Systematic Student [Search results for movie] 

I'm ducking my head in shame as I say this but... I liked the movie more than the book. And the movie wasn't even all the great (although I did enjoy it). And they changed a lot. But, I know why I preferred the movie, and I'll include that in my review.

What story am I talking about you ask? The Invisible by Mats Wahl. I'll talk about the book first...

The story itself had a lot of potential. The book starts with Hilmer going to class. It doesn't take him long to realize that no one seems able to see him. Then, a police officer comes into the classroom to announce that Hilmer has disappeared, and anyone with information should come forward. Hilmer is confused and concerned. He decides to follow the officer to determine anything he can about what is going on. He panics as he realizes that he can't remember anything from the day he disappeared. After that, other than a few disjointed, awkward paragraphs, we are no longer listening to Hilmer, and are instead following the police officer, Detective Fors, and it's his thoughts we hear.

Once we switch narrators, the book loses whatever momentum and appeal it had. There is absolutely no sense of urgency to the story. Everything meanders calmly from one place to another. This tempo is fine in certain stories, and at times, it can actually enhance the reading experience. But no one wants to read a meandering story about a boy who has disappeared and it is assumed that someone made him disappear. Every interview was the same — You are looking for the boy? — Yes, do you know anything? — No, can't say that I do. — Let me know if you think of anything. — Ok. — (SHORT TIME LATER, same person) You knew about this--seriously important piece of information--before?! — Umm, Yes... — Why didn't you tell me?! — I didn't know if it was important, and I didn't want to bring it up... It could cause unnecessary trouble, ya know? Don't make a big deal about it... It could be nothing. Wouldn't want to cause concern now and make the tourists think we were a bad sort, ya know?

None of the townspeople seem to care about this missing boy. Other than Fors, none of the police officers seemed overly concerned about it either, which is shocking because they suspect that someone killed him. It took forever for them to get the dog out to track the scent, and they made a big deal about sending anyone else out there to help. It just seemed ridiculous and bla. No one wants to read how unconcerned a town is when a local boy shows up missing, especially when all the information they have makes it pretty clear that it is very unlikely he would have chosen to leave on his own.

The book was dull, unimaginative and mostly a waste of time. It was originally written in Swedish, and some of the pacing problems I noticed could have come from the translation, but I'll never know and it just wasn't a great read. It wasn't horrible, there just isn't much to recommend the book. It's a great idea, with great potential but the book did nothing with either. This is probably the only time I will say this, but do yourself a favor and just watch the movie instead... (Lightning is now going to strike me down in my hypocracy, but seriously... It's worth it this time...)

I know that this is going to make me sounds ethnocentric, but I liked the movie better because they made it more American, and more something that I could relate to. The movie also focuses more on the missing boy, and we follow him as he desperately tries to figure out what happened to him, where his body is, why no one can see him, and what he could possibly do to save himself. They changed the actual motivation behind the attack as well as the reaction of his assailant, and they fixed the pacing problems. We actually care about Nick as a person (they changed his name.) and not just as Detective Fors' current assignment. Nick still can't remember what happens and is really confused. At first, he thinks he is dead and it takes him a little while to realize that he is still alive, somewhere. The scene with the bird when Nick realizes his body is still alive is one of my most favorites.

The movie really is quite a bit different from the book, but I can't help but think that each change is an improvement. I know I just committed like, the cardinal sin of being a reader/book lover, but I had a really hard time relating and being drawn into the book, but the movie was quite good, rather suspenseful and definitely kept my attention the whole time.

Have any of you read the book or seen the movie? Or both? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! (And please, don't hate me! I always prefer the book to the movie. I'm allowed this one time, right?!)

I saw Jamie talking on Twitter today about the Top Ten Tuesday for this week. Today's topic is Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves. I loved the topic so much that I knew I had to participate this week! I don't participate regularly, but this one was too fun to pass up! Head over to The Broke and Bookish, where this meme is hosted, to see what annoys everyone else!

This is a dangerous topic though, because it means that I have a perfectly legitimate excuse to have 10 mini-rants. So, brace yourself. These pet peeves are in no particular order, but some are more severe than others. Can you guess which ones bother me the most?!:

1. Books in a series that change cover art, style, size, shape etc mid-series. If you are going to change anything about the way a series is going to look, change all of it or change none of it. Nothing bothers me quite so much as realizing it's impossible to have a matching set of books. I get that the inside is more important than the outside. But, when the books are lined up on my shelf, I'm not looking at the inside, but I'm stuck with the unmatching outsides, and it pisses me off every time I have to look at it.

