There’s some chilling stuff in the ten pithy stories in this collection. Thoroughly modern in their telling, they take their themes from Hans Christian Andersen’s classic stories. Love, hate, pity, jealousy – emotions which underpin Andersen’s so-called nursery classics, figure especially large in teenagers’ lives and are played out in stories such as Swan in which Katie discovers that far from being a geek her younger sister has grown to be far more beautiful than she is herself.. There’s a slick ease to storytelling and the effects are thought-provoking.
2005 is the bicentenary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth. His stories have timeless themes - love, death, coming to terms with all that life offers.
This collection of ten stories weaves those essential themes of beauty and cruelty into contemporary takes on life. "The Steadfast Tin Solder" becomes "The Flames of Love", "The Ugly Duckling" is retold as "Swan" and "The Emperor's New Clothes", retold as "The King of Cool", has new relevance as the story of a boy obsessed with branded clothing. All are memorable for the shock value of many of Andersen's most painful images: the shards of a broken mirror; the piercing of a broken heart.
"The Swineherd" ("Princess), "The Snow Queen" ("The Shattered Mirror"), "The Wild Swans"("The Wild Swanns"), "The Princess and the Pea" ("Mother Knows Best"), "The Little Match Girl" ("A Little Flame"), "The Ugly Duckling" ("Swan) and "The Little Mermaid" ("Coming Up for Air") are all also recast for the 21st century.
'Every season, there is usually one book that surprises me and discovering it is like receiving an unexpected present. This is it. A superb collection of ten Hans Christian Andersen stories re-worked in a contemporary setting. A fresh, original collection that I know I'll re-read again and again'
Annie Everall THE BOOKSELLER
Author
About Kate, Castle, Caroline Petty
As well as being a widely published author, Kate Petty has worked in publishing for many years. She is currently responsible for the children's books published by the Eden Project and divides her time between Altarnun, St Austell and Truro in Cornwall and her London home.
Caroline Castle is the author of several picture book texts as well as two novels for older children. She has also illustrated two picture books for Piccadilly Press. She lives in Camden, North London.
