Fanciful and Fantastic!
Coming February 26, 2016
Yet another set of descriptors for ways authors engage and hold readers’ attention: fanciful and fantastic.
I’d like to think those words can be applied to my books, at least now and again. You will likely find the Joy Jumbles in Becoming Piper Pan a fanciful element. (Coming, February 26th!)
By the way—save the date, I’m planning something fun for you—a special preview!
Today’s book recommendation shines in the fanciful and fantastic realm: The Wild Ones, by C. Alexander London. Here’s the blurb:
“After his parents are killed, Kit, a young raccoon, sets off for the city with a stone that may be the key to finding the Bone of Contention, a legendary object that is proof of a deal giving the wild animals the rights to Ankle Snap Alley, which the dogs and cats—known as the Flealess—want back and are willing to kill for.”
This is another animal adventure book, a very popular way of telling stories (as in The Tygrine Cat, which I recently brought to your attention.
Alexander London’s storytelling style sparkles with poetic whimsy. He is brilliant at imaginative images and word play. Examples from the summary above: “the Flealess,” “the Bone of Contention,” “Ankle Snap Alley.” One of my favorites in the book is the description of the raccoon drool-enticing “Daily Trash Casserole” served at Possum Ansel’s Sweet & Best-Tasting Baking Company:
Daily Trash Casserole
Canned tuna and apple core with chocolate sprinkles, beef-bone-and-ant puree in an orange-and-lettuce-juice reduction sauce. Potato chip crust.
Side of fried grubs or carrot stems (vegetarian option).
If you were a raccoon, you’d be drooling, too!
This fanciful and fantastic style carries throughout—while the stakes are serious and the characters motivated to do whatever is necessary to retain their rights to Ankle Snap Alley, the conflicts and battles are never frightening. It’s a perfect book for a slightly younger or more scary-adverse reader than mine are written for.
Just between us, my absolute favorite part of the book is the last line in the author’s bio: “He lives with his husband and dog in Brooklyn, New York.” This line simply made me happy. It embodies the gender empowerment value behind my stories in the Neverland—that we should all get to become fully who we are, without prejudice or predefinition. Thank you, C. Alexander London!
P.S. Here’s a fabulous video of the author and his readers talking about the book!