2. Stickers on my books. Really people. Are you kidding me. They never come off, and they look gross. So, just stop it. Now.

3. When two characters experience the Instant Love. Bleh. That doesn't happen. I have no problems with instant chemistry, because attraction (lust) happens. But this ridiculous, I've only known you for one day, but I love and I would die for you is just not okay. You can't truly love someone that fast, so quit trying to shove that crap down my throat. Give me a real relationship, with development first please, before trying to convince me that my heroine should run away to the ends of the earth with you.

4. On a related note, I'm beyond tired of these girl characters who overlook or offer blanket forgiveness for their boyfriend's bad/manipulative/abusive behavior because 'he loves me'. Guess what honey... I'm calling your bullshit. When someone loves you, they do not treat you like dirt, try to control your life, or do things deliberately that they know will hurt you. They just don't. So grow a pair, dump him and move on. And writers, please. Stop giving us stupid, insipid female characters who let their boyfriends walk all over them. What kind of example is this to set to the YA, both male and female?!

5. Dog-earred pages, and deliberately cracked spines. *shudder* It hurts me.

6. Movie Art on my BOOK cover. I HATE YOU! I completely, totally and utterly despise movie art on the cover of my books. AND, I will judge you if you purchase it/make statements that you like it.

7. Movie adaptations. A little piece of the book's soul dies so Hollywood can produce that garbage. It makes me sad inside.

8. Book series that turn into The Land Before Time, aka The Never Ending Story. Umm, authors — I don't care who your character(s) is(are), what they do for a living, or what fantastical realm they live in. No one, and I mean no one has life or story interesting enough to captivate or interest me for 22 books. Or 15 books, or 10 books. No one. Stop while you are ahead, and let the poor characters rest!

9. The following conversation, or any variant of it, really gets my book hackles raised: (me) "Hey! Have you heard about THIS BOOK?!" (them) "Oh ya! That is such a great book! I loved it!" (me) "You've read it?!" (them) "Oh, no. I just watched the movie."

10. Books that try to trick me into believing they are a different genre. I abhor it when my Contemporary/Realistic Fiction suddenly out of nowhere becomes Science Fiction/Fantasy. Oh hello completely normal girl who can now suddenly communicate telepathically with dolphins (and people!!). I hate you. Run along and die now.

So there you have it folks. Those are my Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves. I feel it necessary to add that I did not make much of an effort in censoring myself, or sugar coating how I felt. Partly because these things do genuinely annoy me and this post is an excuse to rant about them, but also because it's 3:30 in the morning here, and I'm too tired to be more modest in my speech. Can't wait to hear what gets your angry on.

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.

We all know that there are myriads of great (and not so great) books that have been turned into movies, plays, animated cartoons, TV shows and etc. etc. etc. I always roll my eyes at people who respond to the question — How did you like that book? With some variation of, "Oh ya, I loved it! The movie was so great!" Gag. Really?! You just said that?! You just smeared the name of literature by telling me a book was great because you liked the movie?! (Ahem...) Well, the other day I shamefacedly realized that I was guilty of this myself. (Insert horrified gasp here) One of my fondest memories of Christmas, most beloved childhood memories and in my top 3 favorite Christmas stories was missing something...

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is one of the most recognized, well known, and cherished Christmas stories in existence. There are numerous versions and adaptations for both children and adults, in animation, live action or produced live on stage. You can find it serious or slightly comical or even as a musical. Some follow the original script closely while others use only a loose interpretation of the story. Whatever versions you've seen, most people are very familiar with the plight of the Cratchit family and Tiny Tim, the cold, miserly heart of Ebenezer Scrooge, and the eerie spirits who visit him during the night of Christmas Eve.

However familiar we are with the story, how many of us have actually read the book? I imagine not very many. It's included on BBC's The Big Read and I wonder how many people include it because of the story rather than the book itself. So, to avoid this horrible reader faux pas, I decided to pick up this favored story and read it for myself. It's a short book, more of a novella than a novel, and I already knew that I loved the story.

I did really enjoy reading this book and I'm glad I can now say that I've actually read it. However, I must admit that I am more in love with the idea of this book than its reality. It's a wonderful story, with a wonderful message and wonderful characters, but I didn't have the same emotional connection to the written story that I do to the various productions I've seen. I know that this is more due to past experiences and the relationship it has to my childhood than anything negative about the book. I loved the book and will definitely reread it in the future, but it's just not the same as watching Scrooge, the Musical or The Muppets.

The book places more emphasis on the characters and the realizations they make than just the story of Scrooge. Most movie or live productions emphasize Scrooge's discovery of the Christmas Spirit, and becoming a more generous person. I love that, and it is a very important part of the story. However, I love that reading the book offers more insight into why Scrooge became the way he did and the relationships he had with those around him.

It is a great story to invite the Christmas spirit and remember the true meaning of Christmas, but it is also a cautionary tale. Be careful the emphasis you place on money and things. It is usually more important to focus on the people in your lives than the things in your life and this story, no matter how you experience it is a great reminder of that.

Photos courtesy of Gary Benson, a scenic designer. For more images and more information, you can find him on Webshots here and he also blogs at Bascombe Mania. If you are interested in his photography, please contact him through one of the links provided.

A while back, I received my first blogger award, The Versatile Blogger from Becky at Escapism through Books.
Within the past ten days, I've received three more!:) I'd been trying to decide what to say about myself, and who to tag, when I received another one! (And then another!)

So, because I'm lazy, I'm going to combine all three awards into one post, and just give 7 facts once (but I'll make them really good ones) and 15 blogs I think you should check out!

The rules are: 1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award 2. Share 7 things about you 3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers you have recently discovered and think are fantastic! 4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award!
So, I would like the thank Savannah at Books with Bite for my second Versatile Blogger award (the first this time around). She did give it to me a while ago, but I've been out of town, and pretty busy. Next, I'd like to thank Kelsey, over at Kelsey's Book Corner for my the second award in this wave. Finally, I'd like to thank Lily who writes the blog After the Fall. Thanks so much to each of you ladies for passing on this award to me! It definitely helped make this week special!
Because it looks cool, here are each of my awards:

So, 7 facts about me:

~*~ My BS in Psychology. And you know what? I actually like Freud. I think he's brilliant and has a much better grasp on human nature, behavior and motivation than most people give him credit for. I really believe that most people who hang out in the Freud bashing camp don't actually understand what he's talking about. So there.

~*~ When I know I'm going to need to have one of those type big conversations with a person (confrontation, criticisms, What the *&^# do you think you're doing?! etc.) I will often have the entire conversation with myself first so that I can be prepared for whatever you are going to throw at me. You think you can catch me by surprise? Ha! I already planned for that contingency!

~*~ School has always been really easy for me. Tests too. I 'blame' reading. I think learning is easier for those people who have been long-time readers. (Preaching to the choir about that one, I'm sure.)

~*~ It gives me warm fuzzies to see (or hear from) people who don't read all too often with a book, especially when I am the one who recommended/provided that book.

~*~ Although I like movies, I don't watch a lot of them. I have a hard time blocking out that 2+ hour time slot to devote to a movie. I read instead, because I can pretend I'll only read one chapter (maybe two) before I get on to whatever else I really should be doing — even though I almost always spend longer reading than I would have spent watching the movie.

~*~ If I don't like what's happening in my book, I'll set it down for a minute, 'fix' the scene in my mind, so the characters do what I think they should have been doing, and then I'll keep reading, much happier.

~*~ I like Basshunter, which is Swedish techno. I believe this guy is one of those YouTube sensations, but it's crazy fun and I like it!

Thanks again to you three bloggers for recognizing me, and now for the blogs I would like to highlight:
(again, it should go without saying that I enjoy the blog's content, and the extra is just something fun to pique your interest)

1) Cynspiration because I like the crafty stuff. And the Bowser costume?! So cool!
2) Courtney Reads because her about me says 'book maniac' and all I could think is (song) She's a maniac, maniac!... (end song)
3) The Book Coop cuz I enjoy the owls.
4) Harmony's Radiant Reads because she says awesomesauce.
5) The Nerd's Wife because I think she's funny.
6) The Perpetual Page Turner because I want to and I like her flower.
7) Potter, Percy and I because it makes me really happy that she's a reader so young.
8) The Allure of Books because let's be real — books are alluring.
9) A Book Obsession because I have one too.
10) In the Which Ems Reviews Books because I enjoy her smiley faces.
11) Booksploring because I just found it, and I'm liking what I see.
12) Oodles of Books because I like the word oodles.
13) Cracking Spines and Taking Names because of the 7/30 post. 13-13-13... I love it!
14) Blkosiner's Book Blog because her header makes me think of a present.
15) A Chick Who Reads because I am too!

So there ya go. Check out these great blogs and let me know what you think! And, stayed tuned, because I have another post for another award coming soon. (Beams.)

Today we are pleased to have joining us Marissa Meyer, author of Cinder, a futuristic retelling of Cinderella. Guys! Be excited! Cinder is a 2012 debut, and a little birdie on the inside tells me (Misty) it's fabulous! Make sure to stop back on Friday for a guest post from Marissa!

Now let's get down to business. "Serious" Questions:
~Can you tell us a little bit about Cinder and the series?Gladly! CINDER is a young adult futuristic retelling of Cinderella. In it, Cinder, a 16-year-old cyborg mechanic, must piece together her mysterious past in order to protect her country from an impending war. It's the first in a four-book series, each of which revolves around a different fairy-tale-inspired heroine (Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White), as they join forces to save the world and find their happily-ever-afters. CINDER is scheduled to release in early 2012.

~Why fairy tales? What is it that calls to you, personally, as a writer, and why do you think readers connect to them the way they do?
I’ve always loved fairy tales. When I was growing up, I loved them for the romance, the magical kisses, the dresses, the princes in their fancy castles. Now I’m drawn to them for their timelessness—these are story archetypes that have been retold and recycled in 8 billion different ways, yet authors and artists and movie directors are still coming up with new ways to tell them. And because they still relate to issues that every society deals with, whether it’s childhood neglect a la Hansel and Gretel or just wanting to improve your social status a la Cinderella—these stories hold as much meaning for us now as they did in the time of the Grimm Brothers.

~What’s your favorite scene you’ve ever written? EVER ever? Gosh, that’s a lot of scenes. Can I say every single kiss? I’m a big fan of kissing scenes. The fun part of writing a four-book series with four different heroines who have four different romances is that there’s lot of opportunity for great kissing! Book 2: SCARLET (Little Red Riding Hood) will have some particularly smoldering ones.

Quickfire, Silly and Random stuff:
~Rapunzel is named after lettuce; what odd thing would you be named after if you were in a fairy tale? I love this question, because I was tempted at one point to call my Rapunzel character “Arugula”! I ended up settling on “Cress” though, which is also a type of lettuce. If I were in a fairy tale, I think my odd name would be something geeky and literary, like maybe Pencil or Comma.

~ Using that name, give us a line from your life as a fairy tale: The fairy godmother waved her magic wand and Pencil found herself with this a real live book deal—a dream come true! She was about to retire to Hawaii and do nothing but lie on the beach and drink fruity cocktails for the rest of her happily ever after... when it occurred to her that she still had to write the rest of the books. And back to work the princess went.

~Best fairy tale villain and why? I’m partial to Rumpelstiltskin. He’s sly, crafty, can actually spin straw into gold (quite the feat!), and goes after what he wants. I also love that the story leaves open a big mystery: why does he want the queen’s firstborn at all? It could be very cruel and awful (maybe he plans to eat it!) or more sympathetic (maybe he just wants a family).

~Favorite tale from childhood? Favorite tale as an adult? Least favorites? I always loved The Little Mermaid—it was my favorite Disney movie as a kid, and I only fell in love with it more once I read the Hans Christian Andersen version and learned how truly tragic the story was. It has so much depth to it (pun kind of intended). As for now... it’s so hard to choose! Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are probably neck and neck for my all-time favs. As for least favorite... I don’t know that I really have one, although something about the end of Hansel & Gretel always bugged me. I felt like the dad got off way too easy in that tale!

~If you could be any fairy tale character, or live through any fairy tale "happening," who/what would it be? Cinderella’s ball! I love big beautiful dresses and dancing and food!

~Would you rather:
- — live under a bridge with a troll, or all alone in a high tower? Tower, definitely! Just think how much reading you’d get done.

- — ride everywhere in a pumpkin carriage (messy) or walk everywhere in glass shoes (uncomfortable)? I’ll take the carriage, with hopes that the fairy godmother had the sense to scrape all the guts out of it.

- — have a fairy godmother or a Prince Charming? Between getting engaged and getting my book deal for CINDER both in the past few months, I think I already have both!

Thanks so much for the fun interview, Ashley and Misty! Oh course! We were happy to have you, and can't wait for Cinder! Thanks for stopping by! So who else is super excited for Cinder? *raises hand* Stop back on Friday for a special guest post from Marissa Meyer. And don't forget to leave her some love in the comments!

Today's guest post comes from Titania who blogs at Fishmuffins of Doom. She also wrote a guest post on Misty's blog that includes a giveaway! Make sure you read her thoughts on her favorite dark fairy tales!

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Fairy tales are adapted into films all the time. The most famous of these are the Disney films that eventually eclipsed the original tales they were adapted from in the minds of most of society. Here are a few reimaginings of fairy tales in film that don’t tell the story word for word, but tell it in a way that is completely unique from what has been seen before. Here are a few of my favorites:

Hard Candy

Hard Candy is the story of 14 year old Hayley who meets Jeff, an adult photographer, at a coffee shop after they have been chatting online for a while. They go back to Jeff’s apartment and drink screwdrivers. You think you know exactly where this is going to go, but you are terribly wrong. Jeff passes out as the result of a spiked drink and spends most of the movie tied up and tortured, physically and mentally. Hayley is like an avenging angel for every girl who was abused or raped. She is convinced that Jeff is a pedophile and possibly involved in the rape and murder of a local girl and is willing to do what it takes to make him confess. Throughout the course of the film, I switched sides so many times. It’s difficult to say through most of the film if Hayley is psychopath or a justified avenger and if Jeff is just a normal guy or a guilty pedophile. This is not an obvious adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood. It’s not an easy thing to identify the true Big Bad Wolf like in so many other retellings. This film is both brilliant and manipulative. Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson deliver flawless, realistic, and alternately sympathetic and alienating performances. Highly recommended.

The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes is a Korean horror film that tells the story of Sun-Jae, a woman who leaves her husband after discovering his infidelity. Her daughter was spoiled by her husband and only cares about him. Her friends are rude and blunt without any concern for her feelings. One day on the subway, she finds a pair of beautiful pink shoes and takes them home. She feels better when she wears them, but notices that other women seem to covet them, even her young daughter who steals them from her. Her rude and inconsiderate friend attacks the girl and takes them for herself before being killed in a most horrific way. These shoes seem to be followed by violence and death and Sun-Jae needs to figure out how to save her daughter and herself before it’s too late. The Red Shoes is a gruesome fairy tale on its own about greed, vanity, and dancing severed feet. This K-horror film adapts it beautifully, even acknowledging the 1948 film of the same title by including a ballet subplot. The film is even gorier than the tale and features an atmospheric creepiness as well as in your face blood and gore. As a whole, it’s suspenseful and tells a semi-ghost story and semi-murder mystery. The ending is a bit convoluted, but as a whole it was creepily enjoyable. I would also recommend other K-horror fairy tale adaptations for those interested, such as Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel.

Black Swan

The ballet Swan Lake is based on a variety of folk tales from Germany and Russia and tells the story of Princess Odette’s tragic love story that usually ends in her or her love’s death. (There are several alternate endings to the ballet.) Black Swan is the story of Nina Sayers, an ambitious ballerina obsessed with perfection. Her dream role is to play the Swan Queen in Swan Lake, but is seen to have not enough passion or emotion to do the role. She is finally given the role after convincing the director of her potential. What follows is her descent into madness as she struggles to prepare for her dual role as the White Swan and the Black Swan. She experiences hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. In a twisted way, her story reflects that of the ballet. Nina at first is Odette: innocent, naïve, and fearful. Thomas, the director at first embodies the Prince, but later is more like the Sorcerer. Odile, the Sorcerer’s evil daughter, is Lily, Nina’s ballet rival. They look alike, as in the ballet, but Lily primarily wears black, while Nina wears white. Lily is also mostly ruled by emotion and is more impulsive, which is true of Odile. As she becomes increasingly paranoid, she suspects Lily of deception and trying to take her role as Swan Queen, much like Odile tries to steal Odette’s love away. It’s an interesting modern interpretation of the original ballet with a psychological twist and it’s just a great film. Everyone acts exceptionally well, especially Natalie Portman as intense and driven Nina Sayers. The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful and complements the film well. Every aspect of the film works in harmony and is something truly exceptional.

