Status
Checked out
Series
Genres
Publication
Feiwel & Friends (2013), Hardcover, 256 pages
Description
September misses Fairyland and her friends Ell, the Wyverary, and the boy Saturday. She longs to leave the routines of home and embark on a new adventure. Little does she know that this time, she will be spirited away to the moon, reunited with her friends, and find herself faced with saving Fairyland from a moon-Yeti with great and mysterious powers.
User reviews
LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
This third volume of the adventures of September in Fairyland is more steampunk, more psychedelic, and less conclusive than its predecessors. It seems to have some actual continuity errors, particularly when one of the more interesting new characters (the Buraq Candlestick) is said to have left,
September is on the verge of puberty, preoccupied with growing up, and far more self-conscious in this installment. She leaves behind her looking-glass roles of Knight and Bishop, but rather than being promoted to Queen, she finds herself in the role of Criminal and Revolutionary. Her recurring companions A-through-L the wyvern and Saturday the marid go through significant changes of their own to the point where their previous appearances seem a little flat and undramatic by comparison.
My daughter was very unsatisfied with the ending of this book, and we can't remedy that by reading the next one, evidently. The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home isn't due out till spring. There are other stories in the series we could read in the meanwhile, though.
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and then given things to say as if present.September is on the verge of puberty, preoccupied with growing up, and far more self-conscious in this installment. She leaves behind her looking-glass roles of Knight and Bishop, but rather than being promoted to Queen, she finds herself in the role of Criminal and Revolutionary. Her recurring companions A-through-L the wyvern and Saturday the marid go through significant changes of their own to the point where their previous appearances seem a little flat and undramatic by comparison.
My daughter was very unsatisfied with the ending of this book, and we can't remedy that by reading the next one, evidently. The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home isn't due out till spring. There are other stories in the series we could read in the meanwhile, though.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the third book in the The Girl Who series by Valente. I absolutely loved the previous two books in this series (and I love Valente’s writing in general). This book was better than the second book and I really enjoyed the creativity and wonderful imagery throughout. There are rumored to be
September misses her friends from Fairyland but is trying to make the best of her time at home with her mother and father. But then when she runs into a Blue Wind she can’t help but hitchhike a ride to what she hopes is Fairyland. However, she doesn’t end up on Fairyland...she ends up on the Moon. While she does get to meet her friends again, she also ends up on a dire quest to save the Moon. And to do so she will have to face off with a horrible Yeti and journey through bizarre landscapes.
This was an excellent continuation of this series. I absolutely love these books. The are incredibly creative, beautifully written, and just an absolute joy to read.
September has grown up some and is trying to act more mature and take on jobs and adult responsibilities. However, she has trouble understanding other girls her age and desperately misses her friends from Fairyland. Along her journey to Fairyland she is accompanied by her faithful Model A car, a car which undergoes some strange changes of her own.
Saturday is back in the story and the strangeness of how he meets himself throughout time plays a large role in the story. Him and September have a bit of a sweet and budding romance, which is as dear and wonderful as it is bizarre. We also get to spend time with Ell, who is much more himself in this book than he has ever been and is going through some changes of his own (having the ability to breath fire, but being cursed when he does so).
The story is serpentine at times, but the plot is well done and well resolved. As with all of Valente’s books the beauty is in the writing. The writing is lush and sparkling; the creative and bizarre surrounding come alive completely. This makes for a slow read, but it is like a fine wine or fine chocolates...something to be savored.
Additionally I love the creativity of the story. You never know what strange situation September will be in next or what strange creature will happen around the corner. However with her friends at her side, September is willing and ready to face anything. I love how all the characters in the book embrace each others’ differences so wholly.
Also there is a lot of witty humor in here and lots of irony. It makes the book all in all a very enjoyable read. This book ties up the plot nicely, although I am dying to see what adventures September will go on next!
Overall a spectacular read and highly recommended to those who love fantasy and don't mind a bit of ambiguity. Wonderful characters, absolutely beautiful writing, creative settings, and an unpredictable plot make this a must read. I can’t wait to see what adventures September, Ell, and Saturday have next!
