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Review by
Louella Moreland
"Once upon a time" is a magical phrase that, as children, we learn is the
beginning of a story. Many times it will take us away from everyday life and
into a world of our imagination. Dawn Lairamore's "Ivy's Ever After" is just
such a story! Delightfully crafted to resemble fairy tales from our youth,
this story (for slightly older readers) delights us with a king, a princess,
a fairy godmother, dragons and a prince. It differs, though, from tales for
younger readers in its humor, complex plot and multiple messages.
Princess Ivory (Ivy to her friends) is not a typical princess. She is
certainly not the beautiful, well-mannered, perfect princess her mother once
was. In fact, she is a disappointment to her nursemaid, Tildy, who bemoans
that Ivy would rather be outside catching frogs than creaming her skin with
lotions and wearing beautiful gowns. What will become of the princess when
it comes time to find a prince!
Her father, a rather absent-minded, gentle man, does not seem to mind
Ivy's lack of royal skills, indulging his daughter whenever Ivy wants
freedom from her lessons. At least until the day Ivy learns of the Dragon
Treaty and her father refuses to budge on the rules.
Long ago a treaty was drawn up to protect the valley from the dragons.
All princesses of Ardendale must be locked in a tower on their 14th birthday
and guarded by a dragon from the Smoke Sands. The prince who could slay the
dragon would become the next king, while only one dragon need be sacrificed
every generation or so.
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When a prince from Galacia arrives prior to her birthday, Ivy is
panicked. After she hears Prince Romil plotting to take over the
kingdom and kill her and the king, she has to find a way to keep him
from becoming her husband. But no matter how awful her behavior or
how many pranks she pulls on the Galacians, she cannot deter Romil
from his quest to slay the dragon and claim her hand. By the time
the fateful day arrives and she is indeed locked in the white tower,
she is frantic to find a way out of the mess and out of the tower.
While escaping, she falls from the tower window and is caught by
the very dragon sent to guard her. Only this is not a typical
dragon. Eldridge is small, timid and cannot breathe fire. In other
words, he will be a sitting duck for the prince to slay.
Before the reader is finished laughing at the unexpected
"rescue," Ivy and Eldridge have teamed up to thwart the plans of the
evil prince. The rest of the story takes them on adventures through
the Craggies, where they are captured by Trolls; through the
Wrathful Swamp, where they are set upon by Swamp Sprites; to the
Island of Mist in search of her fairy godmother; and to the Dragon
Queen in the Smoke Sands.
"Ivy's Ever After" will take the reader on a wild,
edge-of-the-seat ride into fantasy that will have you laughing and
cheering for these two unusual heroes. It is a ride that you will
want to share with others and visit again yourself!
Come visit the Youth Services Department at Lincoln Public
Library for this novel and other delightful fairy tales for older
readers.
[Text from file received from
Louella Moreland,
Lincoln Public Library District]
(Ms. Lou's blog:
lincolnpubliclibraryupdates.blogspot.com) |
