Children's Books Too Cool for School

This clever little novel -- an almost-fairy-tale that reads like historical fiction -- is a great addition to a fun genre. I must admit, I adore re-imagined fairy tales, but once the genre hit its stride with great books like Ella Enchanted (from the children's side of things) or Wicked (from the adult), there were suddenly a lot of (bad) copycat novels to wade through.

Read far back enough and you'll find one I didn't like -- a mishmash of fairy tales pieced together into some barely entertaining frankenstein of a hot mess. Well, Fortune's Folly succeeds everywhere Into the Woods failed -- in part because instead of using bits and pieces of every fairy tale ever written, it tells its own story

A girl, Fortuna, who has lost her mother and whose father can no longer work, is forced into becoming a fortune teller by the devious leader of a troupe of traveling entertainers. She's good at what she does. So good, in fact, that the owner makes a promise on Fortuna's behalf that she may not be able to keep. He has promised that she can reveal the quest a prince must go on in order to find his princess and take over the leadership of his kindgom.

Fortuna comes up with something, but then discovers that the something better come true or her life and the life of her beloved father are forfeit! So Fortuna sets out to make her predictions come true... and encounters the unpredictable!

The true delight in this story comes from finding the myriad of little fairy tale references sprinkled throughout the novel. It's not heavy handed (although more obvious at times than others), and they are fun to look for.

Best of all the book has a great message -- you make your own fortune -- without working too hard to deliver it. Who likes didacticism, especially in their fairy tales?

Girls, of course, aged 9-12 will like this one.