Into the Wild

September 1, 2007
Gr 5-7-Something strange is trying to grow under 12-year-old Julie's bed. Her mother, Rapunzel, wants to keep it hidden, but The Wild is determined to escape and when it does, it turns Julie's town into a fairy tale on steroids. Rapunzel's been trying to lead a normal life, but now all the plots and patterns of the old stories threaten to ensnare everyone within reach, former fairy-tale characters and denizens of the modern suburbs, alike. Julie has to do some sleuthing, some quick thinking, and learn to negotiate her way past expected, stereotypical folkloric responses in order to break The Wild's hold on reality. The implicit messages about self-actualization and assertiveness do not lie too heavily atop the fun. Amusing, but not profound."Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2007
Long ago, fairy-tale characters escaped their stories and entered the real world. Twelve-year-old Julie, Rapunzels daughter, livesliterallywith the consequences: the enchantedforest they fled, known as the Wild, is currently stored under Julies bed. It's Rapunzel's job to keep the sentient, hungry forestweak enough to control. Then the Wild is wished free. It subsumes Julies town, trapping original characters in their old roles and imprisoning new people in the roles best suited for them. To free the others, Julie will have to survive wicked witches, poisoned apples, and marriageable princesto reach the heart of the Wild. The story is peppered with sly allusions, and Julie is an appealingly reluctantheroine, one whose goodness and braverycome with plenty of wry, contemporary sarcasm. Although the logic of the Wild doesn't bear close scrutiny, the concept behind the storyis sufficiently clever that many readers will forgive its inconsistencies. Those who enjoy this spin of the fractured-fairy-tale wheel may wish to turn next to Lisa Papdemetriou's similarly playful The Dragon, the Witch, and Two Girls from Jersey (2006).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)