Vassa in the Night

by Sarah Porter

Overview

“A dark, thoroughly modern fairy tale crackling with wit and magical mayhem.” —Leigh Bardugo, New York Times bestselling author of Shadow and Bone

“An enchantingly twisted modern fairy tale, perfect for those who prefer Grimm to Disney. Inventive, darkly magical, and beautifully written, it will stay with me for a long time.” — Kendare Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns

STEP INTO THE ENCHANTED KINGDOM OF BROOKLYN, WHERE MAGIC—AND DANGER—LURKS AROUND EVERY CORNER

A powerful and haunting tale for teen fans of urban fantasy, fairy tales, magic, and horror who enjoy books by Leigh Bardugo, Kendare Blake, Catherynne Valente, and V. E. Schwab.

When Vassa’s stepsister sends her out to buy lightbulbs in the middle of the night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well.

But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and ferocious cunning. With Erg’s help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch’s curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Babs won’t be playing fair….


· YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection
· Booklist Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection
· Booklist Youth Top 10 SF/Fantasy Selection
· Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year Selection
· Kansas Reading Circle Selection

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780765380548
Publisher:	Tom Doherty Associates
Publication date:	09/20/2016
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	840L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sarah Porter is a writer, artist, and freelance teacher who lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two cats. She is the author of the Lost Voices Trilogy (Lost Voices, Waking Storms, The Twice Lost) in addition to Vassa in the Night—all for the teen audience. She has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from City College.

Editorial Reviews

With a deft hand, lovely prose, and an eye for details, Porter reworks the Russian story of Vassilissa the Beautiful, setting it in an industrial Brooklyn where magic seeps into the mundane.... the end result is an ethereal, almost dreamlike fairy tale that generates a magic all its own." —Booklist, starred review

"In this urban-fantasy take on the Russian folk tale 'Vassilissa the Beautiful,' Porter weaves folk motifs into a beautiful and gripping narrative filled with magic, hope, loss, and triumph." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“[E]lements of traditional horror blend well with high-concept fantasy in this surprising and engaging tale.... A must-have for YA urban fantasy collections."—School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 2016-06-22
Brooklyn is an enchanted kingdom where most aspire to arrive—most of it, that is, the exception being Vassa's working-class neighborhood, where the white teen lives with her stepmother and stepsisters, struggling with the feeling that she does not belong. In Vassa's neighborhood, magic is to be avoided, and the nights have mysteriously started lengthening. Baba Yaga owns a local convenience store known for its practice of beheading shoplifting customers, but it seems that even the innocent are susceptible to this fate. One night, after an argument with a stepsister, Vassa goes out on an errand to Baba Yaga's store—one she knows may be her last. With her magic wooden doll, Erg, a gift from her dead mother, Vassa is equipped with some luck that she will very much need. Erg is clever and brazen, possessing both an insatiable appetite and a proclivity to swipe the property of others. But will Erg's magic be enough to help free Vassa from Baba Yaga's clutches and possibly her entire Brooklyn neighborhood from the ever increasing darkness? Vassa's narration is smart and sassy but capable of wonder, however familiar she's become with Brooklyn's magic. In this urban-fantasy take on the Russian folk tale "Vassilissa the Beautiful," Porter weaves folk motifs into a beautiful and gripping narrative filled with magic, hope, loss, and triumph. An enthralling, magic-tinged read about home, family, love, and belonging. (Urban fantasy. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews