Best Teen & Young Adult Fairy Tale & Folklore Adaptations
1 Cinder
See where the futuristic YA fairytale saga all began, with the tale of a teenage cyborg who must fight for Earth's survival against villains from outer space. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future. “This series opener and debut offers a high coolness factor by rewriting Cinderella as a kickass mechanic in a plague-ridden future.” ― Kirkus Reviews on Cinder. “First in the Lunar Chronicles series, this futuristic twist on Cinderella retains just enough of the original that readers will enjoy spotting the subtle similarities. But debut author Meyer's brilliance is in sending the story into an entirely new, utterly thrilling dimension .” ― Publishers Weekly, starred review for Cinder. “Singing mice and glass slippers are replaced with snarky androids and mechanical feet in this richly imagined and darkly subversive retelling of ‘Cinderella. Marissa didn't actually go to Stadium High School, but she did attend Pacific Lutheran University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Creative Writing.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have never been to Beijing so I can't verify what changes are made in this version, but I loved how Meyer described the contrasting worlds of glitz and glamour and the dreary and impoverished. I also was fascinated by the descriptions of the Lunar kingdom that is mentioned through myths in this installment, but I have a feeling it will become a primary setting later in the series. The two main ones are the deadly illness that is slowly wiping out the population of the city and the impending attack from the ruthless Lunar kingdom. I also enjoyed seeing the little Cinderella tidbits that Meyer threw into the fray such as Cinder's orange "classic" car and her prosthetic foot that keeps falling off. I was especially intrigued by the way Meyer used the cyborg prejudices of Cinder's neighbors to mirror the neglect of the Cinderella from the fairy tale. Prince Kaito, or Kai as he is known to Cinder, is a unique hero in the land of young adult literature."
"I hope it this gets turned into a movie they found actors who can portray this well because those I feel were the best moments in the book."
"I have bought this book for many friends as it is a fun adventure to get lost in."
"People don't look too kindly on cyborgs, so Cinder mainly keeps to herself and gets her work done. I liked Marissa Meyer's take on the fairy-tale and the changes she made in making it her own, but regardless of these changes there is still the familiar story that many of us grew up knowing. When Peony falls ill of the plague, once again Cinder is looked at with disgust by her stepmother and offered up as a "volunteer" for a plague vaccine (which has not boded well for said volunteers). For all that I thought was predictable, I still didn't want to put down the book, and Meyer did surprise by leaving us with an open ending. I'm very interested to find out how Meyer continues on with the fairy-tale retellings while weaving together the overall conflicts she started here in Cinder."
2 Cress
The third book in the #1 New York Times- and USA Today- Bestselling Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer! The evil space queen gives an imprisoned hacker orders to track down our cyborg heroine and her team of reimagined fairytale characters. Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker; unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. Find out what happens in another richly imagined adventure in Marissa Meyer's world of fairytale (with characters based off of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel), science fiction, and intergalatic intruigue. Don't miss these other books from #1 New York Times - and USA Today -Bestselling author Marissa Meyer : The Lunar Chronicles : Cinder. Scarlet. Cress. Winter. Stars Above. Fairest. Her latest assignment is to search for Cinder, the escaped cyborg mechanic who crashed Emperor Kai’s ball and won his heart in spite of his announced betrothal to Lavana. In this third book in Meyer’s fractured fairy tale series, Cinder, Scarlet, Wolf, and Cress team up to stop the emperor’s wedding, preventing Lavana from becoming Earth’s queen and thus destroying it.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Cress kept up this cat and mouse game where Prince Kai and the on the run, Cinder are feeling overwhelmed yet willing to save everyone on earth in their own ways. Meeting a few new players, lots of excitement, a couple great twists and introspective moments and I had myself a very satisfying read. Cress is book three of the Young Adult dystopian fairytale retelling series, The Lunar Chronicles. There are at least a handful of correlations that fairytale lovers will adore seeing, though, the author writes a very original story here. She also has some darker thoughts and fights using her unlocked Lunar ability for the wrong reasons and turning into Levana. Oh, and then we have a few new players added to the mix that promise for some great reading in the final book, Winter. I can most definitely recommend this series to those who enjoy a blend of sci-fi, dystopian, fairytale retelling, suspense, and romance."