I mentioned before that I was going to be participating in the One Child reading experience. If you don't know what that is, you can read my original post HERE. To briefly summarize, Enthrill is a new publisher, trying new marketing techniques. They took this book and created a month long reading event. One Child is a thriller that you read in real time. Each day new chapters were released the same time the events took place within the story. The online reader also included links to facebook pages, business websites, news reports and more that made the real time reading experience realistic.

This book felt like a true story. It read like real life. I almost feel like these characters are real people. Jeff Buick is a very talented writer. So, now let me get to my review of this book, as well as the experience of reading it in real time. (And be warned... This is a long one, because there is a lot of ground to cover here!)

I just reading this early this morning, and I'm still reeling. The story includes everything that makes a good thriller. It contains realistic and sympathetic characters. People who are very clearly bad guys, people who are very clearly good guys, and several people who inhabit that shady in-between area where you aren't quite sure just where they fall. It has a conflict, a climax and a slightly unbelievable resolution that you totally eat up anyway, because seriously?! That's just what had to happen!

For all that this book had everything that makes for a great thriller, there was so much more to it that just another thriller/conspiracy story. This book makes a political statement, asking us to become more aware of our situation and the problems facing others. It takes a very real issue in America, the war in Afghanistan, and it asks Americans to take a closer look at why we are there, what we are accomplishing, and what more needs to be done there. And the best part about it? It does all of this while keeping us totally entertained, completely absorbed in the story and never makes you feel like you are being pushed or beaten over the head with the information. The book, quite simply, tells it like it is.

That is what I think was the best part about this book. It's honest. The sections of the book that take place among the American soldiers in Afghanistan is painfully real. While reading, you can feel the fear and adrenaline from the soldiers, and understand the fear, anger and pain of the Afghani people. It would be interesting to talk to someone who has been over there fighting how accurately Buick portrays the conditions, because they felt horribly real to me. It makes my heart hurt that this is what some people face every day. There's the danger of unexploded land mines being stepped on by children or animals, the angry Taliban soldiers storming through your town, not caring who they hurt in an effort to kill the soldiers fighting them, people afraid of who will next burst through the door of their homes with guns held at the ready. It's tragic and painful to read. I can only imagine how much harder it must be to live it.

There are four main story lines within this book. Initially, we don't see a connection between any of the stories, but eventually, they all pull together and we are able to find the connections, and determine how each player and each movement sets the stage for what is to come as each story line finally becomes one.

So, our first story is Kadir and his three daughters. Halima is the eldest, and she dreams that she changes the world.
Next, we have Carson Grant and William Flemming. Flemming is an incredibly wealthy big-shot on Wall Street, and Carson is his newly promoted Division Head of the High Frequency Trading Unit of his Wall Street Corporation.
Third is Russel Matthews, a reporter going to Afghanistan to bring the truth about the situation over there to the people in America. We also meet several soldiers in Afghanistan who help us understand what life is really like.
And finally, we have U2, preparing for a rock concert in Moscow, and the team lead by an ex-CIA agent trying to bring it down.

The story is crafted perfectly. The pacing is wonderful, the story flows beautifully and the characters are believable. I really enjoyed reading this book and felt like I truly got to know the characters. The only real complaint that I have with the story is the ending. It was just a little bit too pat, and a few events were a little bit too unbelievable for me. Carson Grant is a naive idiot, and I never really felt like I was able to like him. His character felt a little bit flat to me. Part of his limited character depth, I think, comes from the fact that the woman he is engaged to, Nicki, is an almost superfluous character. She is dying of Cystic Fibrosis, and I felt that she was never anything more than a device. She provides "depth" to Carson's character, a little bit of drama, and is there for consequences. She was never really developed as a person. Instead, I felt like she was developed as a disease.

Other than my problems with the Carson/Nicki dynamic, I loved the characters in this book. Not all of them are people I'd like to meet on the street, but most of them (even Carson) felt like people that I might. It's possible I could run across someone just like almost any of these characters. It's not too likely that I'd run into a psychotic Russian who gets his thrills from killing people slowly, but I'll probably run into someone who has served a tour or more in a foreign war fighting for liberty and the right to life.This is definitely a book that I will read again in the future, and one I would recommend for others. I'm going to be looking to read more by Buick in the future. I'd like to see how I feel about a book of his reading it in one straight shot. But for now, Buick is definitely someone to watch for. One Child is so much more than I expected it to be, and I strongly recommend that you go out and read it now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, about the experience because you have to say something about that-

This book was the most unique book I've ever read because of the way it was released. As I mentioned, it was released in real time, with different chapters becoming available every day so that the events in the story unfold as you are reading about them. You are able to view the social networking pages of many characters, and are able to watch the reports that Russel Matthews sends from Afghanistan.

