The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

After reading a review of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente on The Book Smugglers blog, I had to check out the book.

The Book Smugglers rated this book a 10 out of 10, or "One of the best books I have ever read.

With a name like "The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making," and with the main character named September, how could the book NOT be good?

I just finished reading the book this morning. It rates a solid 7 or 8 on my scale. I will probably read it again.

The book is about a girl named September who is taken to Fairyland to have adventures. She meets a Green Wind, a flying Leopard, immigration officials in the closet between worlds, a Wyvern* named A-Through-L**, a herd of wild bicycles (or "velocipedes"), and much more.

*A Wyvern is similar to a dragon. Only it's French.
**The Wyvern is named A-Through-L because his father was a library. He's practically memorized all of the A-Through-L books and knows all of the A-Through-L words. September calls him Ell for short. It's precious.

Not all is well in Fairyland. In addition to the usual dangers for children-whisked-away-to-Fairyland (like fish pirates and fairy food and dangerous shoes), an evil Marquess rules the land with an iron fist.

September must save Fairyland. But this story isn't like the stories that September has read. The dangers are real. If she fails...she may never get home.

The book isn't the fastest read, partly because I had to stop a few times and admire the beauty of some well-crafted sentences.

Read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making if you want a book that can be described as charming, delightful, profound, imaginative, and fantastic.

If you don't want any such book, you should still admire the title and the wonderful illustrations.