Here There Be... — (1993-1998) Ages 9-12. These are collections of Jane Yolen's stories about dragons, unicorns, witches, ghosts, and angels. Includes pencil drawings by David Wilgus.
    
 Here There Be Witches
Jane Yolen's anthology is centered around the topic of witches and holds a wide range of writing styles, whether it be poetry, short stories, retelling of legends or dialogue. This variety of these stories and their tones sometimes makes a rather mish-mashed collection; the serious stories don't quite fit with the light-hearted ones and you feel as if they should be in separate books. On the other hand, the range means that there's something for everyone and one gets to see the many sides of witches and their crafts. David Wilgus' black-and-white illustrations are greatly responsible for my enjoyment of this book — he is able to create beauty and realism in each one, no matter how fantastic the subject matter is. I especially like the front and back cover — an old woman on the front, but a beautiful youthful one on the back — but the same snake-ring they wear is testimony that they're the same person!
Yolen starts each piece of writing with a short, conversation-like introduction telling the reader how she got the inspiration for each story, what they're about and how she went about writing them, which adds further interest to the stories themselves.
There are seventeen pieces of work altogether. The poems are: 'The Magic House' — a poem about the famous Gingerbread House, 'Witch's Cat' — about the witch's best-known familiar, 'A Conversation Amoung Witches' — a rhyming chant of the witches, 'Pythagoras' — about the famous wizard philosopher, 'Weird Sisters' — a rather dark poem that uses witches as metaphors for a young girl's life, 'When Love Came to Witch Alfre' — a lighter poem about a witch who falls in love, and 'Witch Call' — about famous witches in history.
Also in the book are stories suited for more grown-up readers such as 'Boris Chernevsky's Hands' — a science-fiction type story that stars the famous witch Baga Yaga who helps out a young man dissatisfied with his clumsy hands, and 'Circles' — about a young woman living in an abusive home who learns the secrets of casting witch circles and wishing on them.
Humourous stories include 'The Passing of the Eye' — about a politically correct knight who comes across three witches and 'When I Grow Up, by Michael Dee' — the essay of a boy who is about to be initiated into the family business of becoming a warlock. As well as this there is 'Witchfinder' — the story of a woman accused of witchcraft from many different viewpoints.
My favourites however, and in my opinion Yolen's best, are her re-tellings of old fairytales and her creation of new ones. These are 'The Face in the Cloth' — the story of a young Princess struggling to become her own person despite her having her mother's face stitched onto the hood of her cloak, and 'The Promise' — about two young people, Kay and Kaya, who are given a promise that they will marry only to be separated by an evil sorcerer when Kay is turned into a fish and lives (unknown to Kaya) in her fishpond. This one's probably my favourite, along with 'The Witch's Ride' — about a man who marries the town's beauty only to wake up every morning to find himself more tired than he was the night before. His mother investigates and discovers rather startling truths about his bride...
Then there is 'The Woman Who Loved a Bear' — the retelling of an old Native-American story about a Cheyenne woman who meets and is protected by a large bear.
Lastly there is a the rather long story concerning Yolen's favourite subject: Arthurian legend. In this one she distorts the tale of the Sword in the Stone a little by having 'Merlinnus' create the stone and the sword after Arthur is considered king. And it's not exactly Arthur who pulls out the sword...This one isn't exactly my favourite, but Yolen's love of the old legends shines through with every word.
All in all, though some stories didn't quite strike my fancy, and others were obviously borrowed from other sources (although she does try to explain herself!) this is a quite good collection of witchy stories that is sure to set off some ideas of your own, and will keep witch-loving kids occupied for some time.
—Rebecca Fisher
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Stand-alone novels:
The Wizard of Washington Square — (1969) Ages 9-12. Publisher: One day, while playing in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, David and Leilah are thrilled to discover a real wizard living behind the little black door in Washington Square Arch. Alas, he is only a second-class wizard, he tells them, and sometimes he has trouble with his spells. So when the Wizard accidentally turns David's Scottish terrier, D. Dog, into a statue and the statue is stolen by Mr. Pickwell, a nasty antiques dealer, it's up to David and Leilah to get D. Dog back — before Mr. Pickwell sells him!