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at least two more books in this series due out in 2014 and 2015.September misses her friends from Fairyland but is trying to make the best of her time at home with her mother and father. But then when she runs into a Blue Wind she can’t help but hitchhike a ride to what she hopes is Fairyland. However, she doesn’t end up on Fairyland...she ends up on the Moon. While she does get to meet her friends again, she also ends up on a dire quest to save the Moon. And to do so she will have to face off with a horrible Yeti and journey through bizarre landscapes.
This was an excellent continuation of this series. I absolutely love these books. The are incredibly creative, beautifully written, and just an absolute joy to read.
September has grown up some and is trying to act more mature and take on jobs and adult responsibilities. However, she has trouble understanding other girls her age and desperately misses her friends from Fairyland. Along her journey to Fairyland she is accompanied by her faithful Model A car, a car which undergoes some strange changes of her own.
Saturday is back in the story and the strangeness of how he meets himself throughout time plays a large role in the story. Him and September have a bit of a sweet and budding romance, which is as dear and wonderful as it is bizarre. We also get to spend time with Ell, who is much more himself in this book than he has ever been and is going through some changes of his own (having the ability to breath fire, but being cursed when he does so).
The story is serpentine at times, but the plot is well done and well resolved. As with all of Valente’s books the beauty is in the writing. The writing is lush and sparkling; the creative and bizarre surrounding come alive completely. This makes for a slow read, but it is like a fine wine or fine chocolates...something to be savored.
Additionally I love the creativity of the story. You never know what strange situation September will be in next or what strange creature will happen around the corner. However with her friends at her side, September is willing and ready to face anything. I love how all the characters in the book embrace each others’ differences so wholly.
Also there is a lot of witty humor in here and lots of irony. It makes the book all in all a very enjoyable read. This book ties up the plot nicely, although I am dying to see what adventures September will go on next!
Overall a spectacular read and highly recommended to those who love fantasy and don't mind a bit of ambiguity. Wonderful characters, absolutely beautiful writing, creative settings, and an unpredictable plot make this a must read. I can’t wait to see what adventures September, Ell, and Saturday have next!
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LibraryThing member obtusata
The curse of the third book - I liked this book, but not nearly as much as the first two. Sometimes I found myself a bit bored with the long and cryptic explanation characters gave September, but it's still got the charm and imagination of the other Fairyland books.
I'm not sure how I feel about
I'm not sure how I feel about
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the ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member pussreboots
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente is the third of September's adventures in Fairyland. In the first one she was a hero, the second one, a bishop, and now she's a criminal on the run. Not exactly — but nothing in these books is ever cut and dry and
September has waited and waited and grown impatient in the quiet normalcy that has settled with her father's return from the war. In that time she learns how to drive a Model A, which is frankly one of the best and funniest description of driving a vintage car of that ilk. Now, like the Gump in The Marvelous Land of Oz, the car becomes a mishmash of things and comes alive as it and September find their way into Fairyland.
In the first book, September crosses Fairyland by foot and Velocipede, and circumnavigates it by sea. In the second she travels beneath it, in a world made up of the shadows of Fairyland. Now she drives above it, to the moon, where she must face a fierce-some Yeti.
It will be nigh impossible to go into too much detail of September's adventures with out spoilers. To those who are fans of A Through L and Saturday, then you will be happy to know that they are really and truly back. They are a big part of September's latest adventure. There is also an ending that puts September in line with Dorothy Gale, but with greater consequences.
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that's a big part of what makes this series so magical.September has waited and waited and grown impatient in the quiet normalcy that has settled with her father's return from the war. In that time she learns how to drive a Model A, which is frankly one of the best and funniest description of driving a vintage car of that ilk. Now, like the Gump in The Marvelous Land of Oz, the car becomes a mishmash of things and comes alive as it and September find their way into Fairyland.
In the first book, September crosses Fairyland by foot and Velocipede, and circumnavigates it by sea. In the second she travels beneath it, in a world made up of the shadows of Fairyland. Now she drives above it, to the moon, where she must face a fierce-some Yeti.
It will be nigh impossible to go into too much detail of September's adventures with out spoilers. To those who are fans of A Through L and Saturday, then you will be happy to know that they are really and truly back. They are a big part of September's latest adventure. There is also an ending that puts September in line with Dorothy Gale, but with greater consequences.
