waiting on wednesday (50)

Today I’m participating in "Waiting On" Wednesday, a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Its purpose is to spotlight upcoming book releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Last year was a great one for me in terms of discovering terrific middle grade books, and it’s one of the reasons I’m doing Middle Grade March this month.  Two of the titles I enjoyed in 2012 were the first books in series, though I didn’t realize that at the time.  I’m excited to read more silly-funny fairy tale adventure from Christopher Healy, and traditional portal fantasy (with a pooka!) from Sarah Prineas, author of Winterling.  The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle will be released by Walden Pond Press (HarperCollins) on April 30th, and Summerkin will be released by HarperCollins on April 23^rd.

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 fairy-tale world he created for another tale of medieval mischief. Magical gemstones, bladejaw eels, a mysterious Gray Phantom, and two maniacal warlords bent on world domination - it's all in a day's work for the League of Princes.

"Down through the Way she fell, feeling the wind and the pressing darkness, the dizzy thump when she landed on the bank. She was through. The air felt softer here, the shadows deeper—and the pull of her connection to the land settled into her bones." 

In the Summerlands, time moves slowly, roots grow deeply, and change is not welcomed. But change is needed. 

After defeating the wicked Mor and freeing her kin from deadly oaths made to this false ruler, Fer is now the rightful Lady of the land. Yet her people don't know what to make of their new Lady's strange ways, and neither do the High Ones, the rulers of the magical realm, for Fer is an outsider—half human. 

To prove herself worthy of the Summerlands crown, Fer is summoned to compete in an epic contest where her strengths and skills will be tested and her loyalties challenged. Can she trust Rook, the puck she calls friend? Can she trust herself? If Fer fails, she will lose her land and the Way will be closed to her forever.

What books are you waiting on?

winterling

With some books I develop an instant affinity. I need only see the cover art to realize that it is ‘my sort’ of book. With others, I read the synopsis, and then I think to myself, ‘that sounds lovely.’ Still more books, not quite so lucky, get pushed to the outer reaches of my mind and may never be found again unless I’m vigorously prodded out of my current way of thinking. To give you an idea of what insta-love Cecelia Bedelia-style looks like, please see Exhibit A: Sarah Prineas’ Winterling.

With her boundless curiosity and wild spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn’t belong. Not when the forest is calling to her, when the rush of wind through branches feels more real than school or the quiet farms near her house. Then she saves an injured creature—he looks like a boy, but he’s really something else. He knows who Fer truly is, and invites her through the Way, a passage to a strange, dangerous land.

Fer feels an instant attachment to this realm, where magic is real and oaths forge bonds stronger than iron. But a powerful huntress named the Mor rules here, and Fer can sense that the land is perilously out of balance. Fer must unlock the secrets about the parents she never knew and claim her true place before the worlds on both sides of the Way descend into endless winter.

Sarah Prineas captivates in this fantasy-adventure about a girl who must find within herself the power to set right a terrible evil.

Since I knew that I’d love this book, I asked for Winterling for Christmas (and got it). I should start off by saying that it fully lived up to my expectations. This is an ADVENTURE, all-caps. It’s fairyland and winter and magic and mystery and finding a way to fix the world while remaining true to right and good.

Fer is a misfit, and she knows it. She’s also an orphan, and is somewhat content living with her grandmother until she discovers that another world lies just beyond our own. When she visits that land and finds even more mysteries, nothing will stop her until she’s unraveled it all and done her part to help the wounded and hurting.

Though it is very much a middle grade book as far as content goes, Winterling is an engrossing and excellent fantasy. It reminded me of Emma Bull's War for the Oaks, if that makes any sense. The complexity of Winterling’s magical creatures is part of the reason that it is so engaging – they’re never quite what you’d think (and thus, quite fey).

Prineas’ world-building is also top-notch, and her characterization of Fer, her fearful grandmother and the denizens of the other world are outstanding. I’ll look forward to more of Fer, Rook, and further adventures in other lands the next in this series.

Recommended for: fans of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Ellen Potter’s The Humming Room, those who like middle grade and fantasy (all ages), and anyone who enjoys a brave, feisty hero(ine) who doesn’t hesitate to do what’s right, no matter how hard or how high the cost.

teaser tuesday (75)

It's Teaser Tuesday, a bookish blog meme hosted every week by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here's how it works:

Grab your current read and let it fall open to a random page (or if you're reading on an electronic device, pick a random number and scroll to that section). Post two or more sentences from that page, along with the book title and author. Share your find with others in the comments at Should Be Reading, and don't give anything vital away!

“She wrinkled her nose. It didn’t smell right. Didn’t smell like spring coming, as it had the day before. She rubbed at the goose bumps on her arms. ‘Grand-Jane – ’ she started to ask, all of her questions piling up in the back of her throat.”

p. 25 of Sarah Prineas’ Winterling

waiting on wednesday (13)

I’m participating today in "Waiting On" Wednesday. It is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight eagerly anticipated upcoming releases.

I seem to remember that really good middle grade (MG) books were as rare as unicorns when I was a kid. The thing is, when I look back at a list of ‘favorite’ children’s and YA books from my own past, they almost always fit as middle grade as it is defined today. Botheration! Good news: out in the great, wild world they’re publishing more middle grade fantasy, and that really floats my boat. This one, by Sarah Prineas, looks fantabulous. Winterling will be released by HarperCollins on January 3, 2012.

With her boundless curiosity and wild spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn’t belong. Not when the forest is calling to her, when the rush of wind through branches feels more real than school or the quiet farms near her house. Then she saves an injured creature—he looks like a boy, but he’s really something else. He knows who Fer truly is, and invites her through the Way, a passage to a strange, dangerous land.

Fer feels an instant attachment to this realm, where magic is real and oaths forge bonds stronger than iron. But a powerful huntress named the Mor rules here, and Fer can sense that the land is perilously out of balance. Fer must unlock the secrets about the parents she never knew and claim her true place before the worlds on both sides of the Way descend into endless winter.

Sarah Prineas captivates in this fantasy-adventure about a girl who must find within herself the power to set right a terrible evil.

What books are you waiting on?