The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two

The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two
Author: Catherynne M. Valente, Ana Juan (Illustrator)
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Todd

Summary: September misses Fairyland and her friends Ell, the Wyverary, and the boy Saturday. She longs to leave the routines of home and embark on a new adventure. Little does she know that this time, she will be spirited away to the moon, reunited with her friends, and find herself faced with saving Fairyland from a moon-Yeti with great and mysterious powers.

Review: I shall continue to implore that you to do READ THIS SERIES!! This tale in the series is a bit different, but for good reasons. The first half of the book takes a while to find the plot as it’s about getting into fairyland (but that makes sense considering September and how she’s feeling about herself, growing up, and her trips into Fairyland.) September is growing up and she is now a teenager with responsibilities and worries, a heart that while not so new is still so raw and wanting to be hidden, and the lingering fear that her time for adventures grows shorter and may have passed completely. For her the magical age of childhood is slamming shut fast.

But one of several lessons, powerful ones that even adults need to be reminded of from time to time, is that just because one grows up does not mean that one has to let go of life’s magic or burrow away their heart where it can’t be shared. I will share half of one of those secrets, because like the narrator I care about the one who reads this. That secret is: “What others call you, you become.” And that is a theme that September struggles strongly against, as she doesn’t know her life’s goal just yet. And finally we learn what happened to the fairies that have been absent from their land, as well as getting to understand just how wicked and callous they could be for those unfamiliar with that concept. After all, the kind fae that September has met are the exceptions, not the rule, to their kin’s behavior. A thoroughly good read that is geared a bit more towards the older range of children, but can still be enjoyed by the younger ones with patience.