Max Hamm, Fairy Tale Detective, by Frank Cammuso

Max Hamm, Fairy Tale Detective, by Frank Cammuso. Syracuse, NY: Nite Owl Comics, 2005. ISBN-10: 0972006141; ISBN-13: 978-0972006149. 208 p.

Plot Summary
Max Hamm is a detective in a noir version of Storybook Land. Populated by characters from nursery rhymes and fairy tales, the town is run by Ma Goose and the Grimm Brothers. Hamm (a pig) runs the Hamm & Eggs Detective Agency with Humpty Dumpty. Max investigates the grisly death of his partner and a tale of intrigue involving Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.

Critical Evaluation
A mixture of comic book and graphic novel, this pick will delight reluctant readers who like mysteries. Written in the style of Dick Francis and the Maltese Falcon, Hamm's terrible puns and jokes will make anyone laugh. Example: "My not so hardboiled partner had an accident. When I got the joint, there he was, sunny-side up." The puns work well with the story and aren't overdone. An enjoyable read.


Author Information

Frank Cammuso graduated from Syracuse University in 1987 with a BFA in Illustration. He has been a political cartoonist for the Syracuse, NY Post-Standard for the past 20 years, and his cartoons have also appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and Newsweek. His satire collaborations with Hart Seely have appeared in various publications, including The New Yorker, The Village Voice, Slate, and NPR. The comic book series Max Hamm, Fairy Tale Detective was nominated for the Eisner Award in the category of "Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition." He lives with his wife and family in Syracuse, NY, and blogs irregularly at http://www.cammuso.com/blog/

Genre
Graphic novel, comic book, mystery.

Queen Bee, by Chynna Clugston

Queen Bee, by Chynna Clugston. New York: Graphix, 2005. 112 p.

Haley Madison was always a total geek, until, in 7th grade, she develops psychokinesis. When she moves to a new school, she feels like she can finally be cool. She is smart, funny and finally popular! She sits at the cool table until another girl with the same powers moves in. They constantly compete and sabatoge each other, until a final showdown at the school talent night. Does Haley really want to be one of the cool girls?

Clugston's graphic novel is fast-paced and captures the way middle school girls really do compete with each other. In the end, Haley learns the lesson that popularity isn't everything, and it's better to have friends who like you for what you really are. This was a fun read and will appeal to girls (not boys, sadly) who are reluctant readers.

Additional reviews can be found at Amazon and Powell's Books.

Ibby's Magic Weekend, by Heather Dyer

Ibby's Magic Weekend, by Heather Dyer. Frome, Somerset, England: Chicken House, 2008. 140 pages.

Ibby definitely doesn't believe in magic. But she changes her mind when her cousin shrinks to the size of her thumb! Ibby' cousins discovered an old magic box in their attic. As they play with the box, Ibby hears stories of her Uncle Godfrey, a magician who vanished years ago. Can Ibby and her friends discover a way to make him reappear?

This story is pretty basic. There's no subtext and no underlying themes--it's just a story about magic. I read it for a tween book club I run at my local library, and I worried that the girls in the club would be bored. But when I talked to them, they said they really liked it. I was a little bored, just because there wasn't anything there besides the basic story, but it was a very quick read.

For ages 9-12. May appeal to reluctant readers who have difficulty discerning themes and subtext. Additional reviews can be found here, here, and here.

Princess of the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George

Princess of the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George. New York: Bloomsbury, 2009.

Here's another retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses". This fairy tale tells the story of twelve princesses who are cursed to wear out their shoes dancing every night, and Galen, a former soldier and gardener, who follows them to try to discover their secret. Will Galen be able to break the curse?

Unlike the Zahler retelling, this story focuses on the perspective of Galen, the former soldier. Older tweens may be more interested in this one than The Thirteenth Princess.

This book was selected as one of YALSA's 2010 Best Books for Young Adults. Additional editorial reviews can be found at Amazon.com.

The Thirteenth Princess, by Diane Zahler

The Thirteenth Princess, by Diane Zahler. New York: Harper, 2010.

Zita is the thirteenth princess in a royal family. Cast away to the kitchens when she was born because she wasn't the son and heir her father wanted, she learns who she really is when she is 11 years old. As she gets to know her sisters, she notices that they are starting to get listless and ill. Zita is determined to find out what's wrong. Could it be a magic spell that is causing her sisters to get sick and to wear out their shoes every night?

