#adam gidwitz

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote YES if you have finished the entire book.

vote NO if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

#fantasy #books #A Tale Dark and Grimm #Adam Gidwitz #poll #result: no

[adarkrainbow]

Since I am talking of Adam Gidwitz and his "A Tale Dark and Grimm" novel, I have to, once again, highly praise the beautiful French edition of the book illustrated by Nancy Peña and Joseph Vernot. As well as the beautiful translation work of Alice Delarbre.

For example the French title is (since the "Grimm" joke couldn't be made) "The terrifying story and bloody fate of Hansel and Gretel" ; and the opening line goes from "Once upon a time, fairytales were awesome" to "Once upon a time... fairytales were terrifying".

Here is a little selection of some of the inside illustrations, that I collected from a quick Internet search (I have my own copy of the book but can't scan anything). I love the silhouette-theater style relying exclusively on three colors - red, black and white.

And on top of that, the French edition plays on the color of the letters for the various narrative levels - in a similar way to what The Never-Ending Story did with its text. You can glimpse it here for example:

#a tale dark and grimm #adam gidwitz #illustrations #dark fairytale #french books #nancy peña #joseph vernot

[daughter-of-sapph0]

Fun fact: The “Goosebumps” and “A Tale Dark and Grimm” series of books are written by male Jewish authors

ooh, that's awesome! I knew R. L. Stine was Jewish. but I've never heard of A Tale Dark and Grimm. it seems to be a retelling of Grimm's fables. it even has a Netflix show. I'll have to check it out!

thanks for telling me! I love hearing about artwork or books or shows starting or made by Jewish people!

#dostxt #Jewish #rl stine #goosebumps #adam gidwitz #a tale dark and grimm

[aeldariofmanyfandoms]

Day 3 of posting a ramble or infodump about something I know probably too much about

Today’s topic, via spinner wheel, is my favorite books and literary works! 

I used to be an avid book reader, but now I don’t read many physical books, in favor of internet stories (read: fanfiction). Here’s a list of my favorites of both, with a brief synopsis (without spoilers) and notes on why I liked the story so much!

The Inquisitor’s Tale (Adam Gidwitz) - this is hands-down one of the best books I’ve ever read! The subtitle is “Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog” and that sums up the idea nicely. The book centers around these children, being hunted down by the king of France for heresy, in a fictional iteration of medieval France. The story is full of religious themes, and a feeling of family. 

The Ruby Redfort series (Lauren Child) - one of the best mystery/suspense spy series ever; it was initially written for middle-grade children but I think anyone can enjoy them. Centered around a thirteen-year-old genius code-cracker (and her “sidekick” babysitter butler sorry house manager Hitch), each book has a sort of “nerd-topic” driving the plot - think advanced mathematics, organic chemistry, or synesthesia - but the book does a really good job explaining these at a level for almost anyone to understand (in fact, they’re how I got into a variety of subjects!)

Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard (Jonathan Auxier) - also originally written for children but honestly a great book. Bookmender Sophie Quire is tasked with protecting a special book, the protecting of which sends her on a weird and suspenseful adventure with a boy named Peter Nimble and his cat-horse-man-thing named Sir Tode. I can’t say much about the plot without spoilers so that’s all...

The Golden Phoenix (emiartse) - this one is on Ao3, and it is the best Disney AU of the Dream SMP anyone has ever made. Can’t reveal much without spoilers, but basically Tommy is this story’s version of Rapunzel, and Techno and Wilbur are the “Eugene”s. There’s a lot of incredible worldbuilding in this one, and I absolutely love it. 

Tommyinnit’s Clinic For Supervillains (bonesandthebees) - I know a majority of the fandom has read this or at least heard of this, but it’s for good reason! I think this is one of my favorite hero AUs on Ao3, and it’s just so good. Civilian Tommy stumbles across an injured supervillain in an alley, and against his better judgement uses his own powers to heal him. This sets off a big long chain of events with Tommy, his roommates, the villains, heroes, and vigilantes, and Tommy has to deal with all that :3

17 hours (bonesandthebees, thanotaphobia) - say byebye to the U.S. coasts, because they just got nuked. Wilbur and Tommy set out to meet Techno and Phil in Nowhere, Oklahoma, where emeraldduo has built a doomsday bunker. Roadtrip shenanigans and apocalypse hijinks ensue. 

This Is Not an Act of Spite (Alex_Wants_To_Die, ellabellachicketychella) - Another Tommy-centric hero AU, but a little different - I love the characterizations and how they all interact! It’s not finished yet (still quite a ways to go) but I’m here until it’s done!

the stars and their children (bonesandthebees) - if you can’t tell, I love bee’s writing... basically, space royalty AU where Wilbur and Tommy get pretty much exiled off their planet and have to negotiate with the leaders of the Antarctic Empire for protection (which is not gonna be easy). Also not complete yet but I devour each chapter as it comes hehehe (also I’m one of bee’s named anons, she just doesn’t know, or which one heheee)

Tour En L’Air (CalistaWon) - hands-down, best short fic I’ve ever read. Tubbo is secretly a ballet dancer and by accident lets Techno know. Through a chain of events, Tubbo ends up telling all the others, then streaming teaching some of them some ballet. As a dancer this one made me so happy inside, I love fics like this!

I don’t know about any of the other authors but bee has a tumblr! @bonesandthebees! if you read these fics or any of hers, give her some love! 

That’s all I got for now, enjoy the rest of your day/night my lovelies :D

edit: OH MY PRIME EMIARTSE HAS A TUMBLR TOO AND SAW AND REBLOGGED THIS?! SO SORRY I DIDN’T KNOW THAT - I WOULD HAVE MENTIONED YOU!!

#reading #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #books #the inquisitor's tale #adam gidwitz #ruby redfort #lauren child #sophie quire and the last storyguard #jonathan auxier #the golden phoenix #emiartse #tommyinnit's clinic for supervillains #bonesandthebees #17 hours #this is not an act of spite #the stars and their children #tour en l'air #ballet #ao3 #mcyt #dsmp #dsmp fanfic #aeldari rambles

[illustration-alcove]

Hatem Aly’s illustrated book cover for Adam Gidwitz and Jesse Casey’s The Unicorn Rescue Society: The Creature of the Pines.

#hatem aly #unicorn rescue society #adam gidwitz #american literature #book covers

[flourmelon]

Sometimes, it turns out, the most important decisions in life are made by your dog.

The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog

Adam Gidwitz

5.10.2023

✝️🐩📜🔥✡️

#the inquistor’s tale #adam gidwitz #middle ages #fiction #booklr #flouread #I guess I learned something

[iphigeniacomplex]

it’s very easy to tell the good satires and pastiches from the bad ones because the bad ones are too afraid to live within the form. like if you are doing work with fairy tales and you are refusing to look closer at the underlying logic and unspoken rules of what can seem at first to be a senseless form, you are not going to create meaningful work. to borrow a turn of phrase originally used by maria tatar, if you refuse to enter “the house of fairy tale” as anything more than a gawking tourist, you will miss the particular order to the way the table is set, the rooms that are locked vs the rooms that are simply difficult to enter, the set of the floorboards and the position of the furniture. whatever you build will then be a gilded imitation of how you believe the house of fairy tale ought to look, the table set according to your educated specifications and every door open. there can be no interrogation of themes from a writer who views the form as beneath them!

#it speaks! #sondheim understood this with into the woods; the deconstruction of narrative itself is able to happen because we are able to believe in -> #<- the fairy tale logic he employs prior to this. #its a kids book but adam gidwitz understood this with a tale dark and grimm!! #cant speak for the rest of the series but that first book uses the absurdity of fairy tale logic to speak about the absurdity of -> #<- adulthood and the pedagogy present in many fairy tales to discuss the ways parents hurt their children. #rule of threes is important but theres so much on my list ive yet to read; always welcome recommendations. #fairy tales #into the woods #<- this comes from musings on how successfully i feel that musical functions so it gets the tag

[jewishcissiekj]

