Heidi Anne Heiner's Blog, page 119

New Book: Nameless: A Tale of Beauty and Madness (Tales of Beauty and Madness) by Lili St. Crow

Nameless: A Tale of Beauty and Madness (Tales of Beauty and Madness) by Lili St. Crow was released last week. So I'm a few days late on this one! But it sounds like an interesting Snow White retelling which we haven't had that many of recently considering the Snow White boom of the past few years in Hollywood.

Book description:

When Camille was six years old, she was discovered alone in the snow by Enrico Vultusino, godfather of the Seven—the powerful Families that rule magic-ridden New Haven. Papa Vultusino adopted the mute, scarred child, naming her after his dead wife and raising her in luxury on Haven Hill alongside his own son, Nico.

Now Cami is turning sixteen. She’s no longer mute, though she keeps her faded scars hidden under her school uniform, and though she opens up only to her two best friends, Ruby and Ellie, and to Nico, who has become more than a brother to her. But even though Cami is a pampered Vultusino heiress, she knows that she is not really Family. Unlike them, she is a mortal with a past that lies buried in trauma. And it’s not until she meets the mysterious Tor, who reveals scars of his own, that Cami begins to uncover the secrets of her birth…to find out where she comes from and why her past is threatening her now.

New York Times bestselling author Lili St. Crow thrilled legions of fans with her dark paranormal series Strange Angels. Now she has crafted an evocative update of Snow White, set in a vividly imagined world and populated by unforgettable new characters.

New Book: Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff is released this week. This is Shurtliff's first book and has been well-reviewed so far. It obviously draws inspiration from Rumpelstiltskin.

Book description:

In a magical kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone's joke.

But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. Rump discovers he has a gift for spinning straw into gold—as much gold as he wants! His best friend, Red Riding Hood, warns him that magic is dangerous, and she’s right. With each thread he spins, he weaves himself deeper into a curse.

To break the spell, Rump must go on a perilous quest, fighting off pixies, trolls, poison apples, and a wickedly foolish queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—he just might triumph in the end.

New Book: Frogged by Vivian Vande Velde

Frogged by Vivian Vande Velde is released this week. I've lost count of Velde's fairy tale retellings from novels to short stories, she's been doing it well for many years beginning with Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird (Magic Carpet Books).

Book description:

One should be able to say of a princess “She was as good as she was beautiful,” according to The Art of Being a Princess (third revised edition), which the almost-thirteen-year-old Princess Imogene is supposed to be reading. Not feeling particularly good, or all that beautiful, she heads for a nearby pond, where, unfortunately, a talking frog tricks her into kissing him. No prince appears, as one might expect. Instead, the princess turns into a frog herself! Thus launches a funny, wonderfully spun fractured fairy tale in which Imogene wonders if she will be forever frogified.

Bargain Ebooks: Marissa Meyer's Cinder and Scarlet

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles) and Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer have been temporarily discounted, probably this weekend only, to $4.99 in ebook format for Kindle and Nook. My links are to Kindle editions, but you can find them on B&N, too. B&N has their top 1,000 Nook books on sale this weekend only and many are being price matched on Amazon. I'll share them as I see them. There goes my book budget for the month. Darn. :)

Cinder Book Description:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Scarlet Book Description:

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Pottery Barn Kids: Princess and the Pea Bedding

Last year I shared Pottery Barn's Grace sheeting design, which they still have so it must be popular, which has a Frog Prince theme. This year they are also offering the Phoebe design which is Princess and the Pea.

The picture isn't great, but you can see that stack of mattresses. Which I am a sucker for. These also go with the dolls I posted earlier today, but I posted separately since this is decor and those were toys (that can be decor) but we won't quibble.


From the Pottery Barn Kids site:

These storybook-style sheets are big on color, fun and playful princesses. Inspired by the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, they feature humorous scenes in a kid-friendly array of hues and patterns.

This copywriter credits Hans Christian Andersen, bless him/her!

Pottery Barn Kids: Princess and the Pea Dolls

From Pottery Barn Kids: Princess and the Pea Dolls:

The comical tale of The Princess and the Pea has amused children for generations and was the inspiration behind our exclusive dolls. Both feature extra-long, skinny limbs, an embroidered face and a sweet outfit.

14" wide x 4" deep x 30" high

Made of soft linen and cotton jersey with embroidered faces and braided yarn hair.

Dresses are sewn from a medley of fabrics including velvet, felt, percale and ribbon. Ages 2 and up.

I wonder at a copywriter who uses "comical tale" instead of "fairy tale" but perhaps the only thought was of Once Upon a Mattress?




Thanks for sharing, Val!

Bargain Ebook: Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine is temporarily discounted to $1.99 for Kindle ebook format. No, it's not the masterpiece that is Ella Enchanted, but it's a fun book and worth every penny of $1.99 although I already own it in paper.

Book description:

Once upon a time, there was a girl who wanted to be pretty . . .

Aza's singing is the fairest in all the land, and the most unusual. She can "throw" her voice so it seems to come from anywhere. But singing is only one of the two qualities prized in the Kingdom of Ayortha. Aza doesn't possess the other: beauty. Not even close. She's hidden in the shadows in her parents' inn, but when she becomes lady-in-waiting to the new queen, she has to step into the light—especially when the queen demands a dangerous favor. A magic mirror, a charming prince, a jealous queen, palace intrigue, and an injured king twine into a maze that Aza must penetrate to save herself and her beloved kingdom.

New Release: Fearless (Mirrorworld) by Cornelia Funke

Fearless (Mirrorworld) by Cornelia Funke is released this week, the sequel to Funke's Reckless (Mirrorworld). If you haven't read Reckless yet, the Kindle edition is still promotion priced at $2.99. My niece loved Reckless so I imagine Fearless will be on our summer reading list.

Book description:

Jacob Reckless returns once again to the Mirrorworld--filled with profound characters, extraordinary creatures, and epic life-or-death treasure hunts that could only come from the mind of the master storyteller of our generation, Cornelia Funke.

Jacob Reckless has only a few months left to live. He's tried everything to shake the Fairy curse that traded his life for his brother's--legends such as the All-Healing Apple, the Well of Eternal Youth, the blood of a northern Djinn. And yet hope after hope is extinguished. After months of fruitless searching, Jacob journeys through his father's mirror one final time to deliver the bad news to Fox.

But there they hear of one last possibility--an item so legendary that not even Mirrorworlders believe it exists: a crossbow that can kill thousands, or heal one, when shot through the heart. But a Goyl treasure hunter is also searching for the prized crossbow. Jacob must find it first--and somehow convince Fox to do whatever it takes to save him.

Philip Pullman: teach all children fairy tales and Bible verses

From Philip Pullman: teach all children fairy tales and Bible verses:

Pullman, a bestselling author and former teacher, said the children's stories were "vital" for youngsters, claiming they are what they need "most of all" in education.

All children ought to know the most famous tales, he said as he implored parents, teachers and relatives to read or perform them.

He added that families and communities did not tend to sit together and swap stories nowadays, because they are distracted by television and the internet.

Speaking at the Oxford Literary Festival yesterday, Pullman read from his 2012 book of Grimm's fairytales "for young and old" as he joked children should be exposed to stories, "the bloodthirstier the better".

There's a lot more in the article and it promotes Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version, of course, but the message and call to arms is sound.

And it's fascinating that the avowed atheist includes the Bible in the list, but whatever your leanings, it is important to know Bible stories (whether you espouse them religiously or not), Greek and other country's myths, and fairy tales to better understand our Western culture and history.

And I myself cannot recommend Bluebeard and its mates highly enough. Once a kid hits the right age, this is the one I get begged for the most--and it is not forgotten. I recently presented a career night to 16-18 year olds and one of the young women in the audience remembered Bluebeard from when I told it to her when she was 9, half her life ago.

Bluebeard was a hit with all of them, too.

Cinderella Tales From Around the World

Cinderella Tales From Around the World has dropped 10% in price for the paperback edition, the first time it has been discounted on Amazon since it's release in November. Not much of a drop, but better than nothing! Not sure how long it will last but it's there. It remains $39.99 at B&N and elsewhere.