Egg & Spoon and Other Modern Spins on Old Tales

Sometimes we forget that all those books about witches, vampires, werewolves, and fairies are basically based on tales people used to pass around the campfire. But vamps and wolfmen aren’t the only supernaturals in town, and 2014 has seen the release of some excellent YA novels that are breathing new life into myths and legends less well-trodden than their pointy-toothed and winged brethren. Here are some recent releases that are making the bookstore into our own campfire.
Egg & Spoon, by Gregory Maguire
Maguire, the fairest fairy-tale reteller of them all, weaves folk characters into a sort of retelling of the Prince and the Pauper, centering on two girls in Tsarist Russia. The rich girl carries with her a Fabergé egg depicting three mythical creatures—an ice dragon, Baba Yaga, and the Firebird—and then, of course, all three turn out to be real entities in her world. In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is a witch who controls the elements and travels around in either a mortar (steered with a pestle) or her own creepy, bird-legged house. Here, for our modern enjoyment, she’s got certain other Maguirian characteristics.
Exquisite Captive, by Heather Demetrios
You may know the jinn by their other name: genies, who you might recognize from their appearances in Aladdin (based on a story in One Thousand and One Nights) and I Dream of Jeannie. Here, Demetrios takes us both back to the original pre-Arabic mythology about these magical creatures, and to present-day Hollywood, where Nalia, the last of a powerful race of jinn, is held captive by a power-hungry master who sells her wishes to clients. Back in her own world, Arjinna, there’s a war going on between other races of jinn, and the rebel side’s leader wants Nalia’s help.
Jackaby, by William Ritter
Like Sherlock Holmes, R.F. Jackaby is a private detective using his unmatched powers of observation to solve crimes at the turn of the 20th century. But Ritter’s hero notices even more than Holmes: he can see the fairies, spirits, banshees, and other supernatural creatures at work in his New England town of New Fiddleham. Abigail Rook learns all about the existence of such beings (taken from folklore all over the world) when she signs on as Jackaby’s new assistant.
The Crane Wife, by Patrick Ness
We’re venturing into adult literature for a moment, but since Ness is a YA favorite, we think you won’t mind that the main character, George Duncan, is middle-aged. The day after he rescues a wounded white crane in his backyard, a mysterious woman visits his shop. As they simultaneously fall in love and create art together, we wonder if she could be the crane in human form. This is all based on a Japanese folktale of the same name that seems designed to warn men not to take their wives’ magical gifts for granted.
We’re still waiting for someone to send Paul Bunyan to high school. What folklore- or fairytale-inspired novels have you read lately?