Did you guys know about these things called Rattatakian Redjackets I just found out about them they stingy and swarmy creatures that have been mentioned only once in canon and don't exist in Legends and they are from The Empire Strikes Back junior novel adaptation (TESB: So you want to be a Jedi?) and they just so happen to be my best friends

#adam gidwitz what possessed you to name the first ever rattataki creatures #why rattatak #nvm that i'm just happy they exist #something to put into my fics when i write them #to add to the atmosphere of rattatak in my head #rattatak

[book-reviewer-2000]

Scary Stories for Young Foxes

Christian McKay Heidicker

Illustrated by Junyi Wu

One autumn evening, seven little foxes ask for scarier stories than their mother has told them yet. Although they beg and whine, she tells them that she has no more scary stories, but there is an old storyteller who has terrible stories that would scare the white into their tails. They find themselves at the den of this old storyteller, who tells them stories of two fox kits, each on harrowing journeys through danger and the unknown. Mia and her mother flee a deadly illness that takes the rest of their family and come face-to-face with humans. Uly, the runt of the litter with a forepaw that doesn’t work, has to flee from his father who wants to kill him. The pair meet when Uly helps Mia escape the humans. The two have to stick together to make it through a swamp with dangerous creatures, Uly’s sinister father, and the bitter cold of winter. After each story, one of the kits turns tail, too scared to listen any longer. Which kit has the bravery to listen to all of the stories? What happens to the two kits struggling through adventure after adventure? It’s up to an intrepid and insightful reader to find out. Mia and Uly deal with loss and grief in an eloquent way, uniting from their shared familial issues. While the stories are about fictional foxes, readers may see themselves in the characters and their tales. This book fills the imagination with its descriptive word choice and haunting illustrations of each anecdote. The scary stories bring elements of the supernatural, natural, and even human-created terror. But fear not- there’s a kind ending for these little foxes. This book may not be the best choice for easily frightened readers, but lovers of spooky fairytales will enjoy this original concept.

BIBLIO: 2019, Henry Holt and Company/ Macmillan Publishing Group, Age 9-12, $16.99 and $22.99.

REVIEWER: Rebekah Ehrhart

FORMAT:  Middle Reader

ISBN: 9781250181428

#scary stories for young foxes #book review #bookworm #This book reminded me of A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

[best-childhood-book]

#best childhood book #poll #things not seen #five children #the chronicles of ancient darkness #running out of time #all of a kind family #matt cruse #a tale dark and grimm #upon a marigold #betsy tacy #ida b

[thekittymuffin]

Gillion tidestrider, more than either of his co-captains, compels me

His story in a simplified sense is very similar to Jay's, they both spend the majority of their lives training and living for a cause, whether that be the champion of thr undersea or a navy soldier. They experience a great deal of turmoil in grappling what it means to learn that that is not the path they want to take in life and we see those ramifications across the campaign.

I connect to both of them really deeply on this level though, for the majority of my life my parents steered me towards math and sciences as field that would (hopefully) award me a well paying job and stable life, and in recent years I've had to come to terms with how much I love art, and how I could never imagine myself doing anything else. Both Jay and Gillion parallel this with pirating in a way

But

Gillion was raised in a religious environment where his entire destiny and reason for being were reliant on his position as a hero. Aside from a vaguely Christian upbringing my experience is so widely different, but in that I then get to ponder on the nature of fantasy.

Fiction is often used to delve into and explore concepts while bending reality and exaggerating feelings to better communicate. I first felt this when reading (my beloved) The Grimm Conclusion by Adam Gidwitz near the end of the book. (I will not spoil this kids book for you it changed by life when I was younger) fantasy is used to exagerate reality and circumstances while exploring a real emotion core, and Gillion does that for me

He is the fantasy me who has to deal with changing their destiny and what that means to go back on who raised you. Gillion, and so many other fictional characters, have helped me understand myself and feel less alone in my experiences and I have to thank charlie slimecicle for absolutely fucking killing it

In conclusion, gillion tidestider tits tuesday has done more for me accepting my body than any heartfelt conversation or compassionate post online ever and I also have to deal with that

#gillion tidestrider #jrwi #jrwi riptide #RAHHH #muffinmeow #come back in another approximately one and a half years for more of my writing/analysis on fictional characters #for context the last one was about esmp pearl sooooo #anyways #happy dyke slimecicle Saturday

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

I’m still looking for genre clarification for the following books:

Harry Harrison, The Steel Rat

Lois Lowry, The Giver (clarification provided!)

