"The tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin gets a modern makeover at the hands of this mother-son team," wrote PW of their Pay the Piper. In a follow-up Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale book that melds The Three Billy Goats Gruff with The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Trollbridge by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple stars 16-year-old Moira, a harpist determined to save 11 girls who were selected to have their likenesses carved in butter but wound up enchanted into slumber. A teen boy band on break from a road trip, a magical fox and, naturally, a monstrous troll all figure into the proceedings. Pay the Piper is now in paperback. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, July 2005: In this updated retelling of the tale of the Pied Piper, the piper is a rock ‘n roll legend named Gringras, who is the lead singer of the band Brass Rat. Gringras is also, it turns out, a Faerie prince, exiled by his father for killing his older brother. As punishment, he is required to pay his father a teind, or tithe, every seven years of "silver, gold, or souls." Seven years are almost up when Brass Rat comes to perform in 14-year-old Callie's hometown. She wrangles a press pass from the student newspaper to hear them play and to meet the band; she also overhears an argument about payment for the concert, which doesn't seem to be forthcoming. The next night, Halloween, Callie is at home working on her newspaper story when she learns that every child in town has mysteriously vanished—including her younger brother. Now it's up to her to figure out how to break the curse of the tiend and retrieve the children from the land of Faerie. This swift and entertaining read, co-authored by a noted fantasy writer and her musician/writer son, skillfully blends ancient magic with music and contemporary teen life. A second book in the series, The Troll Bridge, is promised.
Fourteen-year-old Callie is determined to see the hot band, Brass Rat. As a reporter for her school paper, she obtains a press pass so that she can interview the band when they give their Halloween concert. Talking her parents into attending the concert is surprisingly easy, as they, too, are fans. So, wonders Callie, just how long has this band been around, and how can they have played for so long when their members look so young? As Callie researches before her interview, one of the band members, Gringas, is making plans of a different, darker variety: It is time to pay the teind, the blood payment for the crime he committed in the land of faeries long, long ago. After the concert and interview, having overheard a mysterious exchange between band members, Callie starts unraveling the puzzle of the band. But before she can warn anyone, all the neighborhood children are lured into the mountains on Halloween night. Callie, too, is lured to follow, but she is determined to save them and break the curse of the piper. Veteran storyteller Yolen works with her musician son on this new interpretation of the Pied Piper of Hamelin story that will intrigue those middle schoolers who enjoy retellings of familiar stories or are lured by tales of the Faerie realm. Those who are fans of Cofer's Artemis Fowl books or Holly Black's Tithe (Simon & Schuster, 2002/VOYA October 2002) will find this novel somewhere in the middle in its depiction of the mysterious land under the earth. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2005, Tor, 176p., Ages 11 to 15.
—Mary Ann Darby
Gr 6-8-In this new twist on "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," a banished prince of Faerie has formed a folk rock band to earn the gold and silver he needs to buy off a curse he incurred by murdering his brother. When a promoter stiffs him, Prince Gringras turns to his third option for payment: leading children into Faerie, where their human souls can power the land of the Ever Fair. Although he succeeded in Hamelin and in other lesser-known locales, Gringras gets more than he can handle when he lures a group of trick-or-treaters that includes a high school reporter's little brother. Motivated first by the prospect of a great story, and later by fear for her brother, Callie follows Gringras into Faerie and undoes the curse that compels him to steal children away. The modern pacing and idiom of the scenes featuring Callie's goofy, upbeat family and friends make for a jarring contrast with the formal language used for the dark thoughts and actions of the exiled prince, and lengthy descriptions of Gringras's "rock and reel" band run the risk of alienating teens whose musical tastes favor other genres. However, these shortcomings won't deter readers who like a fast-paced Faerie tale, especially if they enjoyed Holly Black's Tithe (S & S, 2002).-Beth Wright, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, VT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Who captivates kids more than a mesmerizing rock star? The Svengali of this tale is the piper in the retro band Brass Rat. Attending their concert, 14-year-old Callie is enthralled by him as well as by another band member but soon senses something sinister about Peter Gringras and the group. An aura of menace wafts through the novel as Gringras's true identity and back-story are played out in an italicized parallel text. When the worst happens-the neighborhood children, including her brother, are spirited away by the flute on Halloween-Callie enters the land of Faerie to confront the piper. He's really a cursed fairy prince in mortal clothing who's obliged to render children up to his father as punishment for murdering his brother centuries ago. Callie devises a stratagem to send Gringras back "home" for good and to rescue the children in this rich homage to the Hamlin story. Brass Rat's "lyrics" are included. (Fiction. 11-14)
"Jane Yolen, a mistress of fantasy, has teamed up with her rock-and-roll musician son to develop a series crossing classic tales with contemporary music. This debut effort is a thriller."—The Washington Post on Pay the Piper
"Veteran storyteller Yolen works with her musician son on this new interpretation of the Pied Piper of Hamelin story that will intrigue those…who enjoy retellings of familiar stories or are lured by tales of the Faerie realm."—VOYA on Pay the Piper
"A rollicking good riff on the Pied Piper…. An entertaining as well as meaty read."—Booklist on Pay the Piper
"This swift and entertaining read…skillfully blends ancient magic with music and contemporary teen life."—Kliatt on Pay the Piper
"Grim and great, this retelling whetted my appetite for more."
"I roared right through it!"
"Music, magic, and the middle child of three—these make a gripping combination. I couldn't put this book down."
"Pay the Piper is my kind of book, and Callie McCallan is my kind of hero! Mighty cool book!"
"Jane Yolen's deep knowledge of world myth and Adam Stemple's mastery of world music combine to phantasmagorical effect in this faerie-fueled tale."
"This debut effort is a thriller."
"A rollicking good riff on the Pied Piper…. An entertaining as well as meaty read."
