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Hello and welcome! You have been listening to me talk about Fairy Tale Fortnight for months now, and it is finally here!!

This post will be constantly updated throughout the event with links and new information. Every night at midnight EST, the post will be updated with a full schedule of the day's upcoming events. As the posts go live, I will be updating with links throughout the day so you don't miss a thing!

At the bottom of each post will be one of these three pictures: Clicking on one of these pictures will bring you back to this page, to view all the great new updates.

There is also a link-up in an additional post where you can link up your fairy tale related posts for others to read!

Also, Bonnie at A Backwards Story has some awesome stuff happening on her blog this week! When she learned about this event, she not only provided us with a guest post, she spoke with a few of her author contacts about interviews (which will be upcoming) and she is reviewing a new fairy tale on her blog every day of the event. You will definitely want to head over there to see what she's got happening.

I really hope everyone is just as excited for this as I am! Let the Fairy Tale goodness begin!

Sunday April 17:

~ Schedule and Additional Post Link-Up
~ Anahita's Woven Riddle Contest
~ Beauty review at The Book Rat
~ A Librarian Guest Post — Winter's Child at Basically Amazing Books
~ Interview with Jessica Day George and a giveaway!
~ Her Royal Orangeness Guest Post-Tam Lin at The Book Rat
~ Entwined reivew at Basically Amazing Books

Monday April 18:

~ Why Fairy Tales Are Magic ~ a guest post from Zoë Marriott
~ Bound review at The Book Rat
~ Japanese Fairy Tales by Danya at Basically Amazing Books
~ The Healer's Apprentice Giveaway + Fairy Tales in Bruges at The Book Rat
~ Memory Monday: Beauty at Basically Amazing Books
~ Zoë Marriott Prize Pack of Awesome
~ Hush review at The Book Rat
~ Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow review at Basically Amazing Books
~ FIll-in the Blanks with JG at The Book Rat

Tuesday April 19:

~ Jaclyn Dolamore Interview & bookplate giveaway
~ Curlypow's guest post: Beauties and Beasties at The Book Rat
~ TBR Tuesday at The Book Rat
~ Beastly review at Basically Amazing Books
~ Princess and the Hound review at The Book Rat
~ The Uses of Enchantment giveaway from Edie
~ Happily Ever After — Myth... BUSTED with Jennifer AND a giveaway at Basically Amazing Books
~ 'The Red Shoe's at The Book Rat
~ A Kiss in Time review at Basically Amazing Books

Wednesday April 20:

~ Easter Giveaway at The Book Rat!!
~ Prize Pack from The Introverted Reader at The Book Rat
~ Mini-review of Ash + a giveaway! at Basically Amazing Books
~ The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde Guest Post at Basically Amazing Books
~ Wishlist Wednesday at The Book Rat
~ Interview with Donna Jo Napoli
~ Tender Morsels and the dark side — Guest Post at The Book Rat
~ Review: The Swan Kingdom at Basically Amazing Books
~ Review: Rapunzel's Revenge and Princess Academy at The Book Rat

Thursday April 21:

~ Nancy Werlin Giveaway
~ Fractured Fairy Tales with Bonnie at Basically Amazing Books
~ Kiss part 1 at The Book Rat
~ Review: A True Princess at Basically Amazing Books
~ Interview with Alex Flinn
~ Reivew: I, Corinader at The Book Rat
~ Review: Calamity Jack at Basically Amazing Books
~ Midnyte Reader: The Horror of Fairy Tales at The Book Rat

Friday April 22:

~ Mette Ivie Harrison Guest Post and Giveaway
~ Review: Sirena at Basically Amazing Books
~ Review: Princess at the Midnight Ball at The Book Rat
~ Why I Always Forgive My Fairy Tales at Basically Amazing Books
~ Friday Face Off at The Book Rat
~ Interview with Heather Dixon
~ Enna Isilee: How Fairy Tales Changed My Life at The Book Rat
~ Review: Princess of Glass at The Book Rat
~ Review: Zel at Basically Amazing Books
~ Kiss, part 2 at The Book Rat

Saturday April 23:

~ Jessica Day George Prize Pack #2, courtesy of Sierra
~ Short Story Saturday pt. 1 at The Book Rat
~ Groovy Fairy Tales guest post by Jayme at Basically Amazing Books
~ Short Story Saturday pt. 2 at The Book Rat
~ Fables review and giveaway, guest post by Kristen at The Book Rat
~ Interview with Zoë Marriott
~ Kiss pt. 3 at The Book Rat
~ Short Story Saturday pt. 3 at The Book Rat
~ Review: Wildwood Dancing at Basically Amazing Books
~ Mini-reviews: Impossible and Extraordinary at The Book Rat

Sunday April 24:

~ My Unfair Godmother giveaway at Basically Amazing Books
~ Dark Literary Retellings + giveaway from Titania at The Book Rat
~ Kiss, the final part at The Book Rat
~ Series Review: Once Upon a Time at Basically Amazing Books
~ Poetry, Shmoetry at The Book Rat
~ Once Upon a Time Cover Discussion at Basically Amazing Books
~ Interview with Marissa Meyer
~ Book of 1000 Days from Miss Eliza at The Book Rat
~ Review: Princess of Glass guest post with Ems at Basically Amazing Books
~ The Twelve Dancing Princesses guest post with Ems at The Book Rat
~ Once Upon a Time Series Favorites at Basically Amazing Books

Monday April 25:

~ Interview with Diane Zahler + giveaway
~ Review: Cloaked at The Book Rat
~ Memory Monday: Deerskin at Basically Amazing Books
~ Interview with Cindy Pon
~ 10 Awesome FT characters guest post with CSI Librarian at The Book Rat
~ Review: Shadow Spinner at Basically Amazing Books
~ Interview with Elis O'Neal
~ A Kiss in Time: Guest post with Sierra at The Book Rat
~ My Favorite Fairy Tales guest post with Enna + giveaway!
~ Beastly Teaser at The Book Rat

Tuesday April 26:

~ Giveaway: Shadow Spinner
~ Titania's Favorite Movie Adaptations at Basically Amazing Books
~ Alanna: Acrostic Awesomeness + YA FT giveaway at The Book Rat
~ Alanna: Acrostic Awesomeness + Children's FT giveaway at Basically Amazing Books
~ TBR Tuesday at The Book Rat
~ Fairy Tales, Myths and World Building: Between the Sea and Sky
~ Review: The Princess Trio by Mette Ivie Harrison at Basically Amazing Books
~ Sleeping Beauty-Then and Now guest post by Tricia at The Book Rat
~ Fairy vs. Faeri: a guest post by Laura at Basically Amazing Books
~ A Fill-in Game with Elie at The Book Rat
~ Review: Juniper Berry at The Book Rat

Wednesday April 27:

~ Interview with Janette Rallison + giveaway!
~ Juniper Berry excerpt + giveaway! at The Book Rat
~ Guest Review: Rapunzel's Revenge with Kristen at Basically Amazing Books
~ Wishlist Wednesday — Unreleased titles at The Book Rat
~ Guest Review: Cloaked with Sierra at Basically Amazing Books
~ Sleeping Beauty: A DoublClik Editorial
~ From One Book to Another: East of the Sun, West of the Moon at The Book Rat
~ Interview with Victoria Schwab
~ Review: Keturah and Lord Death at Basically Amazing Books
~ Failed it or Nailed it: East of the Sun, West of the Moon comparison at The Book Rat

Thursday April 28:

~ Interview with Carolyn Turgeon + giveaway!
~ 2 Classic Irish Tales, from Mel U at The Book Rat
~ Guest Review: Enchantment from Cynthia at Basically Amazing Books
~ Interview with Mette Ivie Harrison
~ Review: Troll Bridge at The Book Rat
~ Video with Jessica Day George and announcement from The Giveaway Fairy
~ Interview with Sarah Porter
~ Review: Magic Under Glass at Basically Amazing Books
~ Fill-in-Game with Khadija at The Book Rat

