Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Unusual, compelling tale sends girl, readers on grand quest.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In 1940s Omaha, 12-year-old September's life is hard; her father has gone to war, and her mother spends her days working in an airplane factory. One day a Green Wind riding on a leopard arrives and offers to take her to Fairyland. Off she goes, encountering comic and scary characters who send her off on various quests, which often turn out to involve surprising friendships and hard choices, as well as strange connections between worlds.
Is It Any Good?
Author Catherynne M. Valente's briskly elegant style simply snatches you into the narrative before you quite know what's happening. Amid its many critical raves, THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND IN A SHIP OF HER OWN MAKING has drawn comparisons to everything from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to The Phantom Tollbooth, with the immediate disclaimer that it's a true original. However improbable the sequence of witches, monsters, fairies, and mythical creatures, the intricate story works like a Swiss watch with its own internal logic. The characters are unforgettable and complex, and artist Ana Juan's vivid, often foreboding illustrations bring them to life.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how there are many books these days about kids being whisked away to Fairyland. What others have you read, and how does this one compare?
What do you know about the lives of families during World War II? Did members of your family go off to war and factory work, leaving their kids alone? How did everybody cope?
The narrator describes September as "somewhat heartless": Do you think this is accurate? Why or why not?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Ana Juan
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic , Fairy Tales ) , Adventures , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Feiwel and Friends
- Publication date : May 10, 2011
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 17
- Number of pages : 256
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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