Children's Books Too Cool for School

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (A "Top 50 Post")

Hale is one of my favorite authors in the children's market today, and no one can beat her in the overdone genre of "re-imagined" fairy tales. However, for all that, I'm not willing to list her "Books of Bayern" as a series, because The Goose Girl is such a standout, while the latest Bayern book was something of a let-down.

The Goose Girl is simply a magical book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I will say, though, I was hard-pressed not to add Hale's terribly-named Princess Academy to the list (I promise, it's not as vapid as it sounds -- it got a Newbery Honor Medal!). But, in the end, the Goose Girl leaves them all in her dust.