Friday April 29:

~ Guest Post with Marissa Meyer: Not Your Average Retelling
~ Mini-reviews: Jon Scieszka at The Book Rat
~ Why Fairy Tales? at Basically Amazing Books
~ Friday Face Off at The Book Rat
~ Guest Review: Tithe by Ammy Belle at Basically Amazing Books
~ Interview with Tia Nevitt
~ Book Journey Guest Review of Cloaked at The Book Rat
~ Book Journey Giveaway at Basically Amazing Books
~ Review: The Mermaid's Mirror at Basically Amazing Books
~ Review: Castle Waiting at The Book Rat

Saturday April 30:

~ Interview with Elizabeth C. Bunce + giveaway
~ Opening lines for the Faery Reel at The Book Rat
~ Short Story Saturday 2 at The Book Rat
~ Fairy Tales I Can't Wait to Read at Basically Amazing Books
~ Review: Daughter of the Forest at The Book Rat
~ Fill-in Game with Maureen McGowan
~ Review: The Sister's Grimm at Basically Amazing Books
~ Silly interview with Misty
~ Silly interview with Ashley
~ Little Red Riding Hood Video Project
~ End credits/THANKS!

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly is a vivid and captivating book filled with feeling. If you haven't yet read anything by Donnelly, I seriously think you are missing out, and I strongly recommend you fix that. Now.

Revolution is the story of Andi, an intelligent, talented girl who should have her whole future ahead of her. She's always been smart, has done well in school and is a gifted musician — able to play guitar and write her own music. But, her younger brother died in an accident about a year ago and Andi blames herself. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt, Andi loses focus on everything but her music. Her mom is immobilized by grief, scarcely able to function, and her dad, who has never been around much, retreats even further.

When her father forces her to accompany him to Paris, as a way to rescue her slipping grades, Andi is angry and can think of nothing more than getting back to New York. But then she discovers a journal, hidden in a guitar case that might date back to the French Revolution, and her world changes.

I was blown away by this book. The writing is intense and powerful, and Andi's pain practically screamed from the pages. Her depression and detachment from life was so real, and so perfectly portrayed that I found myself experiencing everything right along with her. But even more than just experiencing it with her, Andi was so well written, and so real a character to me that I found myself knowing how Andi would feel or react to a situation as it happened, before we, as readers, were given her reaction. I knew her. I don't think I've ever felt such a strong connection to a character before, but it was thrilling.

The only thing that really reaches Andi is her music and this is where she goes when life becomes too much for her, often playing her guitar until her fingers bleed. She is constantly listening to music, both classical and contemporary and she lets that heal the outward hurt. Nothing can touch that empty place inside her, but she seems content to let that fester, although that 'contentment' might be more a side effect of the anti-depressants she eats like candy than anything real on her part.

It was powerful watching Andi struggle between life and death, both metaphorically and realistically. There is more than one aborted suicide attempt, and they start right at the beginning of the story. She isn't sure if she wants to die, but she also isn't sure she wants to continue living.

Her experiences in Paris help to open her eyes to life, and help her to understand that although her grief will always be a part of her, it does not have to completely define her. Both the journal she discovers of a young girl living through the French Revolution, and Virgil, a boy she met while joining a local band for a few songs help to bring Andi back from the depression she's been drowning in.

I liked the sections with the journal. It was well written and engaging, but Alexandrine was never a real person for me the way she was for Andi, and the way Andi was for me. I don't mean to be derogatory toward them at all, because they are an essential part of the story, and still beautifully written. But, they were always sections of a journal, fascinating, but removed from me. I doubt I would have paid as much attention to this if my connection to Andi hadn't been so strong.

Virgil was wonderful. Although he doesn't have a lot of actual face time throughout the story, he is in no way a minor character, but neither is he the focus of the story, which was nice. (I'm a little bored with the books right now that seem to be all about the romance, even when other points should be more important. Virgil was great and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. It was pretty realistic. They met, and are attracted to each other. Andi does think about him a lot over the next few days, but isn't obsessed, and doesn't believe herself to be in love. He's just on her mind, because it's a new-almost relationship.

This book was almost perfect. The only reason I'm not calling this book Basically Amazing is because of climax. It's the part of the summary that reads, "on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present."
Take from that what you will/what you can. I won't spoil it for you. I had my thoughts on what that might mean when I picked up the book, and was a little disappointed to realize which of my theories was correct. It didn't work quite as well for me as the rest of the story.

However, Andi is one of the strongest characters I've ever come across, and this is most definitely a book I'm going to have on my 'keep forever' shelf. It deserves to be read again and again, because I imagine there will be new things waiting for me every time.

*UPDATE — This is one of those books that refuses to let go of a person. So... I'm updating my previous rating from Loved it, but to BASICALLY AMAZING!:) Seriously — GO READ THIS BOOK!!

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

Please help me welcome Alexa to the blog today! She is our third Memory Monday guest! And, because she loves the book she's talking to us about so much, she is going to be giving a copy away!!

Hi Everyone!
I'm Alexa, I'm a 20 year old college student studying to get a Bachelors Degree in Nuclear Medicine. I normally get blank looks when I say nuclear medicine so basically it is just a fancy title for the techs that take MRI, CT and PET scans. I love to read YA books and Adult Romance so I started a blog to share my opinions with others out there who love to read. I started my blog, Pages of Forbidden Love, back in August and I'm amazed and how many great people I have already met through my blog. The blogging community is full of great people with new things going on all the time. My book wish list is now miles longer since I now read so many great reviews for all sorts of books that I would have never even thought of reading before.

As part of Memory Monday I would like to share one of my childhood memories with you, I promise it has to do with books. When I was little, try first and second grade I really didn't like reading. I've always been a math and science person but I hated reading. Obviously this is a huge problem because when you are in first and second grade you need to learn how to read and it is a big part of your education. It was so bad that I had to stay after school with my teacher for her to spend extra time teaching me how to read.

Through the extra time spent with my teacher I learned how to read but I still didn't like it all that much. All of a sudden between 8th and 9th grade I started to go to the library to check out books from them and slowly I started to find books that were great for me. I feel that every person can be a reader, they just have to sometimes get through some genres that aren't for them before they find ones that they really enjoy.

One of the first books that I became hooked on was Battle Dress by Amy Efaw. The story is about a girl named Andi who wants to escape her family live so badly that she wants to go to West Point Academy to join the military. The story has a great group of male characters that in a weird way accept Andi even though she is one of the few girls in their Platoon. This story is a great story about a girl making it in a "man's" world. I personally love this book and I have read it at least 4 times. However, this book sadly seems to go unnoticed in the book world. Even though I am not a huge fan of the military I think this is a book anyone could read and love, who doesn't love a strong female who could be a good role model for younger girls. This book is about so much more than just West Point or the military, I hope that more people will read this book, give it a chance, what do you have to lose?

Giveaway:
In order to try to get more buzz going about one of my favorite books I'm going to be giving away a copy of Battle Dress by Amy Efaw. I will be giving away the newest reprint which is the black cover featuring Andi that I posted above.

Rules:
This giveaway is open to US Residents only. The giveaway will run from today, Feb 14th until Feb 28th at 11:59 PM.
The winner will be announced within one week of the giveaway's end date.

How to Enter:
~ Leave a comment on this post with your email address

Extra Entries:
+1 Follow Ashley's blog (Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing!)
+1 Follow my blog Pages of Forbidden Love
A huge thank you to Ashley for letting me be a guest on her blog.

Thanks again for being with us today Alexa! This is a book that's definitely going onto my wishlist!
If you would like a chance to be a guest blogger for Memory Monday, fill out this form, or send me an email!