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LibraryThing member salimbol
This, the third book in the marvellous Fairyland series, is not quite as cohesive as the first two books, taking much longer to actually get going, and with some imagery that's *incredibly* hard to visualise. Nevertheless, this is compensated for with more nuanced characterisation - September is
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wrestling with the complexities of growing older, the implications of predestination and the meaning of love - and it has the same sublime command of language, the same cleverness and joyousness, and the same female-friendliness that I've come to expect from Cat Valente. Overall, a splendid entry in the series, and I'm already looking forward to the next book :-). Show Less
LibraryThing member mckait
I was delighted to find that The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two was being offered on Amazon Vine for review. It sounded like everything I like in a book. Fairyland, magic, dragons, ( well sot of ) and all sorts of fantastical, quirky and fun things. I like books like this.
So. I opened The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two, fully expecting that since there had been two books in the series already, that this would be better than book one. I opened the covers and dived in. Because I like this type of book. Fantasy was my first love when I started reading as a a child. ( quickly followed by sci fi ) I read with great anticipation and with the certainty that I was going to love it. My friends said I would, after all... and the recommend books for me all the time. And then I put it down. This happened several times this week. Again, excuses, avoiding eye/book contact. There was no escaping it. I didn't like it and I didn't want to read it. And so this review.
I tried. I wanted to like it, I expected to like it. My friends were sure I would have a great time reading these books, and they all know what I read, since I post all of my books read. But. No. Try as I might I just couldn't get through it. I didn't like the characters, either the mundane or the fairy-ish. I didn't like the story. I kept thinking that it sounded like a through the looking glass wannabe on steroids. Come to think of it, I wasn't crazy about Alice either. And so here we are. I did not finish reading The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two. I didn't like it enough to finish it. I tried. I take reviewing seriously and I tried. But as all survivors of book funks know, continuing such foolishness is an invitation to a book funk. Then there's trouble. I don't like book funks, and I didn't like the half of The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two that I read, so I stopped. I left September and her hapless father, and all of her fairyland friends to their own devices, because I just didn't care. Sorry.
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In fact I love books like this. ( usually) And, as an added bonus, I had book one : The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente sitting on my TBR shelf, right next to my chair. A match made in heaven and I'll take it, thank you. I immediately picked up The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland so I would be ready and waiting when The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland arrived. I jumped in with great anticipation. And then I put it down. I started making excuses about why I didn't have time to read. ( uh oh ) I avoided looking at it. ( bad sign). Finally, The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland arrived and I picked up book one again with great determination. And I read. Then I put it down. After several goes at it, I decided that I would give book one a pass, because even though I had heard good things about it, and it was just the type of book I love, clearly it was not for me.So. I opened The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two, fully expecting that since there had been two books in the series already, that this would be better than book one. I opened the covers and dived in. Because I like this type of book. Fantasy was my first love when I started reading as a a child. ( quickly followed by sci fi ) I read with great anticipation and with the certainty that I was going to love it. My friends said I would, after all... and the recommend books for me all the time. And then I put it down. This happened several times this week. Again, excuses, avoiding eye/book contact. There was no escaping it. I didn't like it and I didn't want to read it. And so this review.
I tried. I wanted to like it, I expected to like it. My friends were sure I would have a great time reading these books, and they all know what I read, since I post all of my books read. But. No. Try as I might I just couldn't get through it. I didn't like the characters, either the mundane or the fairy-ish. I didn't like the story. I kept thinking that it sounded like a through the looking glass wannabe on steroids. Come to think of it, I wasn't crazy about Alice either. And so here we are. I did not finish reading The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two. I didn't like it enough to finish it. I tried. I take reviewing seriously and I tried. But as all survivors of book funks know, continuing such foolishness is an invitation to a book funk. Then there's trouble. I don't like book funks, and I didn't like the half of The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two that I read, so I stopped. I left September and her hapless father, and all of her fairyland friends to their own devices, because I just didn't care. Sorry.
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LibraryThing member LibrarianMaven
While I continue to be a fan of both Catherynne and September, this third book felt a little less sure in its pacing than the first two books. It was also left on more of a cliffhanger note, promising more adventures to come. I've enjoyed Valente's authorial voice in watching September grow up-
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she's a teenager this time around, with a fully functioning heart, but not fully adult. In particular, this was the first book in which readers see September actively wanting to go back home to her parents. Show Less
LibraryThing member shabacus
Although not as engaging as the first two volumes, there's still a lot to recommend this third entry in the series. We are treated to an allegorical journey into growing up, emotional restraint and expression, and the value of saying 'no' and changing your own fate.
