THE SMILE, by Donna Jo Napoli

THE SMILE
by Donna Jo Napoli

(Dutton)

Yep, I'm biased. Hopelessly so. But you know, big, big fans have high expectations. Such as:

-Immersion in time and place (check)

-Sensuous language (check)

-Fierce bonds between characters (check)

You know what the secret of Donna Jo's retellings is? She makes you forget you already know the story. Sure, you pick up Spinners because it's about Rumplestiltskin, or The Smile because you recognize the Mona Lisa on the cover, but before long the characters and their world invade and sweep you away. When you finally arrive at the end you should have been expecting all along, it feels like...magic. And she did it to me again.

(Available in October)