posted
... The Wizard, the Witch & Two Girls From Jersey by Lisa Papademetriou.
As the title suggests, this book is a parody of Childrens/Young Adult fantasy. Yet, it's a parody in the way that The Princess Bride is a parody. Even as it pokes fun at the genre, it celebrates it. By pointing out how silly the tropes are, it also serves as a reminder of how fun they are.
Perhaps most importantly, the two lead characters are fully-dimensional, complex, and change over the course of the story in a convincing way.
Veronica and Heather are two sixth graders who've been assigned a book report on Queen of Twilight, a fantasy classic. Veronica is a smart, somewhat geeky fantasy fan who has adored the book since she was small. Heather is a popular, somewhat flaky, secretly troubled and lonely girl who doesn't even realize they -had- a book report assigned until the last minute.
They get in a fight over the very last copy of the book...then mysteriously end up inside the world of the story. In chapter two, to be precise. They accidentally kill the protagonist of the book. *ahem*
Determined to get back home, they try and take the heroine's place...but such a drastic change is causing events on the once typical, predictable fantasy world of Galma to spin out of control.
A very funny novel that also manages to be touching and insightful. The inhabitants of Galma straddle the line between affectionate tribute and hilarious spoof quite well.
Enjoyable, especially if one loves the works of C.S. Lewis, Diana Wynne Jones, J.K. Rowling, Lloyd Alexander, L. Frank Baum, etc.
Haven't read any good fantasy outside of the Potterverse for quite some time, and it used to be my favorite genre as a boy.
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