Up and down the Scratchy Mountains - Laurel Snyder, Greg Call

Review:

Fairy tales must be hard to write so few people ever manage to produce a good one. There are many retellings, of course, particularly popular in YA, but few new ones. Snyder does an excellent job of getting the tone right: close enough to respect the conventions, but with enough of modern sensibility to avoid sounding fake.So sure, there's some magical transportation to keep things moving, but a realistic evaluation of the boredom and discomfort of travel.

 

There's some mystery, some menace, inflexible tradition, and motherless kids setting off for adventure. There is some silliness, but the children are taken seriously for their concerns and needs and desires.

 

Charming and a little corny, but never smarmy. Not too scary for preschoolers, but better for the 5 and ups.

 

Library copy

 

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