Saving Fable

July 1, 2019
Character Indira Story lives in the fictional town of Origin and aspires to a plot of her own. She works hard to make her dream come true: to travel to the city of Fable and attend Protagonist Preparatory, a school where famous characters such as Alice (from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Fitzwilliam Darcy, and Romeo Montague train aspirants to become successful characters in actual stories. Ultimately, succeeding at Protagonist Preparatory would result in Indira's being chosen by an Author in the Real World for their novel. Indira is determined to become a protagonist so that she can find her brother, David, a laborer in the town of Quiver, where he mines story nuggets. However, Indira fails her audition and begins to train as a side character. To make matters worse, her best efforts at school are sabotaged, and Fable itself is threatened. The question arises: Can a side character become a hero? Reintgen's middle-grade debut is at once a fantastic adventure and a tribute to famous and popular literature. The plot feels rushed at times, but witty references--to literary characters and elements of the act of reading itself, like dog ears (envisioned as one-eared dogs who steal watches from anthropomorphic bookmarks )--make this novel enjoyable and laugh-out-loud funny. There is nothing intrinsically Indian about brown-skinned Indira (as her name suggests but as her equally brown-skinned brother's does not), but her-far-from positive experiences remind readers of the importance of working hard at their own stories. Imaginative, fast-paced, and fun. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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September 1, 2019

Gr 3-7-Welcome to Fable, where all story characters attend Protagonist Preparatory to learn skills in such classes as "How To Get Captured and Narrowly Escape," "Love by Page 12," "I Thought You Were Dead," and "Weaponry," all to impress you, the Dear Reader. In this amazingly detailed world where every character is hoping to catch the eye of an author and be in a story of their own, Indira Story's lifelong dream is to be a protagonist. However, she ends up on the side character track instead. This does not deter Indira, and she soon discovers that it is up to her and her friends to save the school. Fast-paced, action-packed chapters will draw in reluctant and fervent readers alike. Reintgen directly addresses the Dear Reader to vividly describe plots, scenes, and feelings. While some readers may not be familiar with the iconic names of professors such as Fitzwilliam Darcy, Alice, Odysseus, and Romeo Montague, others will delight in how well they teach their respective classes. Thankfully, this is the first in a series in which every character is brimming with potential, just waiting to be picked up and read. VERDICT Dear Reader, Fable is waiting for you to bring it to life. A solid purchase for all collections.-Kerri Williams, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

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