{"id":30644,"date":"2016-06-28T23:13:17","date_gmt":"2016-06-29T03:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=30644"},"modified":"2016-06-28T23:13:17","modified_gmt":"2016-06-29T03:13:17","slug":"review-of-baba-yagas-assistant-by-marika-mccoola-illustrated-by-emily-carroll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=30644","title":{"rendered":"Review of Baba Yaga’s Assistant, by Marika McCoola, illustrated by Emily Carroll"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"baba_yagas_assistant_large\"<\/a>Baba Yaga\u2019s Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

by Marika McCoola
\nillustrated by Emily Carroll<\/p>\n

Candlewick Press, 2015. 132 pages.
\nStarred Review
\n2015 Cybils Elementary\/Middle Grade Graphic Novels Finalist<\/p>\n

This graphic novel is lots of fun. Masha is a modern teenage girl who has heard stories of Baba Yaga from her grandmother. Both Masha\u2019s mother and grandmother cleverly escaped from her. <\/p>\n

So when Masha\u2019s father marries again and the new stepmother has a particularly bratty stepsister for Masha to babysit, Masha decides instead to answer an ad to be Baba Yaga\u2019s assistant.<\/p>\n

Masha has stories of Baba Yaga to guide her. She must enter Baba Yaga\u2019s chicken-legged house, then pass three tests. But when the third test involves cooking three children for dinner, and one of those children is the naughty new stepsister \u2013 things take a turn.<\/p>\n

I loved the way this book gives the fairy tale themes a modern twist. Such as when the stepsister throws down a washcloth in Baba Yaga\u2019s bathroom and it begins to become a lake \u2013 so they almost drown.<\/p>\n

Baba Yaga has a gory reputation, and despite her scary exterior, this book puts a light-hearted spin on things. Ultimately, this is the story of a clever girl finding her own way, while getting some healing for her heart.<\/p>\n

candlewick.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/baba_yagas_assistant.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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