Although I truly enjoyed the little extras that came with the book, only having access to a limited number of pages every day stifled a lot of the excitement and adrenaline that I usually feel when reading a thriller/suspense novel. I was more invested in the characters than the events, because the chapters kept cutting off. I am a pretty fast reader, and rarely take more than 1-3 days reading a book. When I read, I prefer to read one book at a time, focus all my reading energies into that story and those characters and read it. Because this book provided me with daily cut offs, I found it really easy to distance myself from the events of the story and there were times when I'd leave it for a few days so I would have more to read when I came back to it.

The 4 videos that were released with the days events also reaffirmed what I already knew. I am more emotionally involved in what I read than in what I see or am told. The book made me cry, made my heart hurt. Watching those same events on Matthews video reports didn't even really make me sad. They were just kind of there. But that isn't the fault of the videos, it's just how I am. A really well written sad scene in a book can make me sob. A similar scene in a really well done movie just kind makes my throat hurts and my eyes tear up a little.

The timed release was a great idea and really made a difference in how the story made me feel, but I don't know that I loved it. I loved the idea, and enjoyed the execution but don't know if it's something I will be looking to repeat. However, I definitely plan to re-read this book sometime in the future and I strongly encourage you as readers to pick up a copy. It makes you think a lot more than I ever expected it too. I know that Halima has changed my world. Are you going to let her change yours?

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.

Today our guest post comes from Jennifer, who blogs at Carbohydrates and Conjugations. This is a great post and I can't wait to hear your thoughts!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
One of the earliest fairy tales I can remember is the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty. My parents took me to see it in theatres, and I watched repeatedly a VHS copy of it recorded from the Disney channel. That VHS tape got pretty worn down, and eventually Disney released Sleeping Beauty from the vault and I got an “official” copy. When DVDs became popular, I upgraded to the DVD. And this was the case for many other Disney movies: Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin... you get the picture.

Naturally I thought Sleeping Beauty was a beautiful love story, and couldn’t believe how lucky Briar Rose/Princess Aurora was to have found her True Love. She made it look so easy! First, you meet the man of your dreams. Then, you gaze into each other’s eyes and fall instantaneously in love. Tragically, someone tries to prevent your happiness (probably because for some reason their prince never came for them!), but in the end everything works out perfectly and there is a beautiful wedding.

Beauty and the Beast was the first Disney movie to give me an eye-opening experience. Belle was so different from Princess Aurora; she didn’t fall in love with the first man who proposed to her--in fact, she refused to settle! She was her own woman, unwilling to let any man dictate how she would live her life. And, at the age of 9, my perspective on fairy tales became drastically altered.

Please don’t get me wrong--I still love a good love story like Sleeping Beauty, where the heroine does absolutely nothing to warrant Mr. Right falling in love with her. Sometimes I even wish it were that easy. But it’s not. Little girls grow up with these expectations, and for some of us one day it just clicks. We are in charge of our own destinies; love is not something that can just be taken for granted.

One thing that most fairy tales never show us is what happens after Happily Ever After. In Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix, we are introduced to Ella, a girl who took charge and went to Prince Charming’s Ball just to spite the Step-Evils. Because she is the most beautiful girl in the village, Prince Charming will have no one but Ella. Now living in the palace, Ella has a hard time adapting to a life of luxury. Why should a maid stoke the flames for her when Ella has two perfectly good hands capable of doing the work for herself?

There aren’t any fairy godmothers, pumpkin carriages, or shape-shifting mice in Just Ella. She even pokes a bit of fun at the fairy tale when she says, “Why did everyone like that story so much when it wasn’t true? Why was everyone so eager to believe it? Was it because, in real life, ever after’s generally stink?” (p. 189) The lesson that Ella soon learns is that “happiness was like beauty--in the eye of the beholder”. (p. 218) Though Just Ella doesn’t end in your traditional Happily Ever After, it ends exactly the way Ella wants it to. And that’s satisfaction enough for me.

I will probably never stop loving traditional fairy tales, but every now and then I want a heroine that thinks for herself and creates her own happiness--with or without her Prince.

Thanks again Jennifer! I loved reading your thoughts!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jennifer has also been generous enough to offer a copy of the book she talks about Just Ella for one lucky reader. If you would like a chance to win Just Ella, fill out the form linked below!


