The Girl in Red

May 6, 2019
Henry’s sharp, unsettling rendition of “Little Red Riding Hood” explores whether a healthy sense of paranoia and extensive knowledge of horror fiction rules will increase Red’s chances of post-pandemic survival, especially given her increased vulnerability due to her gender and prosthetic leg. Three months after the start of the Crisis—an illness that has killed most of the populace and is somehow creating creepy, monstrous creatures—Red is determined to reach her grandmother’s rural home, despite the obstacles of patrols (government and otherwise), devastated infrastructure, her determination not to use a gun, and the deprivations and hardships of the lengthy trek. Red (nee Cordelia) is a prickly but sympathetic protagonist, imbued with a fierce and admirable determination to protect herself and her loved ones, but even armed with resolution and a hand ax, she may not reach her destination. Henry (Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook) satisfyingly upends the familiar tale of a clever girl, a dangerous wolf, and a brave savior, and folklore fans will enjoy this bloody near-future variation on a familiar theme.

June 1, 2019
Veering from the historical-fantasy setting of The Mermaid (2018), the versatile Henry has reimagined another classic fairy tale, this time with a fascinating narrative about surviving the apocalypse. Fangirl Cordelia, who prefers to be called Red, never thought she would be living through one of her horror-movie scenarios. A deadly virus has been unleashed, and people everywhere are dying. But Red is a planner and just a bit paranoid. She lost a leg when she was eight, and learning to walk with a prosthetic taught her to always watch her step. As the death toll rises and the sickness spreads, Red prepares for the worst. When gun-toting men arrive outside their home, her parents order her to run and escape the wolves at their door. Armed with a hatchet, carrying a backpack of supplies, and wearing a red hoodie, Red is determined to get to Grandma's house. Chapters that alternate time lines add intensity to the story of a young woman who will not let herself be eaten just because she is alone in the woods.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)