Adriana Mather, Killing November

Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball, Acorna: The Unicorn Girl (clarification provided)

I also accidentally replied privately to someone with a clarification question about Storm Constantine’s Wraeththu trilogy, which appear to be science fiction as far as I can tell. if anyone can clarify what would make them fantasy, please let me know! (clarification provided!)

if anyone has read them and can elaborate on whether they are or aren’t fantasy / do or don’t have fantastic elements, I’d appreciate it!

I’m also still waiting to hear back from original requesters about the following ambiguous submissions where it’s unclear whether they want a single book or a whole series (or what series they want):

Emily Croy Barker, The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic

Kira Jane Buxton, Hollow Kingdom

Jessica Day George, Dragon Slippers / Adam Gidwitz, A Tale Dark and Grimm

Rachel Hartman, Seraphina / Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunter Chronicles / Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

Lois Lowry, The Giver

I also replied to the same person as above privately with a clarification question about Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon’s Bedlam(’s) Bard series — if that was you (I forgot to write down the username, sorry!), let me know what you were looking for!

if you submitted one of these and have a preference for the first book or the entire series, please let me know!

#clarification requests

[adarkrainbow]

As I was looking around at the "A Tale Dark and Grimm" edition with a cover from Dan Santat - I wanted to know if Dan Santat did just the cover, or had some illustrations inside the book too, and couldn't find any answer - here is the cover in question by the way (in full art):

Well as I was looking around I randomly stumbled upon this lovely little article where Adam Gidwitz explains his love for the art of his book, both old and new:

#a tale dark and grimm #illustration #adam gidwitz #dan santat

[disney15ish]

What was happening in early 2010's that caused a surgence of fairy tale mash-ups?

Being into Once Upon A Time, I've gotten interested in other fairy tale mash up stories and realizing a lot of them came around in early 2010's

Middle grade book series

James Riley's Half Upon A Time trilogy (2010-2013)

Adam Gidwitz A Tale Dark & Grimm trilogy (2010-2013)

Chris Colfer's Land of Stories (6 books, 2012-2017)

Shelby Bach's The Ever Afters (4 books, 2012-2015)

TV

Once Upon a Time (2011)

Grimm (2011)

These are only the ones I know about, there's probably others as well. But I just find it curious they all came out around the same time

#ouat #once upon a time #fairy tales #half upon a time #land of stories

[duckprintspress]

Celebrate World Folktales and Fables Week with 10 of Our Favorite Folktale Collections

This week, March 19th to 25th, is World Folktales and Fables Week! Duck Prints Press is celebrating with two blog posts: today’s, which focuses on the folktales, fables, and myths that influenced us as creators, and tomorrow’s, about our favorite folktale-inspired fiction (queer and otherwise).

Love folktales and fables? Join us now and learn about the ones we love – some you may know, some you may not!

D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by Ingri d’Aulaire & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (an inspiration for Shadaras)

The first book that comes to mind is D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths (I had to look up the title, but the cover is burned into my memory). While there may be other collections of fairytales and folklore that struck me, this is one of the first ones I read, and it set the stage for my love of mythology in general.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith (an inspiration for Veronica Sanders)

I remember being really inspired by the genre of “a well-known story told from a different perspective” after reading the Jon Scieszka/Lane Smith books in 2nd grade, like The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. I always really liked thinking about folktales and fables from the POV of the “villain.”

Folktale-Inspired Disney Films (an inspiration for Adrian Harley)

I was a Disney-loving child of the 90s, so I am still unpacking the ways that shaped my view of folk stories, stories as a whole, and the world—and reconciling the positive ways these stories shaped me vs. the harms of the Disney corporation.

