Old Stories, Retold

Impossible by Nancy Werlin
One of my favorite kinds of books is the fairy tale retold. Impossible by Nancy Werlin is a story based on the ballad "Scarborough Fair," a song which is haunting me now that I've read the book. Nancy Werlin has written a version of the song where the girl must complete three impossible tasks in order to be free from her Elfin admirer and then written a story around it. In the story, Lucy is seventeen and living with her very loving foster parents. Her life seems perfect. Perfect until she finds out about the curse on the women of her family. A curse she must complete three impossible tasks to escape.

This is a can't put down read. The love story is compelling, the evil chilly, and then tension is high.

Coming in September.

Poetry Month Addendum

Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech
Right at the end of poetry month I got an advanced reading copy of Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech. Even though poetry month is over now, I have to gush about this book. It's a sequel to Love That Dog and is told in poems too. Jack and his favorite teacher, Miss Stretchberry, are back. This time we learn about Jack's deaf mother and how they communicate and Jack learns to appreciate cats--even the horrible black cat who scratches him and is the inspiration for the title. Here is the first poem in the book:

I hate that cat
like a dog hates a rat
I said I hate that cat
like a dog hates a rat

Hate to see it in the morning
hate to see that
F A T black cat.

There is discussion of onomatopoeia and alliteration, what his uncle Bill calls "real writing", and the poetry of William Carlos William. You will be inspired to read more poetry and maybe even write a poem or two of your own.