This retelling of the fairy tale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" is an interesting take on the classic story. It's nice to read a retelling where a young girl does a lot of the work to break the spell that is usually credited to the handsome soldier who eventually breaks the curse. This was a short, fun read, with a little romance thrown in.

Additional editorial reviews can be found at amazon.com. A video trailer for the book can be found at YouTube.

Zel, by Donna Jo Napoli

In this retelling of Rapunzel, love and jealousy play a major role. The characters include a mother who loves her daughter and wants to be together with her always, a girl who is excited to grow up and see the world outside her cottage, and a young nobleman who is smitten with her. What lengths can a mother go to, to keep her daughter safe?

It isn't always the case, but in this particular retelling, the motivations of all three main characters are drawn clearly, and the reader can understand what would lead a mother to lock her beloved daughter in a tower. Just like in the source material, there is a lot of darkness in this story, but it will appeal to any tween who wants more detail than they normally get by reading the basic fairy tale.

A number of editorial reviews can be found at amazon.com.

Awards:
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Best Books
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Books
BULLETIN FOR THE CENTER OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS Blue Ribbon Book
BOOKLIST "Books of Special Note"
American Booksellers Association Pick of the List
American Library Association Young Adults (YALSA) popular paperbacks
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Master List, Vermont
Maine Student Book Award Master List
Voice of Youth Advocates Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror List
Missouri State Teachers Association Reading Circle Selection List
Notable Carolyn W. Field Award, Pennsylvania Library Association
Honor Book YOUNG CRITICS' TOP CHOICES FROM THE LAST SIX YEARS, 1997

Spinners, by Donna Jo Napoli & Richard Tchen

The rumpled man was once able to spin straw into gold--but this gift took everything else he had. Saskia uses her gift for spinning to provide for herself and her father. When Saskia's father boasts to the king that she can spin straw into gold, the circumstances bring the rumpled man to her dungeon. Will the complicated secrets that tie them together save her or kill them both?

This unusual retelling of the Rumplestiltzkin story is written from the point of view of both Saskia and Rumplestiltzkin. Due to some sexual situations at the beginning of the book, as well as its dark tone, it is more appropriate for older tweens, ages 11-14.

Editorial reviews can be found at amazon.com.

Awards:
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An Edgar Allan Poe Award Finalist
Junior Library Guild
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
Carolyn W. Field Honor Book, Pennsylvania Library Association
South Carolina Book Award Master List

Just Ella, by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Like the rest of the girls in the kingdom, Cynthia Elianora dreams of going to a ball and being swept off her feet by Prince Charming. What girl wouldn't want to marry a handsome prince and leave all her troubles behind? But once it really happens, her perfect "happily ever after" isn't anything like she imagined. Her advisers try to mold her into their idea of what a princess should be, and Prince Charming is nothing but a pretty face. As Ella becomes more disillusioned with her life, the stories of a fairy godmother who sent her to the ball persist in the kingdom. Why can't anyone believe she did it all on her own? And who will help her escape her unwanted royal destiny?

This story, with its strong, independent heroine, is a believable retelling of how the Cinderella story may have played out without a magical intervention. It provides an interesting twist on the well-known, well-loved tale.

A detailed review can be found at Greenmanreview.com. Additional editorial reviews can be found at amazon.com.

Awards (list found here):
American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, 1999
A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, 2000
A YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2000
New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, 2000
International Reading Association Young Adult Choice, 2001
Readers' Choice Award for Teen Books Finalist, 2003
A YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults, 2005

Dealing with Dragons, by Patricia C. Wrede

Princess Cimorene is not a proper princess. Her parents, the King and Queen of Linderwall, do their best to teach her all the things a princess ought to know--dancing, embroidery, etiquette--but Cimorene prefers fencing, or cooking, or magic, over the things she is expected to do. Cimorene can tolerate this, until her parents arrange her marriage to a prince. Handsome as can be, he is also humorless and dull. So Cimorene takes the advice of her fairy Godmother and runs away to be a dragon's princess. What happens when an unconventional princess challenges the boundaries others have placed around her? She challenges dragons and wizards as she uncovers a treacherous plot against the dragon king.

With a strong cast of characters and a feminist protagonist, this books is perfect for any spunky tween who doesn't want to be just like everyone else. Anyone who likes fantasy will enjoy reading Wrede's subversion of typical fairy tale tropes.

Other reviews can be found at amazon.com.