Tag: National Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Cover of World Tales

Happy National Tell a Fairy Tale Day. I’ve been reflecting on my favorite fairy tales when I was young. Some my mother told when I was just a kid: Hansel and Gretel, The Bremen Town Musicians, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. I can still imagine my mom’s voice saying, “Trip-trap, trip-trap, over the bridge.” I had older sisters myself, and it delighted me that the youngest, smallest goat’s oldest brother defeated the troll.

What strikes me now about all three of these tales is that none of them is about romantic love. I admired Hansel’s clever attempt to save his sister and himself by leaving a trail of breadcrumbs, even if that was thwarted by hungry birds. And his cleverness helped save himself when he was caged by the short-sighted witch: handing her a chicken bone when she asked to feel his finger, convincing her he was too thin to eat. Gretel’s cleverness and courage saved the day for both of them: feigning igorance and shoving the witch inside her own oven. In the story I was told, when the witch was defeated, gingerbread boys and girls all around the candy house were released from enchantment and saved along with Hansel and Gretel.

I think I asked my mother to tell me the story of The Bremen Town Musicians over and over. The heroes of this tale aren’t brothers and sisters; they aren’t even the same species, but a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster, all cast off by cruel or uncaring owners. They acted together, raised their voices and drove off thieves to claim their own good home. I remember feeling particular glee in how the cat convinced the thieves there was a demon in the house. In the end, these very different animals became their own family.

Another story I loved, more mysterious and elusive, was The Wild Swans. A princess saves her eleven brothers from a curse that turned them into swans. Her courage and heroism do not depend on swords or battle. She wove shirts out of nettles for her brothers, suffering blistered hands in silence and unable to defend herself from accusations of witchcraft, because if she spoke, her brothers would die. Just as she was led to her execution, her brothers the swans arrived to rescue her, and she threw the shirts over them, breaking the enchantment on them. There was a king who had fallen in love with her and was glad of her redemption. But the great, true love of the story was between sister and brothers. It saved them all, and the silent princess found her voice.

Heroism and courage take many forms. Sometimes, it takes acting together, and finding our voices.

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Book Review: Aylen Isle by Aud Supplee

Happy Tell a Fairy Tale Day!

After too long a hiatus, it’s time to wake up my dormant blog. And what better way than to celebrate some things I love: fairy tales and Aud Supplee’s books.

I’ve enjoyed observing Tell a Fairy Tale Day for several years ( 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024), and this year I particularly want to celebrate Aud’s latest book, Aylen Isle.

An enchanted sword and an out-of-control wand. What could possibly go wrong?

Aylen Isle isn’t a fairy tale retelling, but it has many fine fairy tale elements: a bewitched princess, conjurers and wizards, tree sprites, a forest with magical perils and healing “mother trees,” and an enchanted sword with a quite unusual origin (a stone enters into it, but not in the way you might think). All this in the refreshing twist of a tropical island!

Best of all, Aylen Isle centers on some of my favorite fictional young people: Winnie, semi-reluctant heroine on more than one world; her adorable little stepbrother Mikey (who knows something about magic and multiple worlds); and their friend Kip, aspiring magician. They all have important roles in helping the bewitched princess and preventing their nemesis from bringing trouble to the kingdom of Aylen Isle—or any other world, for that matter. And that’s only part of what they have to deal with!

I’m not alone in my love for Aylen Isle. Kirkus Review calls the novel “A gripping adventure enhanced by a creative plot, lively dialogue, and strong female characters.” (If you don’t mind mild spoilers, check out their excellent full review here.)

And the Readers Choice Awards’ 5-star review calls Aylen Isle, “an imaginative and well-crafted novel, which draws readers into a magical world of adventure and self-discovery. With a well-paced plot, timely-twists and turns, and a relatable female protagonist, the book will keep readers engaged until the very end.” (Their full review has mild spoilers, too.)

Aylen Isle is the third book of  Winnie’s, Mikey’s, and Kip’s adventures together. In my opinion, you’ll enjoy this book more if you’ve read at least Hutra, their previous adventure, first. And really, part of the joy is seeing all these young people grow and deepen over time, so why not start with Frama-12, the beginning of it all?