"I’m not one for romance in stories because I often feel it detracts from the overall plot, but the connection between Carswell and Cress made this a page-turner for me. I feel connected to every character and I’m rooting for each of their individual stories."
"This book is a brilliant addition to the series and one I was so excited to read. It starts right up where the last let off and although there are parts in it that seem a tad bit slow going or maybe needlessly stretched out, when you get into the action it just doesn't stop!"
"As the main character in book three of The Lunar Chronicles it seemed that Cress doesn't get quite as much of the novel dedicated just to her as the two previous books have to their characters. Any reader new to the series will definitely want to begin with the first book, Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles, even though author Marissa Meyer has done a really good job of integrating the backstory of all the characters up to this point."
Why exactly is the wicked Queen so nasty, particularly to Snow White? Serena Valentino has been weaving tales that combine mythos and guile for the past decade.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Super obsessed with this series, you must read them!"
"Love the take on this series."
"Can't wait till my niece gets this."
"This book just made me fall in love with the snow white movie all over again!"
"AMAZING Book, I would read this OVER AND OVER AGAIN, was made too perfection."
"A fascinating story about the evil queen - who is far more complicated in this story than she was in the Disney movie."
Best Teen & Young Adult Fairy Tales & Folklore
See where the futuristic YA fairytale saga all began, with the tale of a teenage cyborg who must fight for Earth's survival against villains from outer space. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future. “This series opener and debut offers a high coolness factor by rewriting Cinderella as a kickass mechanic in a plague-ridden future.” ― Kirkus Reviews on Cinder. “First in the Lunar Chronicles series, this futuristic twist on Cinderella retains just enough of the original that readers will enjoy spotting the subtle similarities. But debut author Meyer's brilliance is in sending the story into an entirely new, utterly thrilling dimension .” ― Publishers Weekly, starred review for Cinder. “Singing mice and glass slippers are replaced with snarky androids and mechanical feet in this richly imagined and darkly subversive retelling of ‘Cinderella. Marissa didn't actually go to Stadium High School, but she did attend Pacific Lutheran University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Creative Writing.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have never been to Beijing so I can't verify what changes are made in this version, but I loved how Meyer described the contrasting worlds of glitz and glamour and the dreary and impoverished. I also was fascinated by the descriptions of the Lunar kingdom that is mentioned through myths in this installment, but I have a feeling it will become a primary setting later in the series. The two main ones are the deadly illness that is slowly wiping out the population of the city and the impending attack from the ruthless Lunar kingdom. I also enjoyed seeing the little Cinderella tidbits that Meyer threw into the fray such as Cinder's orange "classic" car and her prosthetic foot that keeps falling off. I was especially intrigued by the way Meyer used the cyborg prejudices of Cinder's neighbors to mirror the neglect of the Cinderella from the fairy tale. Prince Kaito, or Kai as he is known to Cinder, is a unique hero in the land of young adult literature."
"I hope it this gets turned into a movie they found actors who can portray this well because those I feel were the best moments in the book."
"I have bought this book for many friends as it is a fun adventure to get lost in."
"People don't look too kindly on cyborgs, so Cinder mainly keeps to herself and gets her work done. I liked Marissa Meyer's take on the fairy-tale and the changes she made in making it her own, but regardless of these changes there is still the familiar story that many of us grew up knowing. When Peony falls ill of the plague, once again Cinder is looked at with disgust by her stepmother and offered up as a "volunteer" for a plague vaccine (which has not boded well for said volunteers). For all that I thought was predictable, I still didn't want to put down the book, and Meyer did surprise by leaving us with an open ending. I'm very interested to find out how Meyer continues on with the fairy-tale retellings while weaving together the overall conflicts she started here in Cinder."
