STORYTELLER
Starred Review. Grade 5–8—Jack, 17, is a storyteller who leaves his village to seek his fortune in the Royal City. He is appointed Royal Storyteller, charged with lifting the spirits of King Alphonse, who is grieving his wife's death. Jack makes an enemy of the young and bratty Prince Yoss, but falls in love with beautiful but melancholy Princess Stelinda, who tends to talk in rhyming couplets. When the cruel prince takes the throne, Jack is forced to travel the kingdom, spinning stories that make the new king look good. He faces several trials, including imprisonment and near beheading. The book's messages are clear: stories are powerful for good or evil, and we must each live our own to the fullest. There are stories within stories here, and a framing narrative. Characters are colorful and memorable: Loquasto, the talking midnight mynah who is Jack's companion and who loves a talking fish; the illusionist Zephyrio; the Robin Hood-like Garth Golden-Eye; and Celestina, the Woman of the Woods and rightful heir to the throne. At the conclusion, readers will be pleased to find that Jack is the grandfather in the framing narrative, having lived as happily ever after as he had hoped and now bidding his grandson, the listener of this tale, to be off, as the world awaits him. No dragons, elves, or evil stepmothers here, but this narrative will be enjoyed by those who like traditional fairy tales in which good triumphs over evil and the simple boy scores the beautiful princess.—Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, MECopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.