Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Pay the Piper: A Rock and Roll Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple

genre: middle grade/ya

Interesting twist on the Piped Piper fairy tale -fourteen year old Callie's backstage pass to hear the rock band Brass Rat only makes the secret to their hypnotic music skills more elusive. When all the other children disappear in town, it's up to Callie to put all the pieces together, but will she figure it out in time?

Of course, we see where the plot is going, but the fantastical-fairy element gives the story way more umph, that was the part that kept me interested - it had an element of darkness, too, that makes the Pied Piper have a different veneer than the skipping flute player of olde. I didn't fall in love with Callie as a character, but I thought she served her purpose as spunky-problem-solver-with-heart good enough. While I wasn't always dying to pick it up myself, I think middle grade lovers of fairy tales and FAIRY tales will like the combination of the two in this one.

Howard County Maryland 2011 "Pass the Book" selection

4 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I don't think this is for me, but I can see where it might appeal to younger readers.

Anonymous said...

As a big Jane Yolen fan, I'll have to look for this book. Thanks for posting.

Melissa said...

Now I'm curious. Can't wait to get it!

Unknown said...

thanks so much for your book recommendations on my blog! my daughter will be excited to check those out! ;)

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