Saving Francesca is the second book by Melina Marchetta that I have read, and I must say — I'm reasonably certain that this woman is completely brilliant. The only reason that this book isn't 'Basically Amazing' is because I read Jellicoe Road first. And that book, well... That book simply blew my mind.

Francesca is having a really bad year. She has attended the same all girls school for years, but it is only for girls up to year 10. All of her friends are going to one school, while Francesca has to go to St. Sebastians, which used to be an all-boys school and they think that just because they gave the few girls who now attend their school their own bathroom, that makes them co-ed. If that wasn't bad enough, her mom, who has always been full of life, energy, ambition, and action no longer even gets out of bed. Her dad doesn't know how to handle it and her younger brother is scared, and Francesca is scared too, and depressed. It definitely doesn't help that she doesn't have any friends at this school, and that the few girls she recognizes from her old school are all... weird.

Tara is the loud mouthed feminist demanding equality in everything on campus. Sibhoan was Francesca's best friend in year 7 (I think), but they haven't been friends for a while, and everyone is pretty sure Sibhoan is a bit of a tramp. Justine is nice, but strange. She's a musician, and she plays the accordion. Then, there's Will. She's not quite sure how she feels about him, but he's definitely attractive, even if he can be a bit of a jerk. But, there's definitely a something there. Then, a couple boys in her year, Jimmy and Thomas (Tom) start popping up, and she can't seem to get away from anyone.

This book is awesome. Marchetta really knows how to write a book and give you amazing characters that you are rooting for. What I had previously heard about this book made it sound almost light-hearted. I knew that Francesca was in need of saving, but thought that had more to do with being one of a very few girls in what used to be an all boys school. The blurb on the book wasn't very informative, and really, I picked this one up because I so loved Jellicoe Road and wanted to see if this author was a really great writer, or if Jellicoe Road was just a one time deal. And people, it wasn't. Marchetta is awesome!

The depression was handled very well. Francesca's mom just can't do it anymore. She can't get out of bed, doesn't want to eat and is so completely unlike herself that no one knows what to do. And it really weighs on Francesca and for most of the novel, she is really depressed as well, although she is still functioning, and she puts a brave face on.

Although the story is done wonderfully, what really makes this book shine is the characters. Every single character in this book was well developed. I cannot think of a single stock character. Everyone had their own parts to their story, their personality and their role in Francesca's life, and I loved them all. Although, I am going to admit that even by the end, I wasn't completely won over by Will. He's a good guy, but I'm not yet totally convinced that he's great. Love them or hate them, each of the characters had an their own unique and important part to the story. Some of the characters add to her depression, many of them are doing what they can to lift it, and others don't even notice.

Francesca has been insecure about a lot of things for a while, in large part due to the stifling effects of her former 'best friends'. It was one of the constant points of contention between her and her mother, while her mother was still a powerhouse of whirlwind energy. The new group of friends that Francesca joins up with help pull her out of that insecure place, and I loved watching her grow into her skin, accept herself, and totally rock it. I also loved learning about their previous family dynamic, how close everyone was with each other, even when they fought, and how much Francesca loved and cared for her younger brother. It was hard watching them suffer with their current situation, and struggle to get back to where the used to be. That is something that it took the family a long time to learn. Even if mom does start getting out of bed again, things are never going to be the same as they were before. There is always going to be a difference.
There was one scene, at the end of the novel where everything becomes too much for Francesca, and she 'overloads'. I won't give you details, because this is a critical part of her story, but my heart was racing in my chest and caught in my throat as I waited to see what she would do, and how she would handle herself. Those girls and guys that she spent the beginning of the story at a casual distance to become an extended part of her family. If everyone could have friends like these to support and care for them, and a family that, overall, really is there for them the way that Francesca's family is there for both her and her mom, I think the world would have a lot less problems, and people would be a lot less dysfunctional.
There are really powerful messages of friendship, family, trust and love contained in these pages. I almost don't like the cover of this novel, because it, like the back excerpt, imply a light-hearted read when in reality, this book is so very much more.

Seriously people, do yourselves a favor, and read this book.

I'll be posting my actual review of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson soon, but I wanted to share a few of the links from fellow bloggers who are shouting out about this Wesley Scroggins mess. I posted some of my thoughts, but I still fume about it every time I think about it. There's so much to be said on this topic, and most of it has been said at one point or another by different bloggers and authors from all over.

So, here is a list compiled by Natalie at Mindful Musings. I can only imagine how much time and effort went into contacting everyone and gathering all this information, and I thank her for it, because it makes it so much easier to find.

Bloggers Speak Out is a movement sparked by the recent article, "Filthy Books Demeaning to Republic Education " by Dr. Wesley Scroggins that was published in the Springfield, MO News-Leader on September 18th. In this article, Scroggins vehemently advocates the censorship of books in schools, and specifically requests that the following books be removed from the Republic school system: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. To show our support of these authors and to fight against book banning and censorship, we have decided to take action and speak out.

Below is a list of links of bloggers speaking out against book banning and censorship--in the form of giveaways, posts, and reviews. Some are "officially" participating in what we're calling Bloggers Speak Out, and others are posts that we've found around the blogosphere. If you get time, you should definitely check them out!



Giveaways of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
**All giveaways will end on 10/3, unless otherwise noted**
Papercut Reviews Braintasia Books Escape through the Pages Tina's Book Reviews Sea of Pages Mrs. Deraps Reads Moonlight Book Reviews Cari's Book Blog Just Your Typical Book Blog For What It's Worth Wondrous Reads (Ends 9/27) Frankie Writes (Ends?) The Elliot Review (Ends?) The Bookologist (Ends?) La Femme Readers

Other Giveaways
**All giveaways will end on 10/3, unless otherwise noted**
-Lisa Schroeder: ARC of The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (Ends 9/23) -Will Write for Cake: Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Slaughterhouse Five -Mindful Musings (here): Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Slaughterhouse Five -Teens Read and Write: Win The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian -Mundie Moms: Win Speak, Burned, Twenty Boy Summer, or The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Ends 9/26) -Wicked Awesome Books: Win a "Filthy Books" Prize Pack -Carol's Prints: Win Speak and The Mockingbirds -Myra McEntire: Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Harry Potter -The Bookish Type: Win Speak or Twenty Boy Summer -Bea's Book Nook: Win Speak & an ALA Challenged Book (Ends 10/2) -Sarah Ockler: Win a Wesley Scroggins Filthy Books Prize Pack (Ends 10/1)

Other Posts Against Book Banning and Censorship
Braintasia Books Escape Through the Pages As Told by Jen Aine's Realm The Compulsive Reader Once Upon a Bookcase Daily Dose Speak Loudly Book Drop @ Late Bloomer Online A Life Bound by Books Red House Books Frankie Writes Michelle's Bookshelf I Should Be Writing The Undercover Book Lover Punk Writer Kid Lisa and Laura Write Between the Covers Another Book Junkie Jenni Elyse Eve's Fan Garden The Ultimate Dumpees Reading the Best of the Best The Pirate's Bounty Reclusive Bibliophile Book Faery Bloggers Heart Books Book Swarm Fantasy 4 Eva The Ladybug Reads The Lady Critic's Library Emilie's Book World Jacob's Beloved Just Your Typical Book Blog Maggie's Bookshelf Basically Amazing Books Novel Thoughts Random Ramblings Holes in my Brain Readligion Vision Quest Fail Shelby Barwood Supernatural Snark Consumed by Books Ann Marie Gamble The Darker Side of the Fire Katie's Book Blog Sassymonkey (BlogHer) GreenBeanTeenQueen Jessica Lei Maria Romana Abby Minard The Mimosa Stimulus Books and Things Beyond the Trestle