The Onion Girl (and other stories) by Charles de Lint (an inspiration for Anonymous)

He did an amazing job of blending American and European folklore with ordinary life in all its highs and lows. I don’t know if I could point to a specific story that’s retelling any one folktale, but I can absolutely point to the author as a whole for his folkloric style and tender exploration of magic, queerness, and being outcast. He helped invent the Mythic Fiction subgenre. The Onion Girl lives in my head rent-free.

Folktales of the Amur: Stories from the Russian Far East by Dmitri Nagishkin (an inspiration for Nina Waters)

A collection of eastern Russian folktales that really had a huge impact on me. 30+ years on from when I read them, I honestly couldn’t relate a single one of the stories, but they burrowed so deep into my psyche that when I imagine “folktales that really mattered to me” the first image that comes to mind is the cover. The art throughout the book is just absolutely gorgeous.

The Rose-Beauty – a Turkish Fairy Tale (an inspiration for Alessa Riel)

This is a Turkish fairytale that impressed me because it was cruel even for a fairytale. It‘s about a young woman who is blessed from birth to grow roses in her hair, cry pearls and grow grass wherever she walks and the cruel fate she is dealt because people are jealous of her gifts. It has a happy ending but only just.

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (an inspiration for Sebastian Marie)

It had a HUGE influence on me as a kid, for two main reasons. One, the events of a lot of European fairytales are told as happening to the same two kids and their parents, which creates a really interesting story structure. Two, it’s unabashedly mean and gory and cruel and well, dark and grim. It says that sometimes people are terrible and sometimes bad things happen to decent people. It’s one of the things that made me want to write fairy tales, or at least stories that are a bit gruesome and meant to be told to children.

The Swan-Maiden – a fairy tale (an inspiration for Alessa Riel)

This is a variant of the selkie tale as far as I can tell, only that the women don‘t turn into seals but beautiful swans. It was the version of the lore I first encountered and the unfairness of the women being forced to marry their captor and abuser and then also being cursed for abandoning the children these men forced onto them always resonated deeply with me.

The Blue Light by The Brothers Grimm (an inspiration for Alessa Riel)

In this fairytale a veteran soldier is unjustly treated by the king and then a witch sets him three challenges. The third one is getting her a blue light from a deep well. He refuses to give her the light and she drops him into the well along with the light. It turns out the light can fulfill wishes. Up to this part the veteran looks like a sympathetic person, but he uses those wishes to have the princess dragged to his room three nights in a row to do his bidding against her will. He is finally found out and sentenced to death for this transgression but manages to escape that fate by using the blue light and he gets the kingdom and the princess to boot. I always found this supremely unfair.

Egyptian Mythology (an inspiration for Dei Walker)

I think one of the first books of folktales, legends, or fairy tales I can remember reading repeatedly is a copy of Egyptian myths and legends I used to get out of my local public library when I was young. It was already an old edition in the 1980s and its pages were yellowed, but I would borrow it regularly and lose myself in the stories of life and (un)death along the Nile.

What are some folktales and fables that have inspired YOU? We’d love to hear about them, and maybe find some classical stories to add to our To Be Read piles!

Who we are: Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher based in New York State. Our founding vision is to help fanfiction authors navigate the complex process of bringing their original works from first draft to print, culminating in publishing their work under our imprint. We are particularly dedicated to working with queer authors and publishing stories featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Love what we do? Want to make sure you don’t miss the announcement for future giveaways? Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get previews, behind-the-scenes information, coupons, and more!

Want to support the Press, read about us behind-the-scenes, learn about what’s coming down the pipeline, get exclusive teasers, and claim free stories? Back us on Patreon or ko-fi monthly!

#duck prints press #rec list #folktales #fables #myths #mythology #world folktales and fables week

[illustration-alcove]

Hatem Aly’s illustrated book cover for Adam Gidwitz and Jesse Casey’s The Unicorn Rescue Society: The Basque Dragon.

#hatem aly #unicorn rescue society #book covers #adam gidwitz #jesse casey #American literature