The ending broke the pattern
The ending broke the pattern
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established in the first two, which I found quite interesting, and I'll be among the first to pick up the fourth volume when it appears. This is not the place for new readers to start the series, but since when has the third book ever been the best place to start? If you've been charmed by September before, you'll appreciate every chance you have to visit her again. Show Less
LibraryThing member 06nwingert
Having read the previous installments in the Fairyland series, I was anxious to read this book, the third in the series, The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two. In this book, September is 14 and feels like she is growing up too fast, old enough to be banned from Fairyland.
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Alas, she is whisked away to Fairyland yet again. She meets her friends and encounters new ones along her journey. Valente draws on classic children's literature such as The Phantom Tollbooth, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland although she sprinkles her own storytelling and mythology among the references. Valente gives the series the send-off it deserves with a graceful ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member alwright1
September travels back to Fairyland, but everything goes so quickly! Fourteen year old September has a heart, and emotional restraint, and a lot of worries about her fate. Her friends are all there, and Fairyland's moon is as full of wonder as the planet itself. The ending made me eager to follow
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what comes next. Show Less
LibraryThing member LoftyIslanders
Third in the series! And the way it ends, there will be more-yay, it isn't just a trilogy! These need to be read in order. Same cast we know and love, plus several new characters. September is a little older, and desperate to return to Fairyland. Eloquent writing, joy, sorrow, humor, adventure.
LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
The third book in the Valente’s Fairyland series is as whimsical and entertaining as the first two. September hitches a ride back into Fairyland, finds old friends, meets new ones, and makes some unexpected discoveries.
LibraryThing member MickyFine
September has spent a whole year desperately waiting and wishing to return to Fairyland. And yet the Green Wind has yet to reappear and whisk her away. Instead, while headed out to mend a fence on her farm, September encounters a Blue Wind and ends up sneaking in after her to Fairyland. Once there,
The third book in Valente's Fairyland series is sure to please fans of this eccentrically delightful series. While September has grown up between the previous book and this one, she still remains a charming girl (with a great deal more heart than she started with). The narrative tone is still decidedly present and as lovely as ever. While not precisely a cliffhanger, the ending of this book does leave you rather eager for the next book to see the ramifications of what happened.
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of course, she once again searches for her friends A-through-L and Saturday and ends up going in hunt of a Yeti who's trying to break the moon. But as always happens in Fairyland, not all is as it appears.The third book in Valente's Fairyland series is sure to please fans of this eccentrically delightful series. While September has grown up between the previous book and this one, she still remains a charming girl (with a great deal more heart than she started with). The narrative tone is still decidedly present and as lovely as ever. While not precisely a cliffhanger, the ending of this book does leave you rather eager for the next book to see the ramifications of what happened.
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LibraryThing member bragan
This is the third book in the series that started with [The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making]. I really, really like this series. It's well-written and wonderfully inventive, with an impressive philosophical bent. It also manages to capture a lot of the feel of classic
In this one, our hero, September, has turned 14 and is worrying that she may soon be too old for fairyland, so the overarching themes here have a lot to do with the passing of time, and the experiences of realizing you're growing up and trying to figure out what your adult self is going to be. It handles these very well, I think. I'm slightly less certain about the plot, which is a strange one even for this series, and ends on a very frustrating note that I suppose I am going to have to wait for a future book to resolve for me. Still, it's good stuff, overall: clever and imaginative and insightful. So I think I can forgive it for that.
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children's stories while displaying a decidedly modern sensibility. (I'm particularly impressed by the sheer number and diversity of roles that are filled by female characters, which is gratifying to see.)In this one, our hero, September, has turned 14 and is worrying that she may soon be too old for fairyland, so the overarching themes here have a lot to do with the passing of time, and the experiences of realizing you're growing up and trying to figure out what your adult self is going to be. It handles these very well, I think. I'm slightly less certain about the plot, which is a strange one even for this series, and ends on a very frustrating note that I suppose I am going to have to wait for a future book to resolve for me. Still, it's good stuff, overall: clever and imaginative and insightful. So I think I can forgive it for that.
