The Boy Who Lost Fairyland

Starred review from January 15, 2015
Why live in Kansas when you can stay in Oz? Valente may well have wondered at Dorothy's inexplicable decision. At the end of The Girl Who Soared over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two (2013), 14-year-old September ran away from home to live in Fairyland. It was one of the best cliffhangers in recent fiction. Readers hoping for resolution will need to wait a little longer, as September hardly appears in this novel at all. As the title hints, it's the story of a Changeling named Hawthorn, who takes the place of a human boy in Chicago. The book is full of Changelings of all stripes: trolls and humans and a girl made of wood. All of them, like September, feel out of place and far from home. Their stories are so sad and astonishing that even September-when she finally appears-may not be able to help them. If the ending feels a little abrupt, it's because the story is so rich and complex that no book could resolve it. Even the minor supporting characters deserve novels of their own. Every page of this book contains at least one stunning sentence. Valente's descriptions of the human world make it sound like an exotic place, even when she just lists things to see: "diamonds and dinosaur bones and Canadian geese and the Cathedral of Notre Dame and ballpoint pens." Readers may wish the words were food, so they could eat them up. And they may keep reading this series for just as long as people have been arguing about Oz. (Fantasy. 10-14)

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March 1, 2015

Gr 5-8-In this fourth book in the fantastical series, a young troll named Hawthorn is stolen away by the Golden Wind and brought to live in Chicago as a changeling. When he turns 12, he finds a way back to Fairyland, a place now much changed from the magical realm he left. Fans of the series may be initially disappointed to discover that September makes only a brief appearance, but not to worry-Hawthorn's tale is just as compelling and his adventures just as extraordinary. Both the human and magical worlds are brought to vivid life through the young changelings' unique perspective. While readers unfamiliar with the series can certainly jump in with this novel, most will want to start at the beginning. A phenomenal fantasy series worthy of a spot in every library collection.

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2015
Previous series entries (The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, rev. 5/11, and sequels) followed human girl September's adventures in Fairyland; here, Valente introduces a new protagonist and real-world setting. Hawthorn, an infant troll, is taken from his cradle by the Red Wind and shipped to a human couple in early-twentieth-century Chicago. He lives an unhappy, bewildered life as Thomas until Tamburlaine, a fellow Changeling, reveals her magical abilities and encourages him to find his own. The pair -- accompanied by a stuffed toy wombat and a gramophone, both come to life -- blunder their way back into Fairyland. But as September's experiences showed, Fairyland is a dark place, and the two Changelings are horrified to learn about the mistreatment of their human counterparts. Meanwhile, King Charlie Crunchcrab longs to abdicate and begs for their help. Hawthorn/Thomas, an outsider in the human world and Fairyland alike, provides a perspective on both worlds that's by turns funny and poignant; his rules for being Normal and his Laws of the Kingdom of School are particularly spot-on. Valente's Fairyland is as bizarre and beautiful as ever, with a Wonderland-like un-logic that will keep readers both delighted and slightly off-balance. Juan's spot art captures the characters and settings in all their strange glory. katie bircher

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2015
Infant troll Hawthorn is raised by a human couple in early-twentieth-century Chicago. He lives an unhappy life as "Thomas" until meeting fellow changeling Tamburlaine; the pair blunders their way back into Fairyland. Hawthorn/Thomas, an outsider in the human world and Fairyland alike, provides a perspective on both worlds that's by turns funny and poignant. Spot art captures the bizarre beauty of characters and settings.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)