Written by Sarah McGuire
I enjoy reading old fairy tales with a new twist, a.k.a. fractured fairy tales. Valiant comes from “The Brave Little Tailor”, also called “The Valiant Little Tailor”, thus the book’s title. The main character, the 17 year old Saville, does face giants and helps save her kingdom, but there is sooo much more to this new tale than that. Saville moves with her tailor father to Reggen. Her mother is dead. She’s left her dear home. And she HATES sewing. That’s because her father’s passionate love for it causes him to mistreat her. Upon arriving at Reggen, Saville’s father becomes ill and she must make a living for them to survive. Saville cuts her hair and becomes Avi, the tailor’s apprentice. As Avi, Saville becomes the King’s tailor. At the castle Saville learns more of an approaching evil that threatens to destroy the kingdom and all she has left. Out of desperation, Saville tries new things. Out of love, she risks her life. Out of hope, she builds a bright future. Valiant is a wonderful tale from beginning to end.
Review by Teresa Edmunds, Westbrook Elementary Media Center
Rating: ★★★★✩ (4 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 5-12
Author Website: http://www.sarahcmcguire.com/
Valiant
Written by Sarah McGuire
Egmont Publishing
368 pages
Release Date: April 28, 2015
I wonder if kids would enjoy this as much as adults.
Several students have read it and said they really liked it.