Wintersmith by Terry Prachett

Tiffany Aching, a 13 year old apprentice witch, gets a little excited at the season changing ceremonies and dances with the Wintersmith, the god of winter. For shame! The Wintersmith falls immediatly in love with her which causes much seasonal confusion for Tiffany's beloved homeland. This fantasy/fairy tale/comedy weaves together all these elements with style and hilarity. Characters span generations (one is even 113 years old) and sizes as Tiffany gets assistance from her pals, the wee-free-men, tiny blue Scotish warriors that keep her under careful watch.

There are elements of the story that will appeal to both boys and girls. Tiffany handles multiple crises with grace and thoughfulness. She's a good role model for adolescent girls, aside from the fact that she is, well, a witch in training.

This is part of a series but stands alone just fine. I have not read any of the previous stories and I had ball with this one.

The Princess and the Pea, by Lauren Child

A king and queen "did all the traditional fairy-tale things in order that their son might be bowled over by the right girl," but nothing quite works. One night a girl slides on her favorite "pea green" dress and goes out into the moonlight where she is lost in a storm and wanders to a palace door. The queen tests her with a pea and stack of mattresses to determine if she is a real princess, the prince falls in love with her, they marry and peas are not served at the reception. This retelling is quirky and fun but the most fascinating aspect of this book are the illustrations. The characters are cut-outs of paper drawings and are placed in settings built with dollhouse in a miniature three dimensional world. The back endpapers detail the creation and photography of the sets.

Grades 1-4