Spelled

April 27, 2015
Princess Dorthea (aka Dot) has grown up confined to the Emerald Palace under the threat of a family curse. Desperate to explore the outside world, Dot makes a naïve wish that upends the storybook kingdoms, allowing the evil Gray Witch to seize power and forcing the princess to flee her home—in her magical Hans Christian Louboutin silver and ruby slippers—with help from chimera Prince Kato and servant girl Rexi. Schow’s (Finished Being Fat) mishmash of fairy-tale settings, characters, and plot devices centers around her odd royal reworking of Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; entitled Dot and her pun-laden narration (“Mother of Grimm!”) wear thin quickly. While the chapter titles (“Princess Bridezilla”) and epigraphs (“ ‘If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.’—Gretel from Candy Kills: A True Story”) are creative and relevant to each chapter’s plot, the story itself—which includes Dot dealing with a spell to undo, missing parents, multiple witches and wizards, budding romance, and her transformation into a fire-wielding priestess—is overly convoluted. Ages 12–up. Agent: Michelle Witte, Mansion Street Literary.

May 1, 2015

Gr 6-9-Spoiled and sheltered, 16-year-old Princess Dorthea of Emerald has just found out that her parents are forcing her to marry arrogant Prince Kato. Outraged at her parents order, Dorthea makes a hasty wish on a cursed star, throwing her kingdom into chaos and landing her parents in a strange place called Kansas. With the help of a cunning maidservant named Rexi and the annoyingly rude Prince Kato, Dorthea sets out to undo the curse before it releases the wickedest witch of all and spells "The End" for the world of Story. This is a a cute adventure with romance set in a world full of fairy-tale mash-ups. Readers will love Dorthea's evolution from spoiled princess to strong, confident heroine. There's plenty of action as Dorthea, Kato, and Rexi seek the help of the mysterious Wizard of Oz and encounter headless hags, tricky bumpkins, demonic puppies, and forlorn witches along the way. Though he's full of some unique surprises, Kato makes an excellent Prince Charming for Dorthea and helps her realize her inner strength. The plot tends to meander and can be confusing at times, but young fans who stick with it will find plenty of fairy-tale references, an unexpectedly sweet romance, and loads of adventure along the way. VERDICT For Oz fans, this work is a great clean-read alternative to Danielle Paige's Dorothy Must Die (HarperCollins, 2014).-Leigh Collazo, Dulwich College, Suzhou, China

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