What I’m Reading: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
“When you are born,” the golem said softly, “your courage is new and clean. You are brave enough for anything: crawling off of staircases, saying your first words without fearing that someone will think you are foolish, putting strange things in your mouth. But as you get older, your courage attracts gunk, and crusty things, and dirt, and fear, and knowing how bad things can get and what pain feels like. By the time you’re half-grown, your courage barely moves at all, it’s so grunged up with living. So every once in awhile, you have to scrub it up and get the works going, or else you’ll never be brave again.”
This will be the book I have up my sleeve as a cool auntie to gift to the young people in my life (when they’re a little older) who have a penchant for escapism, dreams, & strange creatures. It features a preteen named September (born in May, if you must know) during what she thinks will be a great escape to a wondrous land. But in this new place there is still pain, heartbreak, and violence. A little Lewis Carroll & a little Neil Gaiman.
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Sounds like the kind of read that puts a bit of that juvenile spark in one’s heart. The book that I loved as a kid is called The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren. It was sad, adventurous, hopeful and wise in dealing with the topic of death, which can be a tough one for kids to deal with.
I’ll have to check that out at the library – thank you for the heartfelt nostalgic suggestion.
My pleasure! Thanks for sparking the nostalgic spark!