Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Alex Flinn returns to the world of Beastly with her book Cloaked.  Although she doesn't return to the characters from that series, and aside from mention of the chat room for people who have been transformed by a curse, there's not a lot tying the two books together, so you don't need to have read one to jump in with Cloaked.

Instead of just one fairy tale, Flinn tackles four, and weaves them together skilfully.  The story centers around a frog prince transformation, but the main character, Johnny, is a bit of an unusual hero, since he's more of a shoemaker than royalty, and although he's aiding a princess, he's trying to get the frog prince back safely.

The story is complicated when Meg, Johnny's long-time best friend, starts to notice that strange things are happening around the hotel where they work.  And when she seems to know more than she should, Johnny can't help but be suspicious of her.

Wicked witches, curses, transformations, and heroics abound in this story of friendship, love, and loyalty.  Flinn's writing is witty and her characters are fresh and fully realized.  (An interesting side-note: The books are being rereleased with more typical YA covers now, haunted-looking girls striking tragic poses.  Although I recognize that it's a marketable trend, the new covers don't fit the tone or style of Flinn's books at all -- in my opinion anyway.  Her books are funny and playful and adventurous, and the covers are just a little too... tragic romancy.)

This is a great take on some lesser-known stories, so it's definitely one to check out if you're tired of Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty.  It's a lighter retelling, and a fairly quick read as well.  If you liked Beastly, you'll definitely like this one -- maybe even more.  (I liked the book Beastly much more than the movie, so don't let that stop you!)

The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker

The Frog Princess, by E. D. Baker has (it seems only appropriate to say) spawned a full series of prequels and followups, and this is the only one I've read. It seemed a good place to start. Also it's on sale for Kindle right now for only $2.49.

I liked Baker's Wide Awake Princess, so I had wanted to give this one a try and the deal was too much to pass up. It's another quick read, aimed at Middle Grade readers so zippy for me to get through. And rather enjoyable.

Although anyone hearing the premise of the story might get it confused with a similarly-themed Disney feature, the stories are different enough. Yes, the Princess does attempt to kiss a frog and turn him back into a prince, only to have the spell backfire and turn her into a frog as well, and yes, there is a swamp involved, but beyond that the characters and situations are their own.

I really like the magic of this world. Not too complex, but well reasoned and definitely the kind of magical detail that makes for good escapism. My favorite character was actually the witch, Princess Emerelda's Aunt Grassina, rather than the heroine herself, but she was also clearly a good role model for the future queen.

Overall: a quick, enjoyable read. I think I shall look for the sequel at some point, although the story resolved such that I don't have a desperate need to know what happens next.

Glasgow Fairytale by Alastair D. McIver

I am especially excited to tell you about this book because the author, Mr. McIver, has been a long-time member of my fairy tale community on LiveJournal. We've had quite a few talks about fairy tales and folklore, so I am just thrilled to see his storytelling in action here.

The story starts as several fairytales begin to act upon one another, with often hilarious results--as, for example, Reggie King decides to take out Snowy White (in a nicely done gender reversal) to be the bonniest man in Glasgow--and he hires none other than Ella McCinders to get the job done.

I won't give too much away, but I will tell you that this is one of the funniest adaptations I've ever read, mixing stories and rearranging the elements to fit McIver's own Glasgow. I giggled out loud frequently, and the Cinderella ball scene is my favorite every Cinderella dance. Also: Best Frog Prince Ever.

McIver's penchant for telling stories is apparent in his prose, which is excellent for reading aloud. As an American reader, I had to sometimes slow down to read the Scottish dialect, but even then it wasn't so heavy that I had trouble understanding it.

This is only available in America through intermediates on amazon.com marketplace, but it IS available, and for an excellent price for a trade paperback. I highly recommend this for anyone who likes mixed up fairy tales and funny retellings. I hope you'll check it out!

Brobdingnagian Bards: Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales

I was first introduced to the Brobdingnagian Bards with their song "Happily Ever After," in which a princess saves herself from a dragon and dismisses the vain knight who's come to rescue her, all in a lilting, jolly tune.

In days that have long since passed,
There lived a beautiful mahogany lass.
An unmarried and virtuous princess, alas,
She was brave, strong and bold.

Tra la di di hidey ho
Di hidey hey, di hidey ho
Tra la di di hidey ho
Happily ever after.

One morning while riding no guard around,
Armed with sword should trouble abound,
She heard the most horrible sound,
And her nose burned of sulfur.

The sky it darkened, gave her horse a fright.
A dragon swooped as black as night,
Grabbed the princess then out of sight.
Her horse ran frightened home.

The king cried, "All knights be sworn!
Kill the dragon with your swords.
Return me daughter for this reward,
That you may marry her."

The bravest knight in all the realm,
Young, handsome and vain as well
Declared the maid his holy grail
And rode off to rescue her.

The knight he climbed up rugged heights
Snagged a run in his pristine tights
At cavern's shaft, he saw no lights
And heard no sound inside.

The knight called the dragon out.
But only a lady's voice came back.
"I killed the dragon!," the lady shout.
And stepped into the sun.

The princess dressed in scraps of cloth,
Her mahogany hair was all burned off.
A muddy face, the vain knight scoffed,
"Can you clean be for we go?"

The princess still in clothes undone,
Told the knight, "I work alone."
The knight rode lone into the setting sun.
And the princess was happy thereafter.

The Bards note says that the song is based loosely on The Paperbag Princess. In whatever case, it's a lovely little ditty.

So when I looked into it farther, I found that it was on their collection, Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales.

The Bards feature a rather simple sound, reminiscent of what you'd find in a castle hall or tavern in days of yore. And these days, as well, as they mainly played various cons and festivals. (They are no longer together, it looks like, although their music is available as CDs or downloads on amazon and cdbaby.) With simple tunes on recorder, autoharp, and mandolin as a counterpart to Marc Gunn's rich, playful voice, this album makes me want to open an old style tavern with a big hearth, heavy wooden tables, ale, and music. I think it will transport you there, as well.

Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales features fairy tale adaptations and spoofs, along with riffs on Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and other pop culture fun. I hope you'll check them out.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Frog Prince

Ahhh Faerie Tale Theatre. The Disney alternative of my childhood--that paragon of parable, that which probably kept me from believing fairy tales were all about princesses falling in love and little else.

I do love Faerie Tale Theatre, in spite of somewhat dated special effects and an occasional tendency to go for the slapstick comedy. Having said that... The Frog Prince, the first installment in the series, is probably one of my least favorite. As I watch it now, as an adult, I can't help but feel that Robin Williams is just imitating himself. Weird but true.

Aside from that, it's a straightforward re-telling of the story: Princess drops ball in well, frog retrieves ball, Princess goes back on word, father reinforces, Princess throws frog: Ta da! Prince!

This episode suffers from the problem that a lot of the simpler tales in the series do: there's just not enough material and the series is rarely successful in stretching the stories to fit the hour time slot.

However, you can watch it for free on hulu (at least if you're in the U.S.), and the collection is selling for a decent price on amazon.com these days.

(I've chosen to review all the Faerie Tale Theatre episodes separately because they vary so much and cover so many different stories. Also: reading/watching the material for this blog takes a lot of time! I hope you enjoy the slightly more in depth reviews this way.)