Some new characters: one real and some fictional

“There isn’t really a choice, is there?” he whispered. “Adventure cheats. It’s so much shinier and louder than Not-Adventure.” – Hawthorne the Troll

Hi Cannonballers!  I’d like to introduce you to my newest adventure and our newest Cannonballer, almost 3 months old and already very opinionated about reading material.  As you can see, this month’s recommendation is BABY ANIMALS.

I’m behind behind behind on both reading and posting.  See above re: baby Cannonballer.  Probably won’t reach the full Cannonball, but let’s try anyway!

The Boy Who Lost Fairyland is the fourth installment of the wonderful Fairyland series by Catherynne Valente.  When we left our protagonist September in Book 3 on a cliffhanger, but this book picks up with an entirely new cast: a troll named Hawthorn, and a fetch named Tamburlaine.  They are changelings who end up, and grow up, in the human world, much to their frustration.  When they turn 12, though, they team up and find their way back to Fairyland and a changeling revolution.

This is a wonderful book for adults and children alike.  It’s full of imagination, whimsy, and wordplay, and it’s got some very touching motifs on friendship (whether that’s with a fellow changeling, a stuffed wombat, or a grammophone).  It’s a little more approachable than the last installment (The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland), which was still lovely but I think got bogged down in very adult-y metaphors that took away from the momentum and might alienate younger readers.  At first because our heroine September seems almost forgotten, but she plays an important role in this story as well and, I expect, the next and last installment of the series.  Five stars for being fun, smart, and easy (!) to read even when you have a new baby.

In short, I can’t wait to read this with Baby Fiat.Luxury…when he’s a little older than 3 months.