The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1)

by Catherynne M Valente

Ana Juan (Illustrator)

September is a twelve-year-old girl, Somewhat Grown and Somewhat Heartless, and she longs for adventure. So when a Green Wind and a Leopard of Little Breezes invite her to Fairyland - well, of course, she accepts (mightn't you?). When she gets there, she finds a land crushed by the iron rule of a villainous Marquess - she soon discovers that she alone holds the key to restoring order.

As September forges her way through Fairyland, with a book-loving dragon and a boy named Saturday by her side, she makes many friends and mistakes. But while she loses her shadow, her shoe and her way, she finds adventure, courage, a rather special Spoon, and a lot more besides . . .

• ISBN10: 0312649614
• ISBN13: 9780312649616
• Publish Date: 10 May 2011
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 20 June 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Although I have seen some shining reviews for The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, this book landed on my TBR because of a album by folk singer S.J. Tucker. Folk music can be really hit or miss, and I feel like those who enjoy it particularly latch on to certain artists and I love S.J. Tucker. So first of all, if you like the Fairyland series, check out her album Wonder, which is inspired by the series and created with Cathrynne M. Valente’s blessing. My particular favorite song on the album is “Ask Me Anything”.

Okay! That out of the way….

What a delightful fairytale!

Middle grade books are either magical or terrible, which I know is a bit dramatic. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is not just magical, it is positively enchanting. There’s a lightness to it so well suited for fairytales. It makes it a fun read for adults, lithe and free. Also, at times, the writing has just the right edge of humor. It reminded me of Lemony Snicket, albeit the story was considerably less tragic.

September is a sweet girl, kind-hearted but a child in all the best ways, although I believe she was twelve. All the characters in the book are memorable – from Lye to Gleam to Saturday and A-Through-L. One of my favorites was the Key. Writing an inanimate object as a heroic figure, especially when it only receives two POV chapters, takes quite a bit of skill. I’m actually looking forward to seeing it again in the next book!

The magic in this series is both lovely and a little gruesome at times. There are bits you don’t really think of as dark until you think about it later, like Lye cutting off her fingers and September’s near transformation. Or the conditions under which Saturday can grant wishes. Nonetheless, I liked it? I feel like it honored old, traditional fairytales – after all, Grimm’s original fairytales are a bit horrifying in their original format. While by no means is The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland bloody, there are just those things that are a bit harsh when you think about them later. I also really appreciate the rules of the world. Modern fantasy writers far too often create consequence-free worlds.

I never felt like there were scenes in this novel that were there just to be amusing – everything followed September’s adventure, and every meeting had a purpose later on. There was a scripted, traditional feel to the novel that gave it charm and determination. The chapter lengths were good and the illustrations are adorable. There are cameo characters that I loved, like September’s Death and even the moment of seeing September’s Shadow. There’s just so many little things this book that delighted me, it was so easy to gobble it up.

No matter your age, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is a perfectly wonderful tale. Children will remember it with the same fondness as The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. Adults will fall into the story like they are children again. It’s a short book and therefore a quick read, but it’s one that I’m really happy to have on my shelf.

[annieb123]

Rating: ★★★★★
A glowing wonderful magical book. There are so many highlight-worthy passages in this book. It's beautiful. All-ages (perfectly okay for a read-aloud bedtime book, but I enjoyed it as a read for myself).

[boghunden]

Unable to finish this. Every time I try to pick it up, I tell myself no, because I know it's just gonna put me in yet another reading slump. Way too descriptive for my taste and not enough action. Maybe I'll pick it up again later, but right now this is definitely not the right book for me.

[tweetybugshouse]

This was such a fun book; it totally made me want to run off to Fairyland and have my own adventures! The author plays with and creates her own Fairyland and fills then with great imaginative characters you want to know more about. There is an Oz-like quality to this story as there is an evil queen who tricks you into solving and doing things for her. I totally devoured this book in a few short days and really want to dive into the next one to see just what September discovers next in Fairyland.

[limabean74]

I liked this book. Something about it made me want to keep reading it but it felt like it went on forever. The characters were so colorful and loveable. The descriptions of the world was amazing really put you in Fairyland. I got an Alice in wonderland nonsensical feel to the book. My only problem was i had to go back and re read a couple parts cause they were so Nonsensical it didn't make sense unless you read it a couple time. It had a great story and a nice twist at the end. I would totally recommend it :)

[tellemonstar]

ABsolutely fabulous! If you love The Chronicles of Narnia, A Series of Unfortunate Events and the Faraway Tree then you will love this book. The narration of the book is perfect - even younger readers would like this, although the library rated it a Young Adult. Like in the Narnia adventures the narrator refers directly to the reader throughout the book, but it doesn't break the story - the whole time you are reading it you feel like you are having a story told to you. The characters names and the descriptions of the environment remind me of The Faraway Tree stories which were childhood favourites of mine, and the characters themselves would not be out of place should the show up in a Lemony Snickett novel. An absolutley must read for anyone who grew up with those series' and everyone else who enjoys an unconventional heroine and her tale.

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

Honestly, I would rate this book 2.5 stars. The overall concept for the book is wonderful. However, by the last 100 pages or so, I decided what I really did not like about the book wasn't the plot or the wonderful characters, it was the author's style of writing. It was very much like reading an old classic novel--lots of words used to describe the most simple things and after a while that style starts to drag and becoming boring. In some cases, you are presented with some wonderful quotes and philosophy like the following.

"Shoes make the path you're on. Change your shoes, change the path."

“One ought not to judge her: all children are Heartless. They have not grown a heart yet, which is why they can climb high trees and say shocking things and leap so very high grown-up hearts flutter in terror. Hearts weigh quite a lot. That is why it takes so long to grow one. But, as in their reading and arithmetic and drawing, different children proceed at different speeds. (It is well known that reading quickens the growth of a heart like nothing else.)"

“It is true that novelists are shameless and obey no decent law, and they are not to be trusted on any account, but some Mysteries even they must honor.”

In the end, I'm glad I challenged myself to finish the book. I, for one, will not be picking up the next one.