Tween Pick: Twice Upon a Time

Twice Upon a Time
by James Riley
Aladdin
2013
340 pages

Simply hilarious hijinks and playful, pun-y dialog with snarky insight and in-your-face sarcasm, James Riley's characters shine! May, Jack and Phillip are in search of May's true identity. She won't believe the evil Queen is her real grandmother; there has to be some other explanation. Traveling through a normal fairy tale would be easy; if only May's  adventures were  really like the ones in a book. May's fairy tale is entirely different. Mermaids aren't friendly, the big bad wolf is hungry, and fairies are evil. The Land of Never is full of overweight, middle-aged, clueless ninnies--not imaginative, playful children who never grow up.

The wolf says the Queen wants the intruders alive and unhurt, but,"...if you resist, I could just tell her that it wasn't possible, that I was forced to bite off an arm here or there." After escaping the wolf and some goblins, the three find themselves in the Land of Never, where no one ever grows up--oh, people age, but they just  never grow up. Middle aged adults act like happy children who want to play make believe and swim in the chocolate river. May tells them to stop their inane singing and to stop acting like kids and they run off. Next adventure, rescuing  Peter from the friendliest pirates in history.

After a run-in with Bluebeard and evil Mer-people, May hears about her family's secret. Jack's heart is broken and he leaves for the next adventure. The series promises to have a fun ending; pick up Once Upon: The End to complete the series.

A must-have for fans of fractured fairy tales and fairy tale inspired books, Twice Upon a Time is fun entertainment at its best and is sure to leave readers laughing.

Highly, highly recommeded grade 5-up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensationf or this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)