August's Fantasy (Morning Session) - Girl Who Circumnav. Fairyland by C. Valente

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/9/d/event_28922461.jpegPlease join us as we discuss The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (http://amzn.com/0312649614) by Catherynne M. Valente, winner of the 2009 Norton Award. This book began as a fictional children's book in Valente's Palimpsest (nominated for the 2010 Hugo and Locus Awards), before becoming a crowdfunded online serial novel, before finally ending up in print. This novel was featured in John Scalzi's The Big Idea column, if you'd like to read the author's own words about this book (http://whatever.scalzi.com/2011/05/12/the-big-idea-catherynne-m-valente-2/). Please keep your RSVP updated and accurate!* Space is limited for this event. If it fills up, please add yourself to the waiting list if interested. Please note that this is our smaller morning session (our afternoon session can be found here (https://www.meetup.com/SFFBookClub/events/15407485/)). Additionally, there will not be an automatic reminder e-mail for this event, so please add it to your calendar, if attending. If enough space opens up in the afternoon session, or if there isn't sufficient interest for our morning session, we may consolidate both sessions into the afternoon timeslot.

From Amazon:

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t...then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.

“A glorious balancing act between modernism and the Victorian Fairy Tale, done with heart and wisdom." -- Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book)

"Valente's subversive storytelling is sheer magic." -- Tamora Pierce (The Immortals series)

"It's a charmer from the first page, managing the remarkable parlay of being at once ridiculously funny and surprisingly suspenseful." -- Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn)

*Since missing one of these meetups is taking a spot away from someone else who wants to go, we'll need to have a stricter attendance policy than normal. For book discussions, 3 no-shows in a rolling 3-month period will prohibit you from attending any other book discussion for 2 months after your last no-show. In order to avoid a no-show, please update your RSVP no later than 10pm the night before a discussion. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation!