The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1) in Into the Forest

Dec 18, 2011 mark monday rated it really liked it

Shelves: legendarium, fantasy-modern, inbetweenworld

growing up, i loved the Oz books (the Baum ones, at least). i read all of them multiple times - i think there are 14 or so - and have enjoyed rereading them here and there as an adult. i love how the fancifulness and frequent absurdity of Baum's creations are anchored down by prosaic reality. i love their no-nonsense child heroines (and occasional heroes) - precocious but never precious, cute but never cutesy-poo. i love the transparency of Baum's prose, the layering of meaning and metaphor, the growing up, i loved the Oz books (the Baum ones, at least). i read all of them multiple times - i think there are 14 or so - and have enjoyed rereading them here and there as an adult. i love how the fancifulness and frequent absurdity of Baum's creations are anchored down by prosaic reality. i love their no-nonsense child heroines (and occasional heroes) - precocious but never precious, cute but never cutesy-poo. i love the transparency of Baum's prose, the layering of meaning and metaphor, the use of genuine tragedy, the light touch, the wisdom of it all. so it is a happy thing and one of the highest compliments that i can imagine giving when i say that reading Girl Who Circumnavigated brought me right back to that enchanting feeling of reading a classic Oz book.

Valente is a marvel with language. i knew she could write like a mad poet after reading the amazing In the Night Garden; less expected was her ability to smooth down and simplify her lush style so that it is perfectly tailored for a children's novel. it loses no lustre in the transition. reading Valente's prose reminds me of looking through my window at a light rain falling on an otherwise bright day, the sun and water making a painting of the world, images seen through the droplets of rain rolling down glass. lovely!

the character of The Girl Who Circumnavigates is instantly familiar from any number of Oz books - her sensible and at times irritable nature, the depth of her feelings, her forthright way of navigating the places through which she wanders. she is a classic type, but never a tiresome one. her attachment to her new friends is adorable, but never corny or mawkish. i love the brave moments when she considers returning home but almost instantaneously rejects that cowardly path. and when she finally builds that Ship of Her Own Making... my gosh, that was wonderful! much internal cheering ensued.

Valente makes the adventure a pleasure from beginning to end. her use of irony is constant - and sweetly good-humored, never heavy-handed, suitable for kids but thoroughly adult as well. equally sophisticated is her use of symbol and metaphor, her smooth incorporation of various mythologies and mythological creatures, and especially her entirely original conception of the novel's arch-villain - so appalling, so tragic, so understandable. poor child!

and any children's fantasy that features the parallel saga of a brave & loyal Key, a strikingly sinister Shadow of a Little Girl about to run off on its own strange journey, a helpful & industrious Smoking Jacket, two Witches married to an elegant little male Witch/ Wair-Wolf, and most of all a genuinely touching & loveable Wyvern... well, i am that novel's true friend. ...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Danielle The Book Huntress rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: early-to-mid-twentieth-century, audiobook, fantasy, middle-grade-juvenile, dragon, favorites, 2011-reading, faerie, favorite-or-autobuy-author, cats

Reading Catherynne M. Valente is a unique experience. Her writing is full of magic and imagination. It doesn't always make 'sense', but it feels right. The child in me who never grew up, who loves fairy tales, lands of magic, mythical creatures, and folklore, ate up this story like the most scrumptious dessert. I listened to this on audio, and at first, I wasn't sure how well it would work. There are a lot of concepts, and they don't tie together in a straightforward fashion at first glance. If Reading Catherynne M. Valente is a unique experience. Her writing is full of magic and imagination. It doesn't always make 'sense', but it feels right. The child in me who never grew up, who loves fairy tales, lands of magic, mythical creatures, and folklore, ate up this story like the most scrumptious dessert. I listened to this on audio, and at first, I wasn't sure how well it would work. There are a lot of concepts, and they don't tie together in a straightforward fashion at first glance. If other readers are like me, I'd encourage you not to give up on it if it doesn't catch you right away on first listen. Initially, I felt that Ms. Valente didn't quite feel comfortable reading her story. However, that changed, and she seemed to get into the flow of it, using different voices, timbres, and cadences for the various characters. I could feel how much she loved this story she had written, and the characters within.

This novel is one that both kids and grown-ups with a love of fantasy and make-believe tales would love. It's a story of a young girl who is very, very brave, strong-minded, determined, but with a very big heart for a kid (who are considered to be mostly heartless, according to the narrator). She goes to Fairyland on a romp, to escape the reality of a mother who works all the time and a father who was shipped off to war. Feeling alone and too different from the other kids she went to school with, she longs for adventure and a place where normal isn't the ideal. That's when she gets swept off to Fairyland and becomes a champion for this place of magic. And we are along for the journey.

At times, I got a bit confused with the narrative, because it's not exactly a linear story. Fairyland isn't a place that always makes sense, and that could make for strange listening when I was focused on driving or getting where I was going. If the reader embraces that this isn't that kind of novel, it makes for a very satisfying reading experience. Just immersing oneself in this marvelous world where anything is possible is gratifying.

This book is suitable for a young audience, but there are elements that feel pretty sophisticated, if one is older and catches the subtext. Some younger readers might not get all those references, but that's okay. I think it's fine for them to grasp an understanding of the story at their own level. There is some violence and dark subject matter, but the message of self-sacrifice, determination, friendship, and love are very good elements for kids to experience.

At one point, I thought I'd have to take off half a star because of getting lost and things slowing down a bit, but the overall beauty and power of this story requires a five star rating for me. I definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy mythopoeic/folklore-rich fantasy novels, young and older. ...more

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Apr 22, 2011 Mir rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fairy-tale, fantasy

One upon a time, a girl named September grew very tired indeed of her parents' house, where she washed the same pink-and-yellow teacups and matching gravy boats every day, slept on the same embroidered pillow, and played with the same small and amiable dog. Because she had been born in May, and because she had a mole on her left check, and because her feet were large and ungainly, the Green Wind took pity on her and flew to her window one evening just after her twelfth birthday. He was dressed i ...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Danyelle Leafty rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: bookshelf-2011

I cannot do justice to the beauty that is this book. It is one of those books adults need to read, but don't realize, and so it is wrapped up as a children's book. Beautiful. Exquisite. Lovely. ...more

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Sep 10, 2011 Michele rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya

It's got a brave and clever heroine, and a dragon who is also a library. What more could anyone want? ...more

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Dec 06, 2010 Julia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, fantasy, based-on-folksong-myth, fairies-fae-faeries, middle-grade, 50-states-locales-ya-challenge, ya-challenge-8

January is taken by the Green Wind and a flying jaguar to Fairyland from her home in Omaha. There she meets witches, befriends a wyverary --he’s half wyvern and half-library, travels with and sets free Saturday who is a Marid, which is like a djinni, has several run-ins with the Marquess, who has done Evil things, but may not be Evil. Exciting fun and funny things happen in this book. I enjoyed it without loving it.

January offers to get Goodbye the Witch’s spoon back from the Marquess like this ...more

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Sep 28, 2013 Adriel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

This is a delightful, rich, well-written story. I had to read every single word or risk missing some lovely detail. I was devoted to the main character and her fascinating friends. There was an underlying creepy sexual vibe that occasionally made me uncomfortable (the 12 year old September is “ravished”, which in this context means brought to Fairyland by the Green Wind, but left me feeling a little uncomfortable.

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Jun 13, 2012 Kathee rated it it was amazing

Oh, I love this book so very much. It is cute, clever and whimsical. I adore ALMOST every single character I met in this somewhat fractured Fairyland. This is a perfect book to read to your children, it is guaranteed to spark their imagination!! It is about 12 year old September and her adventures in Fairyland, and all the wonderful inhabitants she meets therein.

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