Tuesday, November 26, 2013
"Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends (Ever After High #1)" by Shannon Hale (Reviewed by Cindy Hannikman)
Visit Shannon Hale's Official Site Here
OVERVIEW: At Ever After High, an enchanting boarding school,
the children of fairytale legends prepare themselves to fulfill their destinies
as the next generation of Snow Whites, Prince Charmings and Evil
Queens...whether they want to or not. Each year on Legacy Day, students sign
the Storybook of Legends to seal their scripted fates. For generations, the
Village of Book End has whispered that refusing to sign means The End-both for
a story and for a life.
As the daughter of the Evil Queen, Raven Queen's destiny is to follow in her mother's wicked footsteps, but evil is so not Raven's style. She's starting to wonder, what if she rewrote her own story? The royal Apple White, daughter of the Fairest of Them All, has a happy ever after planned for herself, but it depends upon Raven feeding her a poison apple in their future.
What if Raven doesn't sign the Storybook of Legends? It could mean a happily never after for them both.
As the daughter of the Evil Queen, Raven Queen's destiny is to follow in her mother's wicked footsteps, but evil is so not Raven's style. She's starting to wonder, what if she rewrote her own story? The royal Apple White, daughter of the Fairest of Them All, has a happy ever after planned for herself, but it depends upon Raven feeding her a poison apple in their future.
What if Raven doesn't sign the Storybook of Legends? It could mean a happily never after for them both.
FORMAT: Ever After High: Storybook of Legends is a middle
school fairy tell retelling. It stands at 320 pages and was published by
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on October 8, 2013. This is the first
book of a series.
ANALYSIS: I am not a huge fan of books that are created with
the sole purpose of selling, promoting Internet websites/TV shows/app. I
understand that it is essentially a marketing tool that gets kids to read, but
I am just not a fan of it.
So, imagine my surprise when I picked up Ever After High
based off of the description only to discover it is a book designed to subtly
(or maybe not so subtly) promote a series of Mattel dolls. I wasn't thrilled
and almost put it back, but seeing as I love fairy tale retellings; I figured
I'd give it a go. And I am glad I did.
Ever After High: Storybook of Legends was a fast-paced,
light read that really gave fairy tales a new twist. The book is intended for
middle school readers and the writing style, conversations, and some of the
problems the characters faced reflect that, but I don't think there is anything
'older' readers can't relate to in this book.
The plot of Ever After High: Storybook of Legends revolves
around the idea that the sons/daughters of famous storybook/fairy tale
characters all attend a boarding school together. The first year, they are
given the freedom to choose classes that they like, but the second year they
are 'groomed' to be the characters/people their parents are in their stories.
Second year is when the characters must sign their name in
the Storybook of Legends and pledge to assume their role as the
hero/subcharacter/villain/etc. They have no choice in the matter, they must do
this or they will disappear and the other characters in their story will not be
able to get their 'happily ever after'.
Raven Queen, daughter of the Evil Queen, is having second
thoughts about this. The plot of the first book revolves around Raven Queen
trying to discover herself and see if there is a way that she can change her
destiny and not become the Evil Queen.
I believe this plot line allows 'older' readers to relate to
the story. Every adult knows what it is like to not fit in, feel as if their
life is in the hands of others, etc. In addition to relating to older readers,
this plot line sends a subtle, but important message to the younger readers –
that your destiny and life is your own.
Normally, I would say a novel that incorporates this idea is
doomed to fail, but Shannon Hale really pulls this off. Sure, there are quirky
things that drove me a little crazy, but it was a nice, fast, read that I
really enjoyed. I can only think of a handful of other authors that would be
able to pull this type of novel off without it being a total disaster.
One thing that drove me crazy for example was everything
(and I mean everything) has some sort of cutesy nickname. Hextbooks instead of
textbooks and things like that. I think it would be cute for younger readers,
but it just made my eye twitch sometimes.
Shannon Hale does an excellent job of taking familiar characters,
Snow White, Evil Queen, etc., and adding a unique twist to them. The characters
are still familiar, but Hale really does make them her own. I think this above
all is what makes this book stand out.
Just be warned, there are 2 more books planned for the
series. So, not all questions or problems are solved in this book, which is a
little disappointing.
Overall, if you are able to put aside the obvious marketing
ploy and love fairy tale retellings this may be the book for you. The writing
style is definitely middle school, but this novel is a page-turner and worth
the read.
12:00 AM | 
Posted by
Cindy |
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4 comments:
I'll have to skip this one. The marketing ploy would really irritate me.
I really wish this book had been made separate, but it isn't. On the other hand, I can't stand any other books that try to incorporate other forms of media.
For example, there was a whole series of books that had the children following Youtube videos (or something similar). Children were encouraged to 'go online' and watch them.
Maybe it is old school thinking, but books and media/apps/toys should be separate.
This es the best book I had ever read I am about to start reading the third book right now thank you to Shannon Hale for righting these books
But the third book es about to be opened by Cinthia Romero