Read more about Aylen Isle (and the whole series) on Aud’s blog.

I recommend Aylen Isle for fantasy lovers from Young Adult to Young at Heart!

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Book Review: Hutra by Aud Supplee

Happy National Tell a Fairy Tale Day! In honor of the day, I want to celebrate Hutra by Aud Supplee.

“One lefthanded world. Two missing little boys. Three teens must make it right.”

Hutra isn’t a fairy tale or retelling per se, but it is a fine, fun portal fantasy, part of a series with many fairy tale elements: queens and kings, enchantments, wizards, and knights in shining, er, pink armor with magic swords! Check out Frama-12 (available now) and Aylen Isle (when it’s released) for more about those excellent things.

But you don’t need to have read Frama-12 to enjoy Hutra. Just jump right in, and soon you’ll be plunging through a time tear into another world. You’ll get to know some of my favorite young people: Winnie, avid runner and former reluctant general; her friend Kip, aspiring magician; and her adorable little stepbrother, Mikey, who knows something about generals and magic.

The world they jump into seems like Earth, but something is definitely—off. Make that a lot of somethings. Good thing they have young Nor to help guide them in this new world, though he’s more astonished than they are at their arrival. Nor is an animal communicator, and one of my favorite people in the whole series. As Kirkus Review says, he shines: he’s “privileged but principled, rebellious but deeply affectionate.” Nor may be privileged, but he’s not at all spoiled; in fact, he’s a pretty humble young man, driven by curiosity and a passion for helping animals. Which turns out to be helpful when looking for a lost little boy!

You can meet Nor early in Hutra, and also on Aud’s blog, where she’s posted a deleted scene in honor of Hutra’s “birthday.” I like this scene a lot, and I like the rest of the book even better!

Happy belated birthday, Hutra! And happy reading to all.

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Tell a Fairy Tale Day, 2023

Happy National Tell a Fairy Tale Day! I’ve enjoyed blogging in honor of this day for a number of years now, and today I’ll continue that tradition with three notes.

First, a reminder of some Steampunk fairy tales and (at least) one dieselpunk folk tale. Gaslight and Grimm is available now. Grimm Machinations and Greasemonkeys will be available around April 1st and can be pre-ordered now (scroll down past new releases on that page). I’ve read samples of each of the latter two and I’m eagerly awaiting the full anthologies. You can read more about them in my interview with Bernie Mojzes, one of the authors.

Next, Hutra by Aud Supplee is available now: not a fairy tale exactly, but a fine fantasy with animal communication and portals to other worlds – and let’s not forget the “wizard!” I read this book in its infancy, and I’m excited that it’s making its debut. You can read about it on Aud’s blog.

And VT Dorchester’s short story, “Ain’t No Cat” also just came out this month. Though it takes place in the American West, it’s haunted by a creature of Celtic fairy tales: the banshee. I’ve been hearing a bit about this tale for awhile now, and I’m very happy it’s out in print (and pdf). You can read a bit about it on VT’s blog.

Congratulations, Bernie, Aud, and VT!

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Of Ice and Faërie

Since today is National Tell a Fairy Tale Day, which I’ve posted about before, this seems an apt day to share some musing about Faërie.

I woke yesterday morning and found all the trees silvered and gleaming with ice against a luminous grey sky. It struck me like a glimpse into the realm of Faërie.

I gazed and marveled and pondered. I think there’s something true about my waking instinct. Where I live, ice storms are unusual. And where I was born and raised, it was a foreign term; I’m not sure I ever encountered one growing up.

To see every tree and bush, every limb and twig limned with translucent silver is magical. It is strange, and beautiful, and rather perilous. And there lies its kinship with the Faërie realm, which can be all those things.

As the morning warmed, pearls of ice dropped from the trees. Then sprays of pearls showered down, and finally the trees shed melting ice in their own rain.

Now our neighborhood is returned to its more earthly form.

I’m left to ponder. The sense that lingers with me is this: what if Faërie is an alternate world, and in rare, near-miraculous moments, what we glimpse is not a view into that world, but rather where that world emerges and merges with our own.

May you enjoy a sojourn into Faërie with a good tale today.

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