  The Magic Three of Solatia — (1974) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Three silver buttons... three magic wishesOnce there was Melinna, a mermaid who loved a prince. She shed her tail, walked painfully upon the land, and followed him up the hundred steps to his father's hall. There she gave him a coat with three silver buttons that had come from the depths of the sea. These three buttons had the power to grant wishes, but only if twisted in a special way, and always with consequences...The prince, too enamored of himself to return Melinna's love, took the coat, but did not listen to Melinna's words. And the secret of the Magic Three was lost. Now Melinna is Dread Mary, the sea witch who sings sailors down to their deaths in the cold, sunless sea. Her only passion is for the buttons that shine on dead men's coats — until her icy heart is melted by the plight of Sianna, a poor button maker's daughter. It is Sianna who discovers the power of the three wishes, Sianna who must choose whether to use them — and face the consequences...
The Transfigured Hart — (1975) Ages 9-12. Publisher: A boy and a girl become convinced that the white deer they discover in the woods is a unicorn.
The Mermaid's Three Wisdoms — (1978) Ages 9-12. Publisher: A mermaid who cannot speak is banished from her undersea home and sent to live on land as a human where she is found by a 12-year-old girl with a hearing impairment.
Dream Weaver — (1979) Ages 9-12. Publisher: For a penny a dream, the old blind Dream Weaver weaves dreams for seven sets of passers-by.
Cards of Grief — (1984) Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Winner.
 The Stone Silenus — (1984) Publisher: A year after her father, a poet who identified with fauns and satyrs, has been found dead in a motel swimming pool, a strange faun-boy appears to Melissa, seeming to be the reincarnation of her beloved father's spirit.
Wizard's Hall — (1991) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Poor Henry. It’s not enough that his mother has sent him away from home to learn magic. It’s not enough that everyone at his new school calls him Thornmallow because he’s “prickly on the outside, squishy within.” It’s not enough that the only talent he shows at Wizard’s Hall is an ability to make messes of even the simplest spells. Now, when Wizard’s Hall is threatened by a cruel sorcerer’s fearsome beast, it is up to Henry — er, Thornmallow — to figure out how to save not only his new friends but also the entire school for wizards.
 Briar Rose — (1992) Young adult. Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Winner, Nebula and World Fantasy nominee. American Library Association's 100 Best Books for Teens and Best Books for Young Adults. Publisher: A powerful retelling of Sleeping Beauty... Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma's stories about Briar Rose. But a promise Rebecca makes to her dying grandmother will lead her on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma's astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose. A journey that will lead her to unspeakable brutality and horror. But also to redemption and hope.
The Wild Hunt — (1995) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Two young boys become reluctant pawns in a showdown between light and dark, summer and winter, good and evil.
Where Have the Unicorns Gone? — (2000) Publisher:
Long ago, unicorns lived in a haven of sun-dappled glades and flower-filled dells. But as civilization spread over the ages — with its fierce knights, its chugging trains, its thick smogs — unicorns had to find a new sanctuary.
Where? Jane Yolen finds a magical answer in the traditional unicorn myth. Her rhythmic, rhymed text is irresistible to read aloud. And Ruth Sanderson's brilliant artwork gives unicorns a bold reality in everything from ancient  cave paintings to their secret, present-day home. After reading this tribute to the mystical, mysterious unicorn, children will enjoy looking for these elusive creatures in the world around them.
 Where Have the Unicorns Gone?
Most people are struck by the idea of the unicorn: its imagery, its meaning and its origins. Unfortunately in present times the striking and semi-dangerous idea of a horned, goat-legged, lion-tailed creature has been reduced to a sugary-sweet horsey (usually portrayed in various shades of pink or purple).
Jane Yolen and Ruth Sanderson attempt to answer the question of Where Have The Unicorns Gone? The most popular story of where these creatures went to is found within the children's song, which tells how the unicorns were too proud to enter Noah's Ark and subsequently died. Legend tells that they went on to become the horned narwhal of the Arctic Seas.
Yolen and Sanderson keep the motif of the sea, but bring in a more contemporary theme of pollution and environmental destruction. For this reason, the unicorns travel to the ocean and merge with the water.
It is a simple, but evocative story set in rhyme and illustrated by the wonderful Sanderson, who beautifully melds the figures of the unicorns with the facets of water: waves, foam, spray, and droplets. Though she does not quite portray the quintessential unicorn, this is a wonderful book: dreamy, poetic, and bittersweet. —Rebecca Fisher
Boots and the Seven Leaguers — (2000) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Gog is just your average teenager. Sure, he's a troll, but he's got typical teen problems: an irritating little brother, a best friend who's nothing but trouble, and no tickets to his favorite band's sold-out concert.
There just might be a way to get into that concert, though.
Magic. Now that's a sure way to get into trouble...