Authors Speak Out
Laurie Halse Anderson: This guy thinks Speak is pornographic Laurie Halse Anderson: The power of speaking loudly Author Gayle Forman @ Eve's Fan Garden Author Saundra Mitchell @ Eve's Fan Garden Karen Rivers Sarah Ockler: I Speak Loudly for Speak Sarah Ockler: On Book Banning Zealots and Ostriches Author Laura Manivong @ Page Turners Cheryl Rainfield: Fight Against Ignorance Myra McEntire: Speak Loudly: In Defense of Laurie Halse Anderson Andrea Cremer: Speak Out Natalie Standiford on Censorship @ Emily's Reading Room

Important Articles on the Subject
"Filthy Books Demeaning to Republic Education" (the article that started it all) Scroggins' Official Complaint to the School Board (PDF) "Republic School Book Choices under Fire " (Springfield News-Leader) Laurie Halse Anderson's Editiorial in the Springfield News-Leader Sarah Ockler's Editorial in the Springfield News-Leader Natalie @ Mindful Musings' Letter to the Editor in the Springfield News-Leader Essay: Kurt Vonnegut's Thoughts on the First Amendment
Thanks to everyone who has spoken out about this. It's not something that will be going away soon, but it's something that we can fight a little better every day. We can make progress. We can make a difference. Speak out, and don't ever let anyone else do your thinking for you.

Earlier today, we had a lovely guest post from author Zoë Marriott, in which we hinted at a delicious little prize pack for you that has Ashley and I drooling...
Check it out:

The Swan Kingdom

When Alexandra’s mother is slain by an unnatural beast, shadows fall on the once-lush kingdom. Too soon the widowed king is entranced by a cunning stranger — and in one chilling moment Alexandra’s beloved brothers disappear, and she is banished to a barren land. Rich in visual detail, sparked by a formidable evil, and sweetened with familial and romantic love, here is the tale of a girl who discovers powerful healing gifts — and the courage to use them to save her ailing kingdom. ~&~
Shadows on the Moon

Suzume is a shadow-weaver. She can create mantles of darkness and light, walk unseen in the middle of the day, change her face. She can be anyone she wants to be. Except herself.
Suzume died officially the day the Prince's men accused her father of treason. Now even she is no longer sure of her true identity.
Is she the girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama? A lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens? Or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands?
Everyone knows Yue is destined to capture the heart of a prince. Only she knows that she is determined to use his power to destroy Terayama.
And nothing will stop her. Not even love.

***Giveaway***
1 lucky winner will win a signed paperback of The Swan Kingdom AND a signed ARC of Shadows on the Moon!
To enter: AND leave a comment answering this question: If you could retell any fairy tale, what would you retell and why?
+ 1 for spreading the word and/or commenting on Zoë's guest post
Ends May 5th May 8th!
Open Internationally!

Please note: this giveaway is available on The Book Rat and Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing. Only one entry is vaild; multiple entries will be deleted.
Good luck!

The Uses of Enchantment
Bruno Bettelheim

Bruno Bettelheim was one of the great child psychologists of the twentieth century and perhaps none of his books has been more influential than this revelatory study of fairy tales and their universal importance in understanding childhood development.

Analyzing a wide range of traditional stories, from the tales of Sindbad to “The Three Little Pigs,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “The Sleeping Beauty,” Bettelheim shows how the fantastical, sometimes cruel, but always deeply significant narrative strands of the classic fairy tales can aid in our greatest human task, that of finding meaning for one’s life.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thanks to the lovely Edie @ Silence in the Library, we have a copy of The Uses of Enchantment to offer 1 lucky winner! (Thanks, Edie!) This book is a must for the truly fairy tale obsessed (yes, Misty has read it...) .
To enter, fill out the form below.
Please note, this giveaway is on The Book Rat and Books From Bleh to Basically Amazing — please only enter once; multiple entries will be deleted.
Ends May 5th May 8th!
International
+1 for spreading the word

To kick off Fairy Tale Fortnight in style, we have a fun little contest and giveaway courtesy of Meghan Nuttall Sayres, author of Anahita's Woven Riddle. To enter to win a copy of Anahita's Woven Riddle* simply correctly guess which country this beautiful carriage comes from:

So take a good look, and then go fill out this form.

This contest is being hosted by both The Book Rat and Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing, so to ensure we don't have a lot of accidental double entries, we are requiring that you leave a comment on the blog that you entered from.

Contest is INTERNATIONAL.
Must fill out the form above and comment on this post. Please make sure to only enter once!
+1 for spreading the word
Ends May 5th May 8th!

*There was a little bit of an oops with Meghan, who is currently out of the country. So winner will have their choice between a copy of Anahita's Woven Riddle that was accidentally signed to "Misty" or a clean, unsigned copy, provided by Misty. Please indicate in the form which you'd prefer.

I don't usually do a Mailbox-eqs post, partly because I don't usually get a ton of stuff, but mostly because I just... don't. But, this last week I got so much awesomeness that I just can't keep it all to myself, so I'm going to share it!:)

I participated in a blogger Secret Santa exchange, and my Secret Santa (Margot from Joyfully Retired) was made of awesome. I got a box which included a really pretty purple journal, a hardback copy of Revolutionby Jennifer Donnelly (in my blog for my review -loved it!) and a book called How to Plant a Tree. Each was individually wrapped, which is always lots of fun. I opened the tree book first, which I admit threw me for a minute, but then I opened the journal, which I included in a list of wants on a Chronicle Book list a few weeks back. I remembered that I had also linked a photographic coffee table volume of trees, with the aside, I seriously love trees. It's amazing how much thought she put into what to get me, and it definitely makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Basically, it was just amazing.:)

Then, as if that wasn't great enough, today I got 7 packages in the mail. In fact, my packages were the only mail that came today. We didn't even get any junk mail! 4 of those contained tour books, which I never bother mentioning, because I figure the reviews are usually up within a few weeks, so whatever, but the other three packages were all mine, and most exciting.

The first was a box from amazon, filled with books I've wanted for a while that I bought to get free shipping for my little brother's Christmas present. (I spent at least 15 dollars more than I would have spent on shipping, but I got new books!:) ) I bought Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdhal, The Thief and The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner, and The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DePrau. Yay for books!

A while ago, Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner had a birthday giveaway, and I won a journal. I love journals. When I was in high school, I wrote in them all the time. I filled 9 journals in 2 years. I can't promise that anything I said was at all interesting, but I was definitely diligent. I admit that now I seem to like the idea of a journal better than the actuality, but I still can't seem to stop buying/obtaining all these really pretty journals. I got my new journal today, and it's lovely. The pages don't have lines, which is, I admit, a potential problem, but there are really pretty flowers placed throughout the book, so I think I might turn it into something special, rather than the mundane ramblings of a potentially crazy person.;) Also included in that package was an 'Old School Ledger'! How cool is that?! The front has to-do lists with perforated edges, the middle looks like a way to track money, and the back is a lined notebook! I'm totally excited for it, and kind of wish I was cool enough to have something official to use it for.:)

And finally, the package I was the most excited for. Antony John had an awesome giveaway on his blog the other week, and I won!! I received a personalized copy of his novel, Five Flavors of Dumb, which I have wanted to read for a while now. It looks really interesting. And, I also received an ARC copy of Where She Went by Gayle Forman. This book has been eating at me for a while now, I want to read it so bad, so I was ecstatic when I found out I had won. Both books are definitely on my radar, and now they are mine! Mwa hahaha!;)

I'm so incredibly excited about everything that I got this week, I can't even handle it! It's beyond amazing. BooYa!

So, I feel like everyone has at least one book they read as a kid that was way too old for them, but was totally awesome anyway.

