Modern Fairy Tales That Feel Classic and Cool

Lee Littlewood
Fri, 21 Sep 2018 18:06:08 -0700
Lifestyle

Classic fairy tales have always been popular among children, but sometimes the antiquated language and settings can seem foreign. These new novels are just as magical and otherworldly while also being fresh and fast-paced, highly appealing to 2018's kids.

"Into the Nightfell Wood" by Kristin Bailey; Katherine Tegan Books/HarperCollins; 359 pages; $16.99.
Updated: Fri Sep 21, 2018

Classic fairy tales have always been popular among children, but sometimes the antiquated language and settings can seem foreign. These new novels are just as magical and otherworldly while also being fresh and fast-paced, highly appealing to 2018's kids.

"Into the Nightfell Wood" by Kristin Bailey; Katherine Tegan Books/HarperCollins; 359 pages; $16.99.

Wynn had sad experiences in the "Otherworld" — her mother died, and her father wanted to get rid of her because it took her too long to think and her thumbs were shaped weird. With the help of the Fairy Queen, Wynn and her brother, Elric, ran away to the land Between, and Wynn loved her new life as a fairy princess ... for awhile. She enjoyed all the beauty and all the circles (fairies love circles), but now it's just the same thing day in and day out, and nobody needs her for anything. Things pick up in Kristin Bailey's whimsy-filled tale when the grief-stricken Fairy Queen allows their kingdom to be weakened and Wynn escapes into the Nightfell Wood. Kids will enjoy the adventure and cheer on Elric as he follows and tries to save his little sister. Real-life setbacks of fear, prejudice and evil play a role, with lots of witches, elves, woodland animals and monsters.

"Otherwood" by Pete Hautman; Candlewick Press; 303 pages; $16.99.

Beginning with a deadly storm ala "The Wizard of Oz," Peter Hautman's gripping novel for middle-grade readers is a modern tale with a beloved grandfather/grandson relationship, an activist mother and boy who witnesses something unbelievable in the woods one day. At this point, the known and unknown, reality and what might be all mix together, and Stuey and his friend Elly Rose try to make sense of it all.

Magic is certainly a key factor in "Otherwood," and also sins of the past, grief and consequences. But the real magic comes when friendship, loyalty and forgiveness bind loved ones together.

"Fortune's Magic Farm" by Suzanne Selfors; Imprint/MacMillan; 290 pages; $15.99.

More magic exists in the wonderful new tale by Suzanne Selfors, this time following Roald Dahl's tendency to lean on quirky darkness and whimsy. Isabelle lives in rainy Runny Cove, in a world turned gray. A mysterious stranger arrives with promises of an inheritance, and invites Isabelle to a place full of sunshine and magic. Her new home is a farm with cherries that cure ills and fronds that make her fly, but is she truly happy? Readers will find out when Isabelle returns to her gloomy home to try to use the new magic to stop the rain.

Already awarded several accolades including the Junior Library Guild Award, "Fortunes' Magic Farm" is delicious and darkly comical.

"A Stitch in Time" by Daphne Kalmar; Feiwel and Friends; 167 pages; $16.99.

Sort of a "Cinderella" story of a put-upon girl who summons the strength to move mountains, Daphne Kalmar's Donut is an 11-year-old geography whiz who keeps her taxidermied mice hidden in her late mother's hope chest. Her beloved pops also passed away, and all she's got now is Aunt Agnes, who wants to drag her to Boston.

Donut will have none of it; she can't stand to leave her beloved Vermont woods with memories of her pop, so she and her best friend do all they can to hatch a plan.

Kalmar's evocative writing and the book's classic good looks and fairly short length help make "A Stitch in Time" a girl-power fairy tale for modern kids.

"My Father's Words" by Patricia MacLachlan; HarperCollins; 133 pages; $15.99.

Deceased parents play a role in many fairy tales and Disney movies, and also in beloved Patricia MacLachlan's latest. A shorter, easier-to-read tale for kids 8 to 12, "My Father's Words" introduces siblings Fiona and Finn, who lose their father to a terrible accident. Their mother is grieving, but their friend Luke encourages them to volunteer at an animal rescue center, where they meet Jenny and Ralph, two "impossible" but sweet dogs in need of comfort.

Poignant and spot-on, MacLachlan magically knows giving comfort to other living things helps with the grieving process. Heartwarmingly, the kids' fathers' words give them hope, and help them help the dogs and themselves.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.