![]() Snow White’s dwarves are grumbling unionists, and the knight seeks to rescue his beloved prince from a thorn-covered tower. ![]() David loves his mother, and throughout the story we are given a picture of a woman who is a perfect mother, the kind of woman who instinctively understands her child and his needs. Life, death, loss – even more “contemporary” discussions of class and gender are opened for questioning through dexterous narrative twists. David finds solace in his books, the ones that his mother read to him when he was little, and that he now reads to her while she is quietly dying. Much like in the original fairytales, Conolly is able to explore difficult topics through a metaphorical quest. ![]() These are the kind of stories where the wicked witch is made to dance herself to death in red-hot shoes, where the good may die early and the wicked are punished with pain, and kindness and bravery is tested but ultimately rewarded. ![]() The entrancing fairytale nature of the story takes more inspiration from the Grimm brothers than any softened Disney adaptations. It follows the voyage and return plot structure, in which the hero, David, is transported to a magical land, Elsewhere, where he encounters an evil power and. I would have had nightmares if I’d read this when I was little – and I know that I would have been desperate to read it anyway, and loved every minute of reading, very likely sneaking it off bookshelves when no grown-up was looking. ![]() The Book of Lost Things, by John Connolly, is technically a children’s book, but I would suggest reading it before giving it – or reading it aloud – to a younger audience, as some parts may be too terrifying for certain children. ![]()
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