Review by Anna Yardney
Title: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Author: Catherynne Valente
“Once upon a time, a girl named September grew very tired indeed of her parents’ house, where she washed the same pink-and-yellow teacups and matching gravy boats every day, slept on the same embroidered pillow, and played with the same small and amiable dog. Because she had been born in May, and because she had a mole on her left cheek, and because her feet were very large and ungainly, the Green Wind took pity on her and flew to her window one evening just after her twelfth birthday.”
I spent my childhood reading C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald and Hans Christian Andersen, but this is hands down one of the finest adventures in fairyland that I have ever come across. While this is ostensibly a book for children ages 10-14 I would recommend it to anyone who has ever enjoyed a good escapist fantasy. This book will make you laugh, cry, hope, and wonder all over again. Catherynne Valente invokes all the charm of Oz and the whimsy of Wonderland in this adventure while turning tropes on their heads and side-stepping every cliché. Be sure to check out the delicious sequels!
Check availability on The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making today!
Did you love this first book in the series? There’s more!
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two
About the reviewer: Circulation and tech services staff member Anna Yardney owns every single book in the series and has no plans to stop collecting them.