Best Teen & Young Adult TV, Movie, Video Game Adaptations
Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum. Tolkien's classic prelude to his Lord of the Rings trilogy contains a short introduction by Christopher Tolkien, a reset text incorporating the most up-to-date corrections, and all of Tolkien’s own drawings and full-color illustrations, including the rare “Mirkwood” piece. This deluxe collector's edition of Tolkien's modern classic is boxed and bound in green leatherette with gold and red foil rune stamping on the spine and cover.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I did a ton of research and decided upon this version (ISBN 116-1749849-2513827), illustrated by Alan Lee and published by Harper Collins in June 2014 (I am adding these details because the Amazon.com site does not make it clear what this version is). The only drawback is that the facsimile pages of the Book of Mazarbul was not included, which I found to be surprising and a bit disappointing Also, the ring inscription and the Gandalf "rune" are printed in black rather than silver and red. Probably the main issue is the clear plastic slipcover, which is barely bigger than the book itself, and it is difficult to slip the book back inside it after taking it out."
"The font size seems to be based on the length of the books, the longer the books are, the smaller the font is (I suppose this was in order to keep them pocket-sized as well as consistent with the sizes of the other books throughout the set)."
"I'll keep it brief, this is not a review of the actual story but of this specific edition."
"Gilt edges, silk marker, and pages of Mazarbul are nice, but the fold-out maps are a bit tricky to use without tearing. I foolishly put a little piece of tape to stop the tearing, but took it off and am just careful with it."
"There are several sellers listed as having this book, but they will ship you the mass market paperback instead."
Best Teen & Young Adult Fairy Tale & Folklore Anthologies
It includes Thumbelina, a little girl no more than a thumb-joint high, The Emperor's New Clothes, the tale of a man who cares only for his appearance and The Little Mermaid, who longs to one day marry a human prince. Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75) was born in Odense, Denmark, the son of a poor shoemaker and a washerwoman.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"He complained that the story of the princess and the pea was shorter than expected (3 paragraphs) but there's a ton of stories he can read instead."
"He was a great psychologist and most of his tales are not focused on love stories (unlike majorities of tales around the world)."
"Second, there is a hyperlinked table of contents for instant access to any of the stories, unlike many of the free ebooks I've seen."
"So if you, like me, are determined to try and re-visit your childhood via fairy tales written by Hans Christian Andersen no matter what, at least take pity on yourself--or pity on your children if you're trying to read the stories to them--and read this version."
"My daughter (who is 3 1/2) is totally all about "frozen" and "the little Mermaid" and I was telling her that the stories were written a LONG time ago... She loves the other stories and we haven't tackled the long ones yet, cause I read to her at bedtime, and we generally only get in 4-5 pages before she zonks out!!"
"I remember these stories growing up."
"I ordered and read this book after reading the Snow Queen."
Best Teen & Young Adult Country & Ethnic Fairy Tales & Folklore
From the authors who wrote and illustrated Ola, Leif the Lucky, and Children of the Northlights comes their collection of Norwegian folktales. Known for their vibrant and imaginative interpretations of Scandinavian folklore, Greek and Norse mythology, and American history, the books of Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire have entertained readers for more than seventy-five years.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Beautiful reprint."
"Superior quality printing."
"D'Aulaires' Book of Norwegian Folktales was originally published in 1938 with the title East of the Sun and West of the Moon. They quickly realized that there were already near perfect translations available so they relied on an old Norwegian edition, Dasent's translation, and their own translation to perfect the stories. He found a poor girl to be his bride, but she messed things up, so he had to leave her and marry someone else. The stories were easy to read and very fascinating, because it exposes the reader to a culture they might not understand, but also might not get a chance to experience otherwise."
"Three grandkids are enthralled with myths and folk tales."
"The binding doesn't look very sturdy, pages are thick old fashioned cream color."
"Any D'Aulaires fans will enjoy!"
"My children have treasured these books since they were very small.I hope someday that I will get to share them with grandchildren."
"Wonderful illustrations...exciting, but not too scary for children......a favorite book that I am giving to a young reader."