the story...leading to the screams of frustration. However, there is a happy ending, especially for the latke.

Both Handler and Brown have new releases out this fall; under the Lemony Snicket name will be 13 Words, illustrated by Maira Kalman, and Brown will be releasing a Halloween title, Vampire Boy's Good Night.




It wouldn't be a Lemony Snicket event without a Q&A from the audience. Part of the great fun of seeing Handler in person is seeing him interact with his young fans--when he signs books he talks to each child individually, making the experience truly special and memorable for all concerned. And he's always hilarious in his unique deadpan way when he takes questions from kids as well.

If you ever have a chance to see these two in person, don't miss it!

Book Review: Golden Web by Barbara Quick (Harper Teen, 2010)

Recommended for ages 12 and up
Barbara Quick's first novel for teens tells the story of Alessandra Giliani, a young girl in 14th century Bologna who is reputed to have been the first female anatomist. Alessandra feels trapped in the body of a young girl--she dreams of studying medicine at a time when women were burned at the stake for such heresy. Yet why would God have given her such a keen mind if he did not want her to do something with it, she wonders? She's a much quicker student than her brother, who'd much rather go hunting than study Aristotle. Her stepmother is eager to get rid of her least-favorite-stepchild, and sends Alessandra off to spend a year in a convent before her inevitable marriage. But Alessandra refuses to accept the fate society has laid out for her, and concocts an elaborate plot to disguise herself as a boy so that she can study in Bologna.

In a plot twist that reminded me of Yentl, the movie/Isaac Bashevis Singer story in which a young Jewish girl also lusts after learning, Alessandra falls in love with another student, Otto, who shares her boarding house. As they study together, they become attracted to one another--will Alessandra reveal her true identity to Otto so that they can share more than learning?

This was an entertaining book, with many romantic twists that will appeal to young girls. The story emphasizes how few choices there were for young women of the time period even those from well-to-do families. Basically Alessandra could choose to marry or enter a convent. Toward the end of the book, there are some very graphic scenes of Alessandra dissecting animals and a human corpse that I frankly found too much for me (I''ll admit I'm squeamish about these things) and that I had to skip over.

Quick explains in an afterword that "whether Alessandra Giliani really did live is somewhat of a point of academic controversy," since she was unable to find a written record of her in documents before the 18th century. There is little real information on Alessandra, so most of the details of the story are made up. However, the author does provide many interesting period details about the lives in 14th century Italy, in particular the lives of students.

This book is likely to especially appeal to readers who like very independent-minded female heroines, as well as those who are interested in women's history.

Book Review: Stand Straight, Ella Kate: The True Story of a Real Giant by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise (Dial Books, 2010)

Recommended for ages 4-8.

The versatile Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise have penned and illustrated a variety of titles for young people, ranging from picture books to novels to non-fiction. Their newest book, a large format picture book, is based on the true story of a real woman giant, Ella Ewing, who lived from 1872 to 1913. "Most tall tales are made up," the book opens. "But my tall tale is true. I was a giant--a real, live giant." Narrated by Ella herself, the book features delightful illustrations, which evoke a primitive style well suited to the setting, rural Missouri toward the end of the 19th century. When Ella was 7 years old, she started growing at an "alarming rate." Soon she couldn't fit into the school desks, and her father had to make her a custom one. "Stand straight, Ella Kate," say her parents in a rhyming refrain.

By the time she was thirteen, she was almost six feet tall, and life wasn't easy. The story describes how she was selected to give a speech on the 4th of July, but when she stood on the stage to recite, people in the audience yelled out that she was a freak. But Ella keeps growing--and soon a visitor from Chicago wants to put Ella on exhibit at a museum in Chicago, and offers to pay her $1,000 a month--a huge sum in those days. In fact, over the next few years, she travelled the country, appearing in circuses, museums, and a world's fair. She claimed to be 8 feet, 4 inches tall when she finished growing.

Klise and Klise enrich the story with fascinating anecdotes about Ella, including how she appeared on exhibit holding a $1,000 bill in her hand. "Anyone who could reach the money unassisted was welcome to take it. No one ever did." With the money she bought, Ella paid off her parents' farm, and built herself an especially big house, with custom furniture designed for her large size. Her neighbors loved to come and hear stories about all the places she had visited, since this was a period where few people ever ventured more than a few miles from their homes. In the folk-art inspired illustrations, we see Ella with an elephant, a tiger, and the skyscrapers of New York. According to this book, Ella soon missed her traveling, and returned to work as a circus star.

An author's note at the end of the book offers biographical information about Ella, including an explanation of the disease she had, gigantism, which was not understood by the doctors of the day. We learn that Ella died at the early age of 40, and was all but forgotten except for the area in Missouri where she had lived, a community which knew her as the Gentle Giantess.

This book would make a great read-aloud for kindergarten to third grade classes. The story emphasizes how we should be sensitive and respect the differences of others in a way which is not heavy-handed, and children will be fascinated by this tale of a woman who would have towered over the basketball players of the NBA.

For those who would like to know more about Ella, an extensive website is available on "The Missouri Giantess."

In My Mailbox #1

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted at The Story Siren to share books that have arrived in the mail.

I was delighted to get two ARCS in my mailbox this week that I am very eager to read and review for my blog. They are:
The Haunting of Charles Dickens, by Lewis Buzbee (release in November);
Selling Hope, by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, (release in November).
Thanks so much to Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan for both of these.

And my librarian friend who was lucky enough to go from California to BEA brought me two ARCS that were also on my radar:
Annexed, by Sharon Dogar (release in October) and Wildthorn by Jane Eagland (release in September).

Here are the covers:

Book Blogger Hop!

Crazy for Books hosts a weekly Book Blogger Hop! Please feel free to hop around my site to read reviews of current historical fiction for children and teens. Let me know if you visited through the hop and I'll come visit your blog as well!