Well, that was certainly a title-full and it is a book-- full of adventure. One evening while she is washing the dishes the Green Wind whisks September away to Fairyland. She is so ready for adventure she does not even spare her home or her mother a backward glance. When September arrives she finds there are pitfalls galore, deals to be made, and rules to follow, besides just the one about not eating fairy food. At every turn September must acknowledge she is less clever than she thought but stronger and more resilient that she could have known in her "regular" life. Not so much fantasy as the realization all little girls must accept.
Catherynne M. Valente has created a unique world that feels part Oz and part Wonderland but is truly all unique and fabulous. Just as Dorothy wants to go home, so does September, but not until she has helped those in need and released Fairyland from the wicked rule of the Marquess. But sometimes little girls do not get to decide when they will return home, it is just time to go. September make life-long friends who she knows she will see again, because she did eat in Fairyland. Here's hoping Valente has more tales of September on the way.