Mine was Vertical Run

by Joseph Garber. My aunt left it behind after she stayed at our house for a visit when I was somewhere between 12 and 14. Knowing I was always needing something to read, my mom let me keep it without really knowing what it was about. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to anyone younger than 16 or 17. Not because the book is hugely inappropriate. It's not. It's just very violent and has a lot of very foul language (some of those people are very creative, especially for a 12 year old). This is the book that introduced me to conspiracy literature.

The whole book is about a highly trained group of huge muscle bound mercenaries trying to kill a middle-aged Vietnam vet inside his 50 story office building. As his specialized combat training begins to return, he fights back and serious amounts of mayhem ensue. Dave is our main character and it was fascinating to follow his interactions with Ransome, the main 'bad guy' (or is he?...) . This book takes place within a roughly 24-hour time frame, and with only a few exceptions, happens entirely within one 50 story office building. Dave has to stay a step ahead of them in order to survive and he has very limited resources. He has no idea why they are after him. All he knows is that they seem to possess incredible amounts of power and authority and that they have managed to bring everyone he knows and cares about on their side. With no one to turn to and no where to run, Dave must find the tools to stay alive while also trying to unravel the carefully hidden secret that will explain why everyone around him seems to suddenly want him dead. Ha, and you thought your day sucked.

Interspersed throughout the book are flashbacks to Dave's younger years, both growing up and the time he served in the military. Each segment is a lead in to a skill or ability Dave has learned that will allow him to escape and survive yet again. They were a lot of fun, and never felt clunky or forced. I also loved Dave's snarky inner voice. It isn't really Dave and it isn't really a separate person either. It's more a blend of the two. This inner voice is about as close as you can come to hearing voices without actually being considered crazy... (Perhaps.)

I've reread this book many times and will undoubtedly read it again in the future. It comes really close to a basically amazing review, and I loved it, but I don't love the ending. We do end up discovering why everyone wants to kill poor Dave. But, I feel like the author took the easy way out. The way we (and Dave) obtain the information is plausible, but not quite in character and felt like Garber just really needed a quick way to end it. (a la Ransome ex Machina)

Now that you know my 'under-aged' favorite, please share yours! Leave the book that you knew you shouldn't be reading but loved anyway in the comments section. Share what you liked about it then, and what you think of it now, if you have reread it.

Eilis O’Neal’s debut novel, The False Princess, isn’t directly based on a fairy tale, but has that “feel” to it as you read. It’s about a princess who finds out that for the past sixteen years, she was a decoy for the real princess, who had been cursed at birth. It’s the complete reversal of tales where young maidens discover that they are princesses. Full of its own magic and lore, this novel has already been nominated by The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) for its annual Teens’ Top Ten Award. For a review of The False Princess, please visit A Backwards Story or Books From Bleh to Basically Amazing

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1) What were your favorite fairy tales growing up? What drew you to them?
I loved Beauty and the Beast and The Snow Queen. The first because I liked the fact that Beauty saw through the Beast’s exterior to his inner self, and the second for its atmosphere. And, though I wouldn’t call it one of my favorites, I had a very strong reaction to Bluebeard. We had a book of one-hundred fairy tales, which my mother would read to me from, one a night, and I don’t think I slept for two nights after hearing Bluebeard for the first time. I can still recall the picture that went with it of the wife opening the door, and it still makes me shiver. It frightened me and creeped me out, and I would read it whenever I wanted a good scare.

2) Did any fairy tales influence you when writing THE FALSE PRINCESS?
In a way, you could say that all the fairy tales in which common girls either become princesses or in which princess are raised in obscurity as common girls influenced The False Princess. Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are probably the two most famous of these types of fairy tale, though they certainly aren’t alone. Having grown up with their stories and having had them in my imagination for so long is part of what made me ask the question that lead to The False Princess: What if you grew up thinking you were a princess and then found out you weren’t? I wouldn’t have gotten to this reversal without first having read it the other way around.

3) Was it hard coming up with your own lore when you began world-building for TFP? How did you bring everything together?
It’s always such a balance when you’re world-building. With The False Princess, there are quite a few elements of the world—the oracle of the Nameless God, the way magic works, the tension between commoners and nobles—that are essential to the plot. The reader needs to understand them and how they work to really get into the book. But TFP also has heavy doses of mystery, adventure, and romance, and so the pacing has to move along at a pretty good clip. So it was sometimes a challenge to balance fleshing out the world and its rules and keeping the book moving. I want the information to be there, but in a way that feels natural and keeps the book going, rather than a ten page diatribe on exactly how magic functions in Thorvaldor. So that was what I tried to concentrate on: getting the needed information into the book in a natural way.

4) What are some of your favorite fairy tale inspired novels and/or authors?
I love Robin McKinley’s Beauty—I’m still so jealous of the Beast’s library in that book, which contains books that haven’t been written in Beauty’s time. Edith Pattou’s East, which retells East of the Sun, West of the Moon, has a prime place on my fairy tale shelf. Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow’s anthologies of fairy tale retellings (the first one is Snow White, Blood Red) are must-reads. Shannon Hale’s The Goose Girl is a favorite, and recently, I’ve gotten really attached to Malinda Lo’s ASH, which is a very powerful and wonderfully written twist on Cinderella.

5) If you could live out any fairy tale, what would it be and why?
Probably Beauty and the Beast. It has so many elements that appeal to me: the enchanted castle, the mysterious curse, the slow building of trust and love between two people. And, of course, in many modern retellings, a girl who loves books!

6) Will you be writing any more novels that read like something out of a fairy tale? Can you tell us anything about your upcoming work?
I think so. It’s a feeling that I love in other books, and one that I like to cultivate in my own work. I’d like to do an actual fairy tale retelling myself someday—I just have to figure out which fairy tale I want to do most!

As for what I’m working on now, it has a bit of a more modern feel than TFP or many fairy tales, though by “modern,” I mean Regency England. Still, there are some definite fairy tale tropes in it. I’m going to be coy and not say much more than that, as these are still early days, and I tend to lose momentum if I talk about works in progress too much.

7) What's your favorite Disney rendition of a fairy tale? What makes it so special?
I feel a little like a broken record, but I would have to say Beauty and the Beast. It came out when I was in 6th grade and having a really hard time socially. I felt very alienated from kids my own age, and I spent a lot of time alone with my books. So to see a girl who loved to read and who was considered odd by the people around her be strong, fall in love, and have someone fall in love with her meant a lot to me.

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We want to thank Bonnie for sending this interview our way for FTF, and thank Eilis for stopping by and chatting! Make sure to leave them some comment love!

This awesome interview comes to us courtesy of Bonnie from A Backwards Story. We've already mentioned Bonnie and the sphere of awesome she inhabits — she's really gotten on board with Fairy Tale Fortnight, and on top of posting scads of awesome reviews on her blog during the event, she's also sending some pretty terrific content our way, to share with you.
For today's post, Bonnie sat down to talk with Heather Dixon, author of the debut fairy tale Entwined, based on Misty's childhood favorite, The 12 Dancing Princesses.
(Yay!)

Heather Dixon’s debut novel, Entwined, is a re-telling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. The novel is lush and fleshes out the classic tale in a beautiful, descriptive fashion. For a review of Entwined, please visit A Backwards Story or Books From Bleh to Basically Amazing

Heather was kind enough to not only sit down and take the time to answer some questions, but scrounge up some awesome Disney trivia for everyone! Thanks so much, Heather!

1) What were your favorite fairy tales growing up? What drew you to them?
I really loved Disney’s Cinderella, and, of course, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, for the same reason: the visual aspect! I loved watching Cinderella’s rags transform into a beautiful dress, and I loved going through The Twelve Dancing Princesses picture books and seeing all of their dresses, and the sparkling forests. Call me shallow…I like pictures.

