I usually skip the forwards to books, but this one caught my attention and now I'm a little perplexed. I honestly don't know how I'd feel about Liesl & Po if I hadn't read the forward. Differently, for sure. Maybe I'd like it just as much. But reading the forward makes the book so much more poignant that even when I noticed something that might irritate me elsewhere - a heap of coincidences, for example - I didn't mind.

Liesl & Po is pure and strange in the way of fairy tales, beautiful even when it's grim, bursting with wonder and deep feeling. The characters aren't fully fleshed but they're vibrantly alive, and the trio of protagonists - the titular Liesl & Po, as well as the alchemist's apprentice, Will - are darling and easy to root for.

The book is about Liesl's journey to lay her father's ashes to rest by her mother's grave - except that, thanks to Will, she doesn't have her father's ashes. Unbeknownst to Liesl, she's carrying a box of very powerful magic. Things move along from there, with a whole crowd of people converging on the Red House, where the grave is located, all at once, and all wanting something. The story is simple but it contains some unexpected revelations - why did Liesl's stepmother lock her in the attic? What is this powerful magic, and how did the alchemist make it? Why is the Lady Premiere so upset by the smell of cabbage? Is Bundle the ghost a dog or a cat?

The book has some unexpected humor as well. Po's grumpiness can be hilarious. One side-effect of the tragic loss of sunlight in Liesl & Po's world is that most crops won't grow, leaving people to subsist on potatoes...which is pretty grim, yes, but I still laughed every time I read about eating a potato donut.

This is a marvelous book, highly recommended for young readers and for adults who want to feel young.