The Dyerville Tales

May 19, 2014
Kozlowsky (Juniper Berry) interweaves two narratives in this curious and elliptical story: that of Vince Elgin, who has taken refuge in storytelling after being orphaned in a house fire, and a book compiled from tales dictated by his grandfather. When Vince's grandfather dies, and his book is delivered to Vince, the boy escapes the orphanage and travels to his grandfather's funeral, encountering would-be saviors and a trio of frightening villains. Vince's adventures and his grandfather's seemingly autobiographical fairy talesâwhich are populated with a Baba Yagaâlike witch, a deranged giant, and a talking horseâare intended to intersect. The result sometimes dovetails nicely and sometimes clashes, resulting in an uneven narrative. Kozlowsky's skill lies in finding the darkness at the center of the tales people weave to make sense of the world, though the result is a pervading melancholy. Vince's tale ends on an odd note as he finds (or imagines he finds) an artifact from his grandfather's stories, which could be either hopeful or tragic according to the path the reader has taken through the eponymous Tales. Ages 8â12. Author's agent: Victoria Marini, Gelfman Schneider Literary.

February 15, 2014
An overwrought fairy tale within a fairy tale. Twelve-year-old Vincent, "he of the fair skin and the sad eyes, the disheveled hair and the honest smile," has spent the last two years in an orphanage, ever since the total destruction of his home by a dragon. When the news of his grandfather's death comes, the orphanage director refuses to let him attend the funeral but does hand him a mysterious book that his grandfather left him. The book recounts the strange adventures of another boy named Vincent, cursed by a witch. From there, chapters alternate between the two stories. Vincent No. 1 runs away to attend the funeral but is foiled by a snowstorm and a gang of murderers; Vincent No. 2 becomes trapped by a giant, escapes on a magical horse and eventually defeats an evil dwarf and then the witch herself--and finds a magical world quite a bit like heaven, too. It seems the real world and the book world are meant to gradually intersect, but the "real" world, with its bleak, Aiken-esque orphanage and marauding dragons, is too unreal for contrast. Fantastic elements appear without warning or logic, and none of the characters ascend beyond stereotypes. The two Vincents in particular seem to react rather than act. The passive, omniscient narration seems designed to throw the affected language into jarring relief. " Some tales are worth telling," opens the narrator--readers may feel this isn't one of them. (Fantasy. 8-11)

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March 1, 2014

Gr 4-7-Every night in the orphanage, 12-year-old Vince Elgin recites the traumatic tale of how his house burned to the ground and he lost his parents. His father's body was never recovered and the boy secretly wonders if he is still alive and waiting for him somewhere. When news reaches Vince that his estranged grandfather has passed away, he is hopeful that he can attend the funeral and perhaps be reunited with his dad. His hopes are dashed when the headmistress denies his travel and instead gives him The Dyerville Tales, his grandfather's memoirs of a magical world. Determined to leave, Vince plots a daring and successful escape and the story begins in earnest. The chapters alternate between his struggle to reach the funeral and the fantastical tales within the memoirs. Regrettably, this is where the promising fantasy begins to unravel. Individually, the two story lines are engaging and full of adventure, but combined they become diluted and confusing. Lurching from one plotline to the next, the novel becomes bogged down in the story-within-a-story format and loses focus. With so many excellent fantasy titles to choose from, this is an optional purchase for libraries with a strong tween fantasy section.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2014
Grades 3-6 Twelve-year-old Vincent lives in a orphanage, where he hangs on to the hope that his father somehow escaped the fire that killed his mother two years earlier. When Vince receives word that his elderly grandfather, also named Vincent, has died, he runs away from the orphanage to attend the funeral, convinced he will be reunited with his father there. Subsequent chapters alternate between current Vince's escape from the adults who want to return him to the orphanage and outlandish stories detailing his grandfather's early life, undoing the witch's curse he was placed under at birth. Uncertain if the stories are real or the ravings of a crazy old man, Vince draws inspiration from his grandfather's courage in the face of some truly horrifying characters. Kozlowsky has crafted a dark and sinister world packed with obstacles and monsters that both Vinces must slay. What could have been melodrama is heightened by Kozlowsky's sensitivity and unblinking exploration of grief, wrapped up in an adventure that is sure to entertain.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)