2) Was it hard coming up with your own spin on The Twelve Dancing Princesses when you began world-building for Entwined? How did you bring everything together?
The early-early drafts of Entwined were horrendous. It was much closer to the original Grimm fairy tale, took place in the medieval time period, and there was a lot to do with witches and blood magic. But it was so dark; I didn’t enjoy how I felt when I worked on it. It wasn’t until I established the theme of the story—forgiveness between the princesses and their father—that it started to take off. The Victorian time period, with its rules and mourning, was the perfect backdrop. Not to mention the dancing with waltzes and balls, and the courtships! Like magic, everything unfolded after that.

3) What are some of your favorite fairy tale inspired novels and/or authors?
I like all of them, from Ella Enchanted to Beauty! My favorite though is Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. It is a beautiful story with so much depth.

4) If you could live out any fairy tale, what would it be and why?
Yikes, I don’t know if I’d want to live one out. They’re all kind of Grimm. (Ber-dum ching!) I wouldn’t say no to Sleeping Beauty. She has a pretty cushy life and gets to sleep for 100 years. I could handle that.

5) Will you be writing any more fairy tale novels? Can you tell us anything about your upcoming work?
Right now I don’t have any fairy tales in the novel pipeline, but I can see myself doing a princess comic or picture book, or a long rhyming fairy tale. (A fun one: a retelling of Undine, but with the princess trapped in reflections rather than water.) I’d also love to do a novel of The Nutcracker or Candyland.

6) What’s your favorite Disney rendition of a fairy tale? What makes it so special?
I love all the Disney fairy tales. They do a tremendous job with their adaptations. I feel a real kinship with Disney’s Sleeping Beauty though because of the spectacular art. The beautiful Eyvind Earle backgrounds/art direction and the Tom Oreb character designs are so inspiring. I find it very touching.

And, because I'm a sucker for animation, here are a couple of tasties about Disney's fairy tales:

-Disney's Cinderella is based off of the Charles Perrault version, not the Brother's Grimm (Nearly all the versions of Cinderella I know of have been based off of Perrault's).
[Misty says: That's because Perrault is awesomesauce. Hands down fave.]

-The backgrounds in Disney's Snow White are muted and soft because the artists were unsure people could handle brighter colors in a feature-length film.

-Disney's new movie, Tangled, was originally meant to have a rococo look, but when the project switched direction, the makers chose Disney's Cinderella and Disneyland's Fantasyland (!) as inspiration for their new look.

-Some little-known fairy-tale adaptations Disney has done: The Tin Soldier (from Fantasia 2000) and The Little Match Girl (a short at the beginning of The Little Mermais’s re-release). They've also been working (off and on) with Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen.

-The tall, vertical trees and square bushes in Disney's Sleeping Beauty were based off of medieval tapestries.

-Right now Pixar is working on Brave, a fairy-tale story about a girl archer.

-Disney's Cinderella takes place in the late Victorian era.

We have something fun for you today. Right now on both The Book Rat and Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing, we're hosting 2 super cute guest posts (you can see mine below) and 2 Prize Packs to go along with them.
Alanna from The Flashlight Reader wanted to be involved in FTF, and wanted to get her students involved (which I was so on board with!), so she decided to have them do acrostic poems for Fairy Tale Fortnight, and I have 1 to share with you!
Check it out:

Forgotten by her stepmother
And evil stepsisters
Impossible, never ending chores
Resigned to be a slave, but
Yearning to be free

Today brings change with
A magical wand
Love at first sight while
Enchanted dancers
Swirl in to the night

To add to the awesome, she decided to sponsor a giveaway as well (well, 2 ---> the other one is on Misty's blog, along with another great acrostic!)

***GIVEAWAY***

1 lucky winner will get a fabulous prize pack of children's books, which includes:

1 copy of Swan Lake with an audio CD 1 copy of Sleeping Beauty 1 copy of Petite Rouge: A Cajun Little Red Riding Hood 1 copy of The Emperor's Kite by Jane Yolen + SURPRIZES!

To enter: Leave a comment with a way to contact you, and leave some love for Alanna and her students OR tell us why you want to win.
+1 for spreading the word
US/CAN only
Ends May 5th May 8th!

It's been a while for me since I participated in the Hop, but I'm excited to be back this week. I love visiting new blogs and 'meeting' new blogging friends! There are two weekly hops, one hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books, and one by Parajunkee at Parajunkee's View.

If you are visiting from the hops, please — Leave me a comment with a link to your blog so I can stop by and say hi back! I'd love to hear from you, and I hope you like my blog!
This week, Parajunkee asked us how long we've been blogging — Almost 6 months (Dec. 2 is Basically Amazing's Half Birthday!) and Jen asked us what we are thankful for and what our holiday traditions are.
I'm thankful for a lot of things right now, more than I could share in one blog post but a few of the major 'thankfuls' on my mind right now are My family, because they are pretty much great, Those really close friends that never get old, who no matter how long it's been since you've seen each other pick up as if you just talked yesterday, The holiday season because I think people are generally better this time of year, and (of course) Books! But more than books, I'm grateful for literacy and the ability to read.
Thank you to everyone stopping by my blog today! Each of you are added to my list of 'thankfuls' because everyone loves hearing good things about them, and comments and new people are some of the greatest parts about blogging.
Oh ya, and I do have a giveaway going on right now to win Lipstick in Afghanistan. Click the title to read my review, and be taken to the form that will enter you to win!:)
Happy Hopping all!

Although I've loved most of my experiences with Newbery novels, reading too many of them close together can make them all start to blend together. Because so many of them are a coming of age story, focusing on a young or boy learning to deal with whatever hardships life has dealt them, some of the details begin to merge together creating a giant Newbery read instead of the individual books.

Although some stories have a tendencies to run together, there are some which are a such a w original idea, completely unique unto themselves that they demand that you remember them individually. When You Reach Me by Re Stead is one such story.

This book is brilliant. I might repeat that again, because I can't think of a better word to describe the story (unless I'm just going to stick with basically amazing.) I can't imagine the flow charts, timelines and diagrams Stead must have used to create this book. Everything within the story is connected, but nothing feels contrived. Too many times in stories where plot lines overlap and characters connect in unexpected ways, the coincidences become too much and too unrealistic for the necessary suspension of disbelief, and it lessens the enjoyment of the story, because I can't believe any of that would actually happen. When You Reach Me offers no such feeling. It is simply an 11 year old girl trying to come to terms with a life changing experience.

Miranda (Mira) is our main character and her voice is strong. Throughout the book, Mira is struggling to determine her place in a world that is suddenly different from what she had always known her world to be. Her best (and only) friend no longer wants anything to do with her, there is a 'crazy-shaped person' living on their corner who sleeps with his head under the mailbox, and (the most disconcerting and unsettling of all) she begins finding letters within her things, asking for assistance from an unknown, unnamed source who seems to know things before they happen. Mira's mind is practical and she finds it very difficult to accept many of these new changes. I love that we are able to watch and listen as Miranda's mind broadens as she learns to accept the changes within her life.

One of the complaints I had with this book the first time I read it was the desire to know more about some of the periphery characters. While that is still true to a degree, after the second read through I decided Stead's way was better, especially with Marcus. I believe Marcus is one of my new favorite literary characters. He is just so individual and he lives by such a different set of rules without ever really acknowledging that his way is any different, any more right or wrong, than anyone else's. Although I would love to know more about Marcus and the other great characters in Stead's novel, it is a selfish desire to know everything about everything, not something her novel is actually missing.

I refuse to go into too many details here, because this is one book that it would be a shame to spoil. Knowing too much about this book the first time you read it ruins some of its magic. There is so much depth to this story, so much wonder and it is definitely one you must discover on your own. I believe that the brilliance of this story comes from its simple comp ties. Those are what make it such a magnificent first time read, but allows you to enjoy the story more each time you read it. The story is simple enough to appeal to the younger audience it was written for while also being complex enough to not only appeal to s and the older children, but also complex enough to withstand multiple readings. I re-read this book just the other day, about two months after my first read through, and I found myself noticing much that I missed the first time through, and enjoying it just that much more.

