Book Review: Half Upon a Time, by James Riley

Why I Picked It Up: Fairy tales. Actually, it goes back a little further than that. In preparation for one of our most popular sessions, Jessica was at the bookstore and I got a text with a picture of this book cover.  Beanstalk, kid in a tunic, a play on the traditional fairy tale opener – she knew this was a “Sherry book.”  I do love fairy tale retellings of all kinds and this one did NOT disappoint!  Even as early as the dedication, I knew I was going to love it: “Dedicated to anyone whose story didn’t go as planned. Seriously, who writes these things?”

Why I Finished It: The opening scene drew me in completely. Jack, son of “Jack and the Beanstalk” Jack, was in the middle of failing his princess rescue test.  He wasn’t worried though, because as we all know, there are no unmarried princesses left to rescue and either way, he didn’t want to marry royalty anyway.  Jack does actually meet a princess, but she’s from another world (our world).  May has followed the Green Huntsman into the world of fairy tales to find her grandmother. Jack decides to help and the quest ensues.

As the story went along, I had a hunch as to who May’s grandmother actually was, but I had read to the end to find out if I was right!  There are SO many fairy tales mixed up in this story.  For an aficionado like myself, it was so much fun to see how many different allusions I could spot.  I found myself wondering who Jack and May would run into next on their journey and how that new character’s original story would play into this fabulous and imaginative conglomeration.

I can’t wait to read the next two in the series – Twice Upon a Time, and Half Upon the End!!

Who I Would Give It To: Fellow fairy tale lovers everywhere should read this book immediately!  However, you don’t have to be a fairy tale fan to enjoy this one.  It’s a great adventure book, and there is plenty of action too!  It would be good for middle grade students, and it would make an engaging read-aloud as well.

Integration  Ideas

Themes:

• Heroism – Jack is somewhat of an unlikely hero in this story.  He’s the son of a criminal, fails the princess rescue test, and only reluctantly agrees to help May on her quest.  Then there’s Phillip, who they meet while he’s slaying a giant and is every inch a prince.  (114)
  • Who is the real hero? (a few supporting passages: 8, 143, 181, 204-206, 343, 378) Before deciding upon the best hero, have students use their schema from other texts or from their own experiences as to what qualities make a hero.  Prompt students to ask questions about Jack and Phillip based on the hero qualities discussed.  Make sure that students can defend their answer as to who the real hero is, with plenty of text evidence.
  • Create an infographic comparing the two boys and showing who is the true hero. http://dailyinfographic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/snowwhite-640×1134.jpg
• “Do not be fooled by appearances,” Phillip said. “Pleasant exteriors sometimes mask the worst interiors.” (176) Think about this quote as you read the book. What kinds of things might not be what they seem (The Wolf King, houses, the story itself, any of the characters)?
  • Questions for discussion:
    • What clues in the text lead you to believe things are a certain way?
    • What clues from your background knowledge lead you to believe things are a certain way?
    • Does the author assume you might think a certain way? Does he use that to his advantage in telling his story?

Fairy Tale Elements

In several places, May remarks that this is “not how fairy tales are supposed to work,” they’re supposed to be “stories where people live happily ever after…” (193-94).

Before reading Half Upon a Time, research how fairy tales ARE supposed to work. As a class, make a Fairy Tale Checklist of elements that most fairy tales include.

Technology Option: Create a stack of trading cards, one for each element of a fairy tale. Each student or student group can be responsible for creating one and teaching that element to the rest of the class. Then, each student gets a copy of each card.
http://bighugelabs.com/deck.php

As you read check off elements that are present in Half Upon a Time (or start making a stack of cards of elements that are present).

After reading the book, have a class debate – is Half Upon a Time a fairy tale or not?