Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Jacob Reckless was just a child when he first found the entrance in his father's study.  Once John Reckless went missing, Jacob felt close to him by being around his things, and one day he simply came to realize the meaning of the inscription on the mirror in the study: The Mirror Will Open Only for He Who Cannot See Himself.

Now it's been twelve years of adventures in a world where Jacob goes treasure hunting for things like gold, invisibility potions, or a strand of Rapunzel's hair, and along the way making friends with shape-shifters, doing business with Dwarfs, and fighting (with or against) powerful Fairies.  Jacob first was just curious about this new world, but soon he found escape from reality and began to crossover more and more until he was hardly ever "home."  One day, when he was in a rush to enter through the mirror, his younger brother Will slipped in after him.  Now Will has been hurt and is transforming slowly (but not slowly enough to save him) into a powerful, unfeeling Goyl -- a being built of stone and driven by violence and loyalty to the king.  What is worse is that it  becomes clear that Will is the legendary Jade Goyl, and is being hunted by the Dark Fairy.

Jacob has long detached himself emotionally, striving only to learn more about the man he lost to this world many years ago, but now he must fight and risk his life to save the only family he has left. This compelling story is recommended to readers of all ages with an interest in fantasy, adventures, fairy tales, or survival.  This is a planned series!

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Return of the Dapper Men by Jim McCann, illustrated by Janet Lee

Wowza.  If the first couple of scenes of Return of the Dapper Men alone don't blow your mind, then you need to return immediately to your childhood and dig around to see if you can find where you lost your imagination, your thrill-seeking sense of adventure, and your appreciation for all things fun and glorious and entertaining . . . for this artistic masterpiece surely incorporates all of those things.  Anorev is a land full of children and machines, until one day 314 dapper men come floating down from the sky and they bring with them something mysterious and a little bit terrifying: Time.  And with time comes growth and discover, and it also brings choice and desire, none of which the children of Anorev have remembered in the timeless years gone by.  The story is thought-provoking and the artwork is simply breathtaking.

Recommended to all ages (physically and otherwise).  "To anyone who ever fell down a rabbit hole, walked to the sidewalk's end, danced a wild rumpus, or followed the second star to the right, may you find adventure, wonder, and a little something from which dreams are made in these pages."

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Calamity Jack by Shannon & Dean Hale

Jack is a self-proclaimed thief and a schemer.  Underneath, he truly has a good heart, wanting to undercut the bad guys in order to help make a better life for his mother, but bad luck is always chasing him and his plans never seem to turn out quite as ... well, planned.  When he purchases some magic growing beans on the street, plants a giant beanstalk, steals the giant's -- his latest, richest, and most powerful mark yet -- magic goose, he also manages to destroy the tenement where he lives, including his home and his mother's bakery.  So as not to wreak any more havoc or cause his mother any more pain, he leaves town ... to the wild west, where he meets Rapunzel.

Jack has always known that he can't rest until he knows that his mother is taken care of, and he wants to make her proud while also impressing his dear Punzie.  But when they return to the city of his birth, he finds that the giants have destroyed everything he's known and loved.  With the help of Rapunzel and a couple of other unlikely heroes, Jack seeks to take down the giant ... and win Rapunzel's heart.

Calamity Jack and its companion story, Rapunzel's Revenge, present an awesome mix of writing and illustration, sure to captivate readers of all ages and interests.

Call number: YA GRAPHIC HALE (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen's rendition of Sleeping Beauty is a harrowing tale to tell. Unlike most of Disney's famous and popular fairy tale interpretations, most of the original tales are far more gruesome and frightening, not meant for very small children to experience, and often have far-from-happy endings.

Becca has been listening to her grandmother's tale of Sleeping Beauty throughout her entire life. Gemma always tells the tale the same way, right up to her death, but by then she insists that she is Briar Rose, a princess who lived in a castle and was woken from sleep by a prince in a faraway place. Gemma's dying wish to her granddaughter is to find the truth in the story. So Becca, always devoted to her grandmother, follows the clues that lead her to Chelmno, Poland. Chelmno was a concentration/extermination camp during World War II, from which no one left alive, so the story goes.

This title is recommended to all those with an interest in twisted or fractured fairy tells, especially those who can appreciate the taste of the originals, as well those who enjoy reading Holocaust and historical fiction. Briar Rose is part of Terri Windling's Fairy Tale Series, which also features reinterpretations of classic fairy tale themes by Jane Yolen, Steven Brust, Pamela Dean, Patricia C. Wrede, Charles de Lint, and others.

Call number: YA YOLEN

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Kyle is your average teenager. Okay, well, maybe he’s a little bit above average. Or, if you ask him, a lot above average – in the looks department, anyway. And in the getting-girls-to-like-you department, and pretty much in the getting-everyone-to-like-you department. Kyle figures he has it all: he’s dating the hottest girl at their super-elite NYC high school, he’s just been nominated for Spring Dance Court (at which he’ll obviously be crowned), and his dad, a big-time news reporter, has more money than he (Kyle) knows how to spend. It’s just that Kyle isn’t necessarily the nicest guy in the world, and when he sets up a fellow student, Kendra, to make a fool of her, she knows that she’ll have to teach him a lesson. Beastly is a very strict retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it never seems to stray from the mind of a true-to-life teenage boy. When Kyle is transformed into a beast (no, really), and his dad can’t fix it for him, he is basically sent into hiding, with only the company of the family maid, Magda, and his blind tutor, Will. Through a series of well-known events, Lindy comes into his life. Now, all Kyle needs to do is make Lindy fall in love with him and get her to kiss him before the two-year deadline. It’s not as easy as it seems, but like all successful fairy tales, how well the lesson is learned by the end of the story is what determines the final happiness of the story characters.

Fans of retold fairy tales will eat this up; for a completely different perspective, try pairing it with Donna Jo Napoli’s Beast.

Recommended for high school readers.
Call number: YA FLINN (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian

Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst

Those who consider themselves to be “mature” readers might roll their eyes a bit when they first encounter Julie’s world, but they will soon be sucked into The Wild with the rest of us despite themselves! On first impression, readers know that Julie isn’t an average girl, but she tries hard to fit in at school and with her friends; only her best friend Gillian knows the truth: that The Wild, the heart of the fairy tale world, lives under her bed. Julie’s mom Zel, her grandmother, her brother Boots, and Zel’s friends Cindy and Goldie were able to escape The Wild over 500 years ago, and The Wild can only regain power if a wish is made at the Wishing Well, which Grandma guards herself. When the worst happens – because, of course, the worst does happen – Zel and all of the other characters get sucked back into their fairy tale worlds, and it is up to Julie to be the hero. Through twists and turns, endless seas, ogres, and magicians, Julie discovers and that the fairy tale world isn’t so happily-ever-after. But along the way, she also discovers some secrets, makes some friends, finds her heart’s desire, and learns what it truly means to be a hero.

This is definitely a story that would appeal most to girl readers in middle school and older. Even if you think that the fairy tale stuff just isn’t for you, you might still find yourself rooting for Julie as she struggles on her journey to reunite her family and find her way home. Chances are you won’t be able to help yourself from reading the sequel, too, Out of the Wild. For another adventure with fairy tale twists, try Michael Buckley's The Sisters Grimm series (Book 1: The Fairy-Tale Detectives was the 2008 Middle Grade One Book New Jersey selection).

Recommended for middle grade readers.
Call number: YA DURST (Teen Room) & J FIC DURST (Children's Room)

Reviewd by kate the librarian