The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente, is a delightful tale of adventure, whimsy, and growing up. In Valente’s book Palimpset, she references a children’s story by the same name. Though she originally had no plans to write this book, Valente ended up publishing it as a crowd-sourced serial story on the Internet. Feiwel & Friends then published it as a book in May of 2011. Though this book is classified as a children’s book, the story is one that will be enjoyed by all ages.
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making tells the story of September, a young girl who spends much of her time away from the supervision of her parents. Her father is away at war, and her mother works in a factory in September’s father’s absence. When the Green Wind appears at her window, September gladly sets out on an adventure, the likes of which she did not anticipate. Along the way, she meets a wyvern called A-through-L, a family of witches, various fairies, and a boy called Saturday, among other strange denizens of Fairyland. She also meets the Marquess, the usurper of the throne of Fairyland, who sends September on a quest that has her traveling to the farthest reaches of Fairyland.
Valente’s prose style in this book is particularly charming. Brief diversions from the plot for the sake of explanation are woven seamlessly into the story, which generally moves along at a brisk pace. The dialogue is superb, with each of the characters well distinguished by their manner of speech and quirks. The only true complaint that I have about this book is that I felt that the portions of the book when September was traveling alone were a little slower than the rest. The varied cast of characters and their interaction with one another is so much of what makes this book a wonderful read, and once September begins meeting more of these characters, the pace picks back up as though it never really slowed down.
Although Valente is the author of a number of books for adults, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is a masterful first effort at a children’s book. While targeted at a younger audience, this book is likely to appeal to readers of all ages, but particularly those who enjoy a good fairy tale. Younger readers may need someone to read it to them, as the language is more complex than some of the chapter books I have read with my nephew, but adults will enjoy the story as they read it aloud or to themselves. It is the sort of book that I want to share with my nieces and nephews, my friends and their children, and pretty much anyone else who will slow down for long enough to hear about it.
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making can be read in part at the original website where it was published (http://www.catherynnemvalente.com/fairyland/), but the final act (about half of the book) is not available online. The author’s website can be found at http://www.catherynnemvalente.com/.
My daughter loved this book – I purchased it for her a few months ago. The fairy tale twists kept her quite entertained and she devoured it quickly. Great review and I hope we see more from Valente in this area.