SNAPSHOT:
Stray by Elissa Sussman
Told in third person, this is the first in THE FOUR SISTERS series. Here we have the story of timid Princess Aislynn--only she’ s not a princess anymore, but a fairy godmother in training.
The action has an odd sense of detachment, perhaps explainable by the various ways in which women are kept down and suppressed from their full potential: at the princess school, magic and emotions are dulled; and fairy godmothers have their loving heart removed.
There is an interesting concept that never quite hits the respect it should deserve. It could very easily have been a strong statement against shaming women for their sexuality, as when Aislynn or other
Aislynn’ s hands were bleeding. Her dress was stained with dirt and muck, her hair unraveling with each heaving breath.
— Paperback ARC edition
princesses have a magical outburst, they are shamed for it and sent away to learn how to control themselves. Which, considering how important it is that a princess be pure and fit for marriage as only men can be Kings, this had potential as an allegory for LGBT youth.
Instead, strong emotions in the girls are seen as shameful and wicked. Most of the female characters are have a little bit going for them but mostly when it serves for them to interact with our protagonist. The main villain--who seems to be the only female with goals beyond marry a man who will protect her from her own dangerous heart--is an Evil Queen who barely contributes to the plot.
Many of the plots, characters, and reasons behind the world are left unanswered by the end. Readers who are caught up in the fast paced and easy-to-read tale will hopefully find those answers in the sequels; while others may drop out because of lack of strong emotions for Aislynn’ s plights.
Appropriate for ages 14 +. Some intense situations. Bullying, rape-culture and emotional and psychological abuse. Includes but does not deal with sexism, self-harm, purity-culture( aka rape-culture) and lack of female agency.
Readers should be encouraged to think about how Aislynn’ s world has affected her self-image, and try to see if there are any corollaries in their own lives where they have let society dictate their worth and who they can be.
INTERVIEW WITH A YA AUTHOR FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE
Robert C. O’ Brien overcame his demons and became a renowned contributor to National Geographic Magazine, until glaucoma rendered him unable to continue as a journalist. Instead, he turned to writing children’ s stories, and won the Newbery Medal in 1972 for his novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
Young Adult Mag: What inspired you to write a story about rats?
Robert C. O’ Brien: Mice and rats. I traveled all over the world during my time with National Geographic, and one thing that every place I visited had in common was the presence of rats. Rats are everywhere. They’ re almost like the humans of the animal world, in that they occupy all of the same areas as we do.
YA: And that’ s sort of what The Rats of NIMH is about, correct?
RO: Correct. The story is about a group of rats who have become literate and technologically advanced after having been experimented upon by scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health, who are enlisted to help a widowed field mouse move her family’ s home before it is run over by a farmer’ s plough.
YA: It sounds like there are some very current themes in your novel, which was written in the early 1970s.
RO: Yes, I’ ve noticed that much of today’ s literature for younger readers revolves around utopia and dystopia, technology running rampant, humans meddling with nature, etc.
YA: And how exactly are those themes included in your novel?
RO: The rats plan to leave their home on the property of humans and create their own, perfect society. This, of course, causes conflict, because there will never be a consensus about what will make life perfect. And, of course, we see the themes of humans using technology they can’ t control with the presence of rats who have become self aware and are thinking independently.
YA: What do you think of the 1982 animated film adaptation of your work, The Secret of NIMH?
RO: I think it’ s overall very well done, but the film adds a supernatural element that is not part of my original story.
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