The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

By: Catherynne M. Valente; Illustrated by Ana Juan
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Todd

Summary: Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn't . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.



Review: Read this book. I can’t stress that enough; because this book tore through every expectation I had and took its place as what a model fantasy novel could be. Valentine uses touches of folklore from around the world to give her Fairyland a universal feel. Her narrator is playful and engages the reader as September is swept into the world of Fairyland. Through September’s journey we are enticed to pass through landscapes that run on narrative and are metaphor made manifest; lands where the seasons stay still and repeat on, a literal patchwork city, and even the beaches made of faerie riches. And that enticement is needed because we suffer with September as she begins to grow a caring heart she’s doomed to lose, as doubt of what she can do on her quests, and perhaps most and yet seemingly least important the pain of blood.