Snow & Rose

The writing is lyrical, with laudable word choice, alliteration, and imagery capturing the magic of the woods. For lovers of fairy tales, this story of sisterhood, taking risks, and being kind is a physically beautiful book with an appealing cover and captivating full-color illustrations.

A quirky librarian who offers objects rather than books; a boy with an encyclopedic knowledge of mushrooms; a protective bear companion (though that is in the original); fairies; and lovely full-color illustrations—all these elements lend charm and balance to this tale, where avarice and cruelty fall to kindness and love.

Gr 3-7--This adaptation of "Snow White and Rose Red" makes the classic fairy tale accessible and intriguing for today's readers. Sisters Snow and Rose are daughters of a nobleman who disappeared under troubling circumstances. Forced to vacate their grand residence after their father's presumed death, the girls must now live in a humble forest cottage with their grieving mother. The sisters explore the forest, narrowly escape dangers, discover a peculiar library, repeatedly rescue the strange Little Man, and befriend a young boy named Ivo. Something truly evil lurks in these woods, however, which accounts for the tragically frequent disappearances of locals--perhaps even for their father's disappearance. Each chapter has a vignette feel to it; some of the particularly poignant chapters demonstrate with masterly gentleness how people deal with loss in different ways. Several single pages, interspersed throughout the narrative, recount the prophecies, observations, and dialogue of the forest trees. These pages insert a dark mysteriousness into the flow of the story. Lovely pencil and watercolor illustrations accompany the text, lending a wispy, dreamlike quality to the tale. The suspenseful, dramatic action doesn't really start building until the last quarter of the book, but readers will realize details have been quietly dropped throughout the entire narrative that contribute to the climax and conclusion. VERDICT A solid purchase for most mid-size libraries. Fairy-tale fans will delight in this fascinating spin on a lesser-known tale.--Sara White, Seminole County Public Library, Casselberry, FL

Sisters Snow and Rose once lived a charmed life in a grand house with a beautiful garden. After their father disappears into the woods, the girls and their mother are forced to move into a small cottage in the same forest. There, they befriend a boy named Ivo, discover a mysterious library filled not with books but objects, are tricked by a strange little man, and bond with a protective bear. Unfolding over episodic chapters that build to a well-deserved happy ending, this moody fairy tale emphasizes family, friendship, and the powerful bond of sisterhood. Martin's characterization of the two contrary sisters is especially moving: Rose is the type of person who "holds on to a thing she loved as tightly as she could," while Snow wants "to see or hear or taste something she loved over and over again, to remind herself that it was real." The sisters' contradictions make their relationship all the stronger, and Martin's prim full-color paintings and spot illustrations tenderly highlight key characters and moments. Ages 8-12. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Oct.)