We’ve all read the stories about Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Alice and their evil counterparts, Grimhilde (The Evil Queen), Mother Gothel (Disney version), Wicked Stepmother, and The Queen of hearts. Did you ever wonder how they came to be evil or wicked? There has been a spate of authors who have wondered and have stepped up to answer. Gregory McGuire tackled the Wicked Witch of the West in his book Wicked. Marissa Meyer took on Wicked Stepmother in her series The Lunar Chronicles (which had a steampunk bent…another of my favorite things). While not a step-by-step guide to becoming villainous, you can read between the lines. Will their back stories make them a little less evil? Maybe you will relate to their plight?
Marissa has stepped into the ring once again with her book Heartless, hoping that she doesn’t lose her head.
Cath is bright, energetic, happy girl living in the magical world of Wonderland. she is the only daughter of doting parents who want all the best for her. Like most girls, Cath has dreams about what she wants to do with her life. Unlike most girls, they don’t include marriage to the king! Rather, Cath wants to open a bakery with her best friends and fill all of Wonderland with fantastical confections. At the ball, the king was supposed to propose to her but her life took a side step when she met Jest, an exotic stranger who tugs mightily at Cath’s heartstrings. In secret, she and Jest enter into a courtship that will bring pleasure, pain and, ultimately, grave danger to all of Wonderland. With her heart on the line, what path will Cath choose?
I met Maggie Thrash when she was a 7th grader and I was in charge of my first advisory group. Maggie was one of the most unique students I’ve ever had. Her confidence belied her age and my age, for that matter. That year I had students who were a bit intimidating to me but Maggie would show up and exude such spirit that I was able to draw on her strength and handle things like a pro (or at least to fake it till I actually had confidence of my own). When she got into high school, she came to me and asked if I’d be the faculty adviser for a club she wanted to start. I was taken aback but excited for the honor. FOGS (Fellowship of the Outer Galactic Sphere) lasted for seven fabulous years and remains one of my favorite memories.
Maggie has written two books. Her first, Honor Girl, is a memoir. You might not think that a young woman in her late 20s would have much to memorialize. Not so for Maggie. Her seventeenth year brought change and confusion into her life. Every summer was spent at camp with most of the same girls. She’s never had a boyfriend or even kissed anyone before so she is unprepared for the turmoil the casual contact with Erin, her female camp counselor causes. A girl having a crush on another girl at a camp in the deep south just won’t do. Maggie has no one to talk to about the situation and is afraid to approach Erin for fear of rejection but, when it seems as though Erin might feel the same way, neither of the girls or the camp are ready or able to handle what happens next.
Maggie’s second book is a fictional tale full of the angst that only teenagers can understand. It’s Friday night in the south; a night full of testosterone and scantily clad cheerleaders. As game time nears, Brittany, the Wild Cat Mascot, totters around the field on unsteady feet. No one really takes notice until she suddenly bolts from the field. Soon, the rest of the cheerleaders and other students give chase. The mood is merry right up until the Wild Cat reaches the middle bridge of the that spans the rushing Chattahoochee River and jumps! The crowd is stunned into silence for a moment but soon cries for help ring out. For days, the search goes on. When the matted, furry costume finally washes ashore, it isn’t Brittany’s body inside of it.
Do YA Read? 