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LibraryThing member Mav.Weirdo
September has grown some in the third book of this series. With growing comes exploring a sense of self, and how others see her, how she sees others, and how she sees herself. New places seem somehow familiar, and old friends are both familiar and different at the same time.
The moon is of course a
The author’s writing style is as lovely as ever, with splendidly florid metaphors blooming every few pages encouraging the reader to linger and reread passages. The world house described in the beginning of Chapter VIII is a jewel that I find myself going back to again and again. It may be a children’s book, but there is much in it that speaks to adults as well.
I enjoyed this book very much, possibly more than Book One.
The moon is of course a
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mysterious and wondrous place to visit filled with creatures even stranger than fairyland, including a Very Unusual Mollusk, a Buraq, a pair of Lunaticks, a Tyguerrotype, and A Black Cosmic Dog. Navigating the moon on the other hand is not easy with its many mountains as well as the inner and outer crescent. The author’s writing style is as lovely as ever, with splendidly florid metaphors blooming every few pages encouraging the reader to linger and reread passages. The world house described in the beginning of Chapter VIII is a jewel that I find myself going back to again and again. It may be a children’s book, but there is much in it that speaks to adults as well.
I enjoyed this book very much, possibly more than Book One.
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LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I love the way the narrator narrates these audiobooks; the worldbuilding is amazing; and I love the characters.
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I love the way the narrator narrates these audiobooks; the worldbuilding is amazing; and I love the characters.
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I love the way the narrator narrates these audiobooks; the worldbuilding is amazing; and I love the characters.
LibraryThing member hopeevey
This book was So! Good! I'm at least a little bit in love with all of the characters beautifully written characters. This book feeds my soul - I will absolutely re-read this, and probably love it even more each time I visit Fairyland. Ms. Valente's was just right to bring even more life and depth
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to this amazing work. Show Less
LibraryThing member ireneattolia
alas this one is merely very good whereas the previous novels were spectacular
LibraryThing member malexmave
Like the previous books, this book contained some surprising nuggets of wisdom one would not generally expect from a YA book (although I may be biased, because I am generally not a big fan of that genre, and I have not read a lot of YA books). Like the previous books, I liked the characters, but
What I will say is that the ending is far more surprising and maybe even sinister than expected. I am very curious to see how the series will go on now, but it seems I will have to wait a while for that to happen, as the next book has not been released yet.
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sadly, this book was not quite as brilliant as the previous book. What I will say is that the ending is far more surprising and maybe even sinister than expected. I am very curious to see how the series will go on now, but it seems I will have to wait a while for that to happen, as the next book has not been released yet.
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LibraryThing member greeniezona
I love Valente and I love the Fairyland series, so I was delighted when my thirteen-year-old chose this as his next bedtime story. Especially good timing as I'd gotten him book four for Christmas.
As a stand-alone book, this volume would be kind of weak. There is a lot of in-between-ness in this
Eager for the next volume.
As a stand-alone book, this volume would be kind of weak. There is a lot of in-between-ness in this
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book. September is growing up, and there is a lot of meditation on what that means for her and her trips to Fairyland, on what it means for her life at home. There's far more of that than there is action, but if you remember where you are in the overall story arc, and you enjoy Valente's observations on life, it still manages plenty of charm.Eager for the next volume.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
The series continues to delight me, and I'm impressed that it also constantly surprises me. Full of interesting imaginings, whimsical conversations and unexpected adventures, September's journey continues on. This one read by the author, and well read, too.
LibraryThing member wanderlustlover
This was gorgeous and amazing as predicted, as one would know if one was reading all the other books in this series. I was so glad to see September reunited with the right versions of her friends, all of them going through new things and reacquainting themselves.
I love the continue play with time
I love the continue play with time
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(all the September choices, and memories, and her boy's careful, confusing, wonderful timelessness and September's own vanishing and how it effects those who love her), and I cannot even begin to express how madly cackingly gleefully ready for the next book I am based on the last page. Bring it on. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I love the way the narrator narrates these audiobooks; the worldbuilding is amazing; and I love the characters.
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Young Adult Novel — 2014)
Original publication date
2013
Physical description
256 p.; 6.49 inches
ISBN
1250023505 / 9781250023506