With all of the fairytale renditions that have become popular, this still stands out as my favorite. While each chapter centers around a particular fairytale, the story centers around a young boy named David. David, a very realistic hero in the story, struggles with his mother's death and turns to books as a way of coping. He begins to hear voices and hallucinate visions of a "crooked man" in his upstairs bedroom. As he is taken into a new world, David is introduced to a landscape of villains and has to decide who to trust. His own prejudices are turned against him, and he has to reevaluate who and what he chooses to protect. And in this world, nothing is what it seems--in a world with a formidable Snow White, in a land where Red Riding Hood isn't so innocent, and David has to outwit a devious Huntress, I adored this book. I don't want to give away too much, but this was definitely one of those unforgettable hero stories. I recommend this to everyone.
