All About Middle Grade Review: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, 1) by Catherynne M. Valente, illustrated by Ana Juan, May 8, 2012. 247 pages. Published by Square Fish. Source: publisher.

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

First Sentence:

Once upon a time, a girl named September grew very tired indeed of her parents' house, where she washed the same pink-and-yellow teacups and matching gravy boats every day, slept on the same embroidered pillow, and played with the same small and amiable dog.

You ever read one of those books that you just wanted to savor every last word, well, that is what happened to me as I was reading Catherynne Valente's The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. I did not want this one to end because her writing was just spectacular and so vivid.

Such a wonderful book filled with the most beautiful words! While not a book that most people would swoon over, my little heart was oh so happy by all the pretty words. There are few books that can leave me completely happy just because of the writing alone. Seriously though, so I don't have to ramble on and on about how much I enjoyed the writing, you should really just go and get this book and read all the amazing words therein. You won't be disappointed!

While I absolutely loved Catherynne Valente's writing, there were many, many other reasons that I loved this book as much as I did. The world of Fairyland, as well, as the author's vision of it and the characters therein are some of things that made me fall in love with this book. Just her entire way of bringing the world of Fairyland to life just swept me away; and let's not forget about September and her story, just wow!
   So, I bet you're wondering why exactly I was so taken with the writing, world building and characters on the first Fairyland book. Well, it mainly has to do with how well the entire book came out and how well the author was able to capture the emotions and visual feel of the characters and the world. I really do believe that this will go down as one of my favorite books books it is just so well balanced and the delivery of humor and wit were delightful.

I could go on-and-on about how much I enjoyed The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making because this book just made me so happy! Sure, September faced trials throughout her journey; was pushed to her limit and forced to make tough decisions; but the storytelling and writing and just general awesomeness of this book made me so happy to have had the opportunity to read it. Y'all need this book in your life!!!!

Final Verdict: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making- One of the most imaginative portrayals of a fairy realm. This book is loaded with epic and sprinkled with magic.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making earns

this book was received in exchange for an honest review