Details:


Contest open Internationally, as long as The Book Depository ships to you.
Closes May 5th May 8th!
+1 for each way you follow Jennifer's blog-Carbohydrates and Conjugations (+2 for old followers)
(GFC, email subscriber, etc)
+1 for a MEANINGFUL comment on Jennifer's guest post.

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!

When I first heard about The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky I wasn't sure what I thought about the idea. No one would ever accuse me of being very interested in fashion, and my designer recognition is limited to the names of the very most famous. But, I was approached, in a round-a-bout way to review this novel, and realized that the dress takes our main character back to the Titanic... Well, it just so happens that 11 year old Ashley was obsessively in love with the Titanic, and 11 year old Ashley has an especial love for books where modern kids were able to travel back themselves. How could I not want to read this book?! So, I accepted, if for no other reason that to 'feed' 11 year old Ashley a little bit.

Before I say anything about the story, I want to briefly mention that this is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. I know you aren't supposed to just by appearances and all that, but seriously. This book is gorgeous. There are pages and pages of full color illustration, beautiful script work inside, the chapter headers are elegant and lovely, and the exterior of the book is a lovely purple. I'd love owning this book for the aesthetic value alone.

However, I did find this book to be delightfully charming, and I loved reading it. I admit that a lot of why I loved this book so much comes from 11 year old Ashley saying, Yay!! Titanic! but the story itself was cute and a lot of fun to read. Louise is 12 and in love with vintage clothing. She loves clothes and fashion, but would rather scour Goodwill and Salvation Army that hit up the mall. When she gets an exclusive invite to a traveling vintage sale, she's thrilled and can't wait to see what's offered. She just knows she's going to find something amazing to wear to the upcoming school dance. What she ends up finding are two (possibly crazy) old women and a glorious pink dress that transports her to the deck of the Titanic.

I did find found myself a little disbelieving that it took Louise so long to realize she was on the Titanic. Her history teachers may have been insanely dull, but they talked about the Titanic in class the day before she puts on the dress. Not only that, but she mentions having seen the movie. I do also wish that there had been a little bit more history of the Titanic included. It seemed to focus more on the outfits aboard the ship than on the history of the people or the ship itself.

I also found the descriptions of all the outfits worn both by Louise and others in the story to be a little too detailed. I freely admit that this one is more my fault, more personal, than anything actually wrong with the story. I have never been very interested in what's fashionable, or who is wearing what, and I would never recognize real designer clothing. I just don't have the eye or the interest towards it. I understand that vintage clothing is a large part of what makes Louise unique, but it's never been my thing. And, I worry that it might limit the readership a little bit, because I've never met a 12 year old in real life with this type of interest in vintage clothing. But then again, with the gorgeous illustrations, maybe it will, instead, encourage their interest in vintage fashion.

With that being said, I did really enjoy reading this book. It's a quick read and Louise was a fairly believable 12 year old. Initially, she's in shock and scared about where she's found herself. But then, as she realizes she's a first class passenger with a stunningly lovely wardrobe and she is back in time, she starts to enjoy herself, and enjoy living the life of pampered and loved starlet. But, once the newness wears off, she definitely resorts to 12 again, missing her mom, and wishing for nothing more than to be back home with her family and friends.

Although I mentioned wishing for more history of the Titanic, I did like the interaction Louise had with the passengers aboard the ship. Whether or not their portrayal here was completely accurate to real life, it was neat being able to see a little of what they might have been like as real people, instead of just names on a list. It's one of the reasons I love historical fiction, and I thought this book did a marvelous job of bringing the real people to life a bit.
The story has set itself up to easily become a series, and I would be interested in following along with the series to see what else happens to Louise. I would be fascinated to watch as she travels through different clothing eras, and will also be interested to see if Louise ages at all as the series progresses. I think it would be neat to watch as her adventures change with her real age, and the perspective that age grants you. But then again, maybe the magic of the dresses wears off as you age, and no longer believe in magic the same way you do as a kid.

Overall, the book was a really fun middle grade read that allowed me to remember what it was like to be 11. My 11 year old self would have rolled my eyes at the clothes and gobbled up any mention of the Titanic. I think that young girls will love the illustrations that go along with the clothing descriptions and who doesn't love the idea of being able to travel through time?!

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this for review in exchange for an honest review.