The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

By: Catherynne M. Valente

Narrated by: Catherynne M. Valente

September is a girl who longs for adventure. When she is invited to Fairyland by a Green Wind and a Leopard, well, of course she accepts. (Mightn’t you?) But Fairyland is in turmoil, and it will take one 12-year-old girl, a book-loving dragon, and a strange and almost human boy named Saturday to vanquish an evil Marquess and restore order.

©2011 Catherynne M. Valente (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"This is a kind of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by way of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - it's the sort of book one doesn't want to end." ( Publisher's Weekly)

Where Was This When I Was Growing Up?

An absolutely fantastic, adorable, unique read, "The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making" is all that I could have possibly wanted it to be and more. Friendship, adventure, magic, imagination... I really wish I had this book growing up.

A story for all ages, this first book in the Fairyland series has great life lessons for all, including loyalty, friendship and doing what is right even when you really just want to curl up and go home. It blurs the line between "good" and "evil", and is about being courageous, making your own choices and standing up for what - and who - you believe in.

Personally, I listened to this tale as an Audiobook and I highly recommend doing so. Not only is it narrated by the author (a fact I didn't realise until after j had finished it) but the writing style is such that the novel is told by a narrator, which makes it perfect for this format. My only complaint would be that even though there are four - possibly five - books in the series, four of which are recorded as Audiobooks, only the first two are available on the Australian Audible, which is highly frustrating.

I will say, however, that the narrative does take a slightly darker turn as it progresses, so I would suggest perhaps reading ahead/beforehand to check if you're comfortable with that aspect of it if you're thinking of reading it to a much younger person.