This book was nothing short of fantastic and managed to hit upon the perfect degree of interest. It left me wanting more of the story and more of the characters, but what I was given filled all the empty places. It was everything it needed to be.

Hey everyone and thanks for visiting! I'm once again participating in this lovely Friday hop/follow gig hosted by both Crazy for Books and Parajunkee's View. I'd love to hear from you, so please, if you are visiting from either site, please leave me a comment so I know you stopped by, and a link to your site so that I can return the favor!

I'd also love for you to enter my giveaways. They are listed at the very top of the sidebar on the right, and you don't need to do anything special to enter, just leave me a comment!

I'm also semi-participating in the From Dusk until Dawn Read-A-Thon hosted by Book Crazy. It's come at the most perfect time and the absolute worst time for me. I've been experiencing some insomnia lately, which isn't totally uncommon, because I am most definitely a night person, but it's been a little worse than normal. So, I have plenty of awake time at night to read. However, that's bad, because I really should be doing things to combat the insomnia, not encourage it. But who doesn't love an excuse to read, right?! So, I'm trying to accomplish a little bit, while (hopefully) not going overboard).

Now, to answer Jen's question, Yes. I do use a rating system for my books, although I only post it as a tag. I rarely mention it in my actual post/review about the book. I use this because this blog was meant for a way to communicate how much I love books to other people, the way I talk with them to my friends. (One only has so many friends, and eventually they get tired of only hearing about books. Sigh...) Anyway, when I talk to family or friends about a book I just read, those ratings are pretty close to how I talk to people in real life. I have actually said, 'meh' when someone asked me what I thought about a book. And, I've definitely used 'basically amazing' before!:) You can see a list of the ratings that I use in my right sidebar.

I can't wait to find me some new blogs!:) Thanks again for stopping by!

I know this post is a few days late, (been crazy busy) but I wanted to celebrate America's Independence Day with a review of a childhood favorite set during the Revolutionary War, because without that war, and the brave people who fought it, we wouldn't have an Independence Day.

Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi is the one of three reasons I decided in 8th grade that it was okay to read and enjoy more than murder mysteries. (Robin McKinley is reason one and two but more on that later.) Because this book is one that I credit with vastly expanding my literary horizons, I'm going to tell you that this book is basically amazing. However, I understand and recognize that if I were to read this for the first time now, I imagine my rating would be more along the lines of pretty awesome. Thus, the dual tag.

Time Enough for Drums is enchanting. Jemima, (Jem) our heroine, is a strong, well crafted character. Although she is young, she has strong convictions, intense loyalties and a vast capacity for love and other emotions. When war breaks out between the colonies and the British, Jem knows which side she'll be rooting for. Her and her family and strong patriots who believe in what the colonists Americans are fighting for. Imagine the outrage when headstrong 15 year old Jem is forced to suffer through tutoring sessions with that horrid Tory John Reid. Although John has been a friend of the family for some time, Jem is none too fond of him. He is a strict tutor who demands respect and compliance and tells her what to do. Plus, he's a Tory.

I'll admit, this book is fairly predictable. It isn't terribly hard to figure out some of the major plot points, but in this story, that almost seems irrelevant. It doesn't matter that the storyline flows in a relatively straight and predictable manner, because Jem has such a hard time walking along it and that is where we find the great elements of this novel. There are also enough offshoots and unexpected moments that the story never feels trite or contrived. It is in large part due to those small side routes that we are able to see a true change in Jem from the spoiled and stubborn young 15 year old girl who will abandon her lessons at the drop of a hat (or the whinny of her horse) into a responsible, mature and determined young woman. War changes people. It changes some for the better, while bringing out the worst in others. Jem is one of the strong ones, truly changed for the positive and I consider myself lucky that I was able to watch her grow and learn what it means to be an adult.

Jem finds herself in many tough situations that really challenge her thinking, and force her to evaluate who she is, what she wants from life and what she is willing to sacrifice in order to achieve it. Some of the decisions Jem is forced to make are incredibly hard and have the potential to be seriously detrimental to the people she loves and cares for. These decisions were handled in an honest and realistic manner that made Jemima's character all the more real.

I also believe Rinaldi did a wonderful job contrasting the colonists with the British without turning the British or the British sympathizers into villains or stock characters. They were people too standing up for what they believed in, and trying to act as they found best. Rinaldi is also a master at knowing just how much information to include. She added just enough of the history within the story that I learned something but I never felt overwhelmed by all the details shoved into every single crack and crevice in the story. It always makes for awkward reading when you come away with the feeling that the author just had to show off how much research they did. This tends to bog the book down heavily and really disrupt the flow of the story. There was none of that in this book. Rinaldi transports the reader back in time, allowing us to experience life along with Jemima. There were moments after reading this book (every time) where I halfway expected to walk out of my house into the cobblestone streets in my petticoats and bonnet to fetch fresh fruits from the market. And I was almost always disappointed when I realize I'm a few hundred years late. (And then I remember indoor plumbing and tic-tacs and I'm happy again.)

Time Enough for Drums is a story that I connect with on several levels. I love Jemima's strong patriotism, her desire to do what she believes to be right and her fierce devotion to those she loves. I respect the choices that characters make when they are fighting to preserve what is most dear to them. And yes, there's also that part of my that just loves the happy ending.

One of the most amazing scenes in this book is when Jemima stands at the bottom of the Courthouse steps listening to community members read the Declaration of Independence. Although she doesn't stay for the entire reading (sigh... what a bummer) the emotions of the nameless characters experiencing it with her seep from the pages. You can feel the excitement and the energy is almost tangible. Perhaps it is because our Independence Day just passed, but at this moment, if I were able to visit one day or one event in history, I would choose to attend one of the readings of the Declaration of Independence. It is such an important and decisive moment in American history. It means so much to me personally, but I can't even begin to imagine how much more it meant to the people it was written for. They felt the bonds of tyranny and this document was the first blow to those chains. How powerful would it have been to have listened to those words read for the first time, and truly begun to believe that you could be free.

Although it is not the most complex story I've read about the revolutionary war, nor the most intense, it is one that has stayed with me over the years because of the emotions it invokes. It leaves me with a strong feeling of love and support for my country. (As well as the strong desire to hug my sister and tell her how much I love her.)

I know I haven't been posting about it much, but this review is also a part of Once Upon a Bookcase's Body Image and Self-Perception month. Head on over and check out all the other wonderful reviews available.

In my mind, an eating disorder is the ultimate manifestation of both poor body image, and a distorted self-perception. I graduated with a BS in Psychology last December, and in one of my undergrad classes, we devoted a large percentage of time to discussing eating disorders and where they stem from. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson is one of the best books I've read this year, and I would say that it is the best book I've ever read that handles eating disorders.

Lia is a young girl who has been suffering from anorexia for several years. She's been hospitalized twice, and the family tries to help keep watch over Lia, and make sure she is eating. They weigh her regularly and prepare meals and 'watch' her eat. But Lia is clever, and she is unable to give up her disorder. She cleverly lines the pockets of the robe she is weighed in with quarters and smears food on a plate before dumping it down the garbage disposal to give the appearance of having eaten. For a long time, Lia feels like she is in control and that losing all this weight makes her powerful. However, after the death of her former best friend, Cassie. Lia's world begins falling apart and she loses control over her life. Toward the end of the novel, she begins to make observations and gains new understanding that gives the reader hope she will overcome her illness.

