Today, I'm going to discuss three books, all fantasy novels, about 3 young women. Each is a favorite of mine, and is also a classic - either it has won an award, or great praise, or has simply stood the test of time. Each of these three books is similar in some ways, yet each is an individual and distinctive story that can and should be read for itself.
Beauty - by Robin McKinley - winner of the 1998 Phoenix Award Honor book. A retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast, it was her first published novel. The eponymous main character is the youngest of three sisters who find themselves forced to leave their home in the city and move to a small cottage in a village on the edge of a mysterious forest. Follow Beauty's story as she learns to cope with change, fear, loss and eventually love. Romantic yet realistic, this story captures the essence of a fairy tale, and yet you will forget you know the ending as you wonder what Beauty will discover next.
Dragonsong - by Anne McCaffrey - recipient of the 1999 Margaret A. Edwards award - Menolly is the lonely, misunderstood, music-loving daughter of parents who are too worried about their own lives to take time for their youngest child. When a tragic accident and a wonderful discovery force Menolly to take responsibility for her own life and future, marvelous things happen. But not without risk, luck and talent... Menolly's life is one that every teen will feel a kinship with; and who wouldn't like their own fire lizard, or nine...
Howl's Moving Castle - by Diana Wynne Jones - an ALA Notable Book, and winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Award - you may have seen the wonderful anime based on this book, but do yourself a favor - meet Sophie, Howl and Calcifer in their original setting. Funny, serious, sad, delightful; this book is all that and more. Growing old never happened so easily! And Sophie handles it with style, if not with pleasure...
Share a few hours with Beauty, Sophie and Menolly - you won't regret it.
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