Marvelous Middle Grade Monday -- Winterling by Sarah Prineas

If you've ever read The Magic Thief trilogy by Sarah Prineas (my blogging friend Myrna Foster reviewed them in October -- at this post), you might be familiar with the story of the changeling girl.  A chance comment by a bookseller in Ohio inspired Sarah Prineas to turn that story into Winterling.  A bookseller!  How cool is that?

Winterling by Sarah Prineas (HarperCollins, January 3, 2012, hardcover, 9780061921049, $16.99, for ages 10 and up).

Source: advanced reading copy from publisher

Synopsis (from the publisher):  With her boundless curiosity and spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn't belong.  She hears the call of the wild wood, of the secrets it whispers to her.  But when her grandmother reveals clues about the disappearance of her father and his mystical bond to her mother, Fer begins to unlock secrets about the the parents she never knew.  Led to a reflecting pool that uncovers the Way, Fer finds an enchanting, dangerous land.

In this place cloaked in wonder, where pucks transform from boys to horses, Fer feels a strange magical attachment.  But with her mother gone, everything has spun out of order and evil has imprisoned the place in ice. Now it is up to Fer to face down the powerful Mor, who has cruelly overtaken this world and its people, and discover the legacy she carries within.

Why I liked it:  Gorgeous writing and sure-handed worldbuilding.  The author has a fertile imagination and it shines through.  And though the summary sounds a bit like The Snow Queen, this is very much an original fairy tale.  And amazingly, nearly all the characters are female.  In fact, Fer (short for Jennifer) has to save the puck boy from a nasty fate.  Yay for powerful heroines!

What most impressed me, though, was the lushness of the sensory details.  Nature, both beautiful and terrible, is all important here. Except for a few scenes, this book takes place outside, and you can really feel the icy cold and picture the leaves, the moss, and the pond.  

Have you read any original fairy tales that impressed you?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty

Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads

Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist

Jennifer Rumberger at her blog

Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit
Gabrielle Prendergast at angelhorn
Sheri Larsen at her blog

I'm working extra hours as we zoom toward Christmas, and I still have some shopping, baking, and decorating to do. So I'll be back on January 2nd with the first of several interviews with some of the debut authors of the Class of 2K12!  Enjoy your holiday! And Happy New Year!