I think one of the most telling sentences in this book is when Lia really starts to realize what this disease is to her, and where her motivation to starve herself comes from. She keeps obsessive track of her weight, and gives herself goals — I'm 105 lbs? I need to be 100. And on from there. She steps on the scale one day and the number reads 89. Her thoughts, "I could say I'm excited, but that would be a lie. The number doesn't matter. If I got down to 070.00, I'd want 065.00. If I weighed 010.00, I wouldn't be happy until I got down to 005.00. The only number that would ever be enough is 0. Zero pounds, zero life, size zero, double-zero, zero point. Zero in tennis is love. I finally get it. (emphasis added, pg. 220)

I think that there is too much focus placed on the body-image problems facing people who suffer from an eating disorder, and not enough attention given to their warped views of themselves. In one of my undergrad classes, we discussed this at length, and talked about new research being developed that suggests the root causes for many people suffering from eating disorders stem from far more than the desire to be skinny or even the desire to control at least one aspect of their lives. Although both of those play a role in the formation of the disorder, the new research suggests that these eating disorders actually stem more from the desire to disappear. Subconsciously they view themselves as unworthy of love, and that because of their flaws or imperfections, they are not worthy to take up space. So, they are literally trying to starve themselves out of existence. They don't necessarily want to die, but neither do they wish to live. It's scary research, but it's research that makes a frightening amount of sense. That LHA was able to grasp that idea and articulate it so well with just a small paragraph, and a simple sentence speaks volumes to me about her skill as a writer, and her ability to develop believable and realistic characters. Lia just breaks my heart.

One of the most powerful aspects of the novel is also potentially distracting. LHA uses the strike through text to signify the difference between what Lia was thinking and what Lia actually said. Or, it could be what Lia thought vs. what she knew she was supposed to think. Either way, the strike through offers additional insight into the mind of Lia, and enables us as readers to better understand what she's really thinking.

I recommend this book to everyone, even though I know it won't be for everyone. LHA doesn't pull her punches with this one, and I really felt that I was living the life of an anorexic teen along with Lia. And let me tell you, it was not comfortable. It was scary, painful and terrifying. I can only imagine how much worse it would be for someone actually suffering through this. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book as soon as possible. But I warn you, don't pick it up expecting a light read that will fill a few hours. This novel is gripping, intense and horrifying. It is one of the best books I've read all year and I just can't bring myself to give it anything but my highest rating. It is basically amazing in every way. Way to go Laurie, for creating a book that gives us such a vivid portrait of a young anorexic girl who suddenly understands what it is to live.

Hey everyone, and welcome to my blog! I'm excited to have you here! I have a lot of great stuff happening right now, and would love to have you stick around and check it out! You can also follow me on Twitter! I only started tweeting last month, but already think it's fun and love chatting with bloggers over there! I'd love to see you!

If you are new to my blog, or if you aren't new, but want me to head over to your blog, leave me a comment and I promise that I will return the visit and check out your blogs. Although, my internet is going to be pretty spotty this weekend, so it will probably be my Monday project.:)

So, the most exciting thing I have going on my blog right now is an event that won't start until April. Misty from The Book Rat and I are hosting Fairy Tale Fortnight, which will run from April 17th through April 30th. What is it you ask? It is 14 days of nothing but fairy tale goodness! We will have reviews, guest bloggers, author interviews, giveaways, and some surprise content thrown in there as well. Basically, it's going to be AMAZING! If you have any interest in fairy tales at all you are not going to want to miss this!

So, other than reading the awesomeness that will be posted each day, what else can you do? Well, if you click this link RIGHT HERE, it will take you to my introductory post, where you can find buttons to include on your blog, and a google doc you can fill out with your favorite fairy tale information, and you can offer us a guest post, if that's something you think you would like to do, and really, we would love to have you! The more interaction the better!

As I mentioned, we also have authors who have agreed to answer some interview questions, among other things, and if you click THIS LINK HERE, it will take you to the initial author introduction page, which includes that authors that have already committed to an interview. If you have a question you would like to ask the authors in general or a specific author, leave us a comment, and we will get it answered for you! Again, the more participation the better!!

Then, as part of my Memory Monday guest feature, Alexa from Pages of Forbidden Love is hosting a giveaway of her Memory! in my blog for a chance to win Battle Dress by Amy Efaw.

There's more coming up soon, so I'd love to have you stay, take a look around, and check back in!:)

Jennifer @ Crazy for Books asked what books we'd like to see made into movies. My response — NONE! I do not do well with book to movie adaptations at all. Out of all the movies I've watched, I can only think of three adaptations I enjoyed if I had read the book first, Holes, because Louis Sachar wrote the screenplay, A Series of Unfortunate Events because I did not like those books, at all so the movie was an improvement and sort of cute, and To Kill a Mockingbird because it's hard not to love Gregory Peck. I kind of feel like a little piece of the book dies every time a movie is made from it. So, I vote for no more!

As to Parajnkee's question, I don't/haven't read a lot of Science Fiction, but I have quite a bit that I plan to read, to try and learn more about the genre. But, out of what I have read, I would say my favorite adult SF would be The Practice Effect by David Brin, and YA would probably be Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl. Both are great stories that I feel like I could read again and again.

Today's post is part of the Teen Book Scene's tour for Priscilla the Great by Sybil Nelson. Josh, Prissy's older brother is here to talk to use today, and answer a few questions!

Overall, you have a pretty good relationship with your younger sister, Priscilla. I know growing up that I did not get along with my siblings at all, so I'm always interested in how siblings do get along. Why do you think the two of you have such a positive relationship?

I think it’s because we understand each other. Whenever one of us is in pain or depressed or something we can always relate it to something that is going on in our own lives and somehow just know what the other person is going through. Like one time when she was 8, she lost her favorite XMen comic. I didn’t laugh at her when she started crying. Instead, I just thought about how I would feel if I lost my Christina Aguilera CD and helped her look for it. I’m 16 and she’s 12, she’s a girl and I’m a boy, but we have this remarkable ability to empathize with each other. I think that’s the greatest super power of all.

Everything started to change when Priscilla started getting her powers. How did you really feel when you found out that your sister was basically a 12 year old superhero?

I was scared to death. I mean, she was hard enough to handle without powers. Now she can toss me over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. It’s scary!

Do you believe that everything in life is pre-determined? Or, do you believe that we all have the power to create and change our own destinies. Our own futures.

That’s a tough question for a psychic and it’s something I actually have to deal with in book 4. See, my visions of the future are based on logical progressions of time. If something changes drastically, or I deal with illogical people (like Specimen Xi) then I can end up having multiple visions of alternate futures. So, yes, I believe that people are in control of their own destinies but only to a certain extent. Logic and probability will eventually weigh in as well.

Priscilla's gifts are a big responsibility. And, that's an awful lot of power for one small girl to possess. With how well you know your sister, do you think this power is going to go to her head, or change the person she is?

Definitely not. Don’t tell her this, but I think my sister is pretty amazing. She’s smarter than she thinks she is and more importantly, she’s a really caring person. Doing what’s right is in her blood. I can’t see her turning to the dark side or anything like one of her many comic book stories. Trust me, I can see the future!

What is your biggest fear?

Besides not having a date for prom my biggest fear at the moment is what super power my twin little brothers will have. Can you imagine a super powered version of Snot Wars? I’d rather not think about it.

Thank you so much Josh, for taking the time to talk to us today! Don't forget to stop by in April for my review of this great read! I had a lot of fun reading about Priscilla and friends, and I can't wait to share my thoughts with you!

Sybil Nelson has also offered a great prize pack for one lucky commenter! Just comment on any of the tour posts and you are automatically entered to win the pack, which includes:
1 signed copy of Priscilla the Great
1 Priscilla the Great t-shirt
1 Priscilla the Great totebag
& a $15 iTunes gift card!
The tour will run from March 14th until April 8th! in my blog to get a complete list of all the tour stops!