Sherwood — (2000) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Welcome to Sherwood Forest, where legends loom large among the ancient trees, and stories of Robin Hood and his band of merry men abound. The renowned hero of the people is alive in the heart of the forest and in the minds of eight of today's most respected fantasy authors who weave  enchanting new stories about Robin Hood, past and present. These tales promise to charm and delight Robin Hood fans young and old. Edited by Jane Yolen. With stories by Maxine Trottier, Anna Kirwan, Nancy Springer, Timons Esaias, Robert J. Harris, Mary Frances Zambreno, and Adam Stemple.
Sherwood
Sherwood is a collection of eight short stories all based around the legends of Robin Hood. Edited by long-time Hood aficionado Jane Yolen, most of the stories centre on original or minor characters that are in some way related to Robin and his Merry Men. Judging by the "About the Authors" segment at the back of the book, all the contributors have had previous writing experience in both the fantasy and the medievalist period, with works such as Nancy Springer’s I Am Mordred, Yolen’s The Young Merlin Trilogy and Mary Frances Zambreno’s A Plague of Sorcerers to their name. As such, each one certainly seems qualified to add to the ever-growing mass of Robin Hood-related stories, and the result is an attractive, interesting, varied collection of tales.
Jane Yolen herself explores Robin's mysterious birth in "Our Lady of the Greenwood" (a mystical account that wouldn't have been out of place in the 1980s "Robin of Sherwood") whilst Maxine Trottier provides a lovely account of Marian and Robin's first meeting, interestingly portraying Marian as the forest-loving runaway, as well as several bittersweet passages that are written with the future knowledge of this couple's legacy. In a similar vein, Anna Kirwan explodes Robin and Marian in their adolescence, just on the verge of courtship in "Under the Bending Yew," adding some extra color by using Old English dialogue.
Nancy Springer's "Know Your True Enemy" involves a young boy named Rafe in the service of Robin who is forced to care for the Sheriff's son when he gets captured by outlaws in Sherwood Forest, though the quality slips a little in "The Children's War" by Timons Esaias, a story that also involves a boy living amongst the outlaws, who invents a new weapon with a pie-cart and crossbows and then... leaves with his family. It feels like the first part of a much larger story.
But things pick up again in "Straight and True" by Robert Harris, an amusing anecdote told from Friar Tuck's point of view, in which Robin manages to outwit a rival band of thieves in the forest, as well as Mary Frances Zambreno's "At Fountain Abbey," in which Robin's grandson escapes from his dastardly uncle, discovers his heritage in a woodland abbey, and learns that the blood of his grandfather certainly runs through his veins. This and Trottier’s "Marian" are probably the best stories here.
Finally, Adam Stemple does something completely different in "Robin Hood v. 1.5.3" in which a contemporary Sheriff and Guy of Gisborne (Guy Gibson) try to understand and then defeat a rampant computer virus that's meddling with the world's banking system, distributing the contents of the wealthiest people's bank accounts to charities and welfare organizations. It's a humorous look at how a modern-day Robin Hood might act, and how the authorities might attempt to stop him.
Between each story are quotes from the old Robin Hood ballads that shed light on the themes and inspiration of each tale, as well as attractive pictures by Dennis Nolan which are mainly portraits of the main characters. All in all, this is a pleasant, diverting anthology that will go down well with fans of Robin Hood folklore. —Rebecca Fisher
Except the Queen —(2009) With Midori Snyder. Publisher: From award winning authors Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder comes a tale of two worlds — and one destiny...
Sisters Serena and Meteora were once proud members of the high court of the Fairy Queen- until they played a prank that angered her highness. Separated and banished to the mortal realm of Earth, they must find a way to survive in a strange world in which they have no power. But there is more to their new home than they first suspect...A sympathetic Meteora bonds with a troubled young girl with an ornate tattoo on her neck. Meteora recognizes it as a magic symbol that will surely bring danger down on them all. Serena, meanwhile, takes in a tortured homeless boy whose mind is plagued by dark visions. The signs point to a rising power that threatens to tear  asunder both fairy and human worlds.
And the sisters realize that perhaps the queen cast them fromtheir homes not out of anger or spite- but because they were the only ones who could do what must be done...
 Except the Queen
In Except the Queen, two faerie sisters, Serana and Meteora, accidentally learn a scandalous secret about the faerie queen and let it slip. For their transgression, the two women are separated and banished to mortal Earth to live among humans. They are completely adrift in this new world, and if that weren’t bad enough, their new human bodies are old and overweight.
I think Except the Queen is meant — at least in part — as an exploration of aging. Most of us don’t get magically zapped into older bodies overnight, true. But I think most of us feel sometimes like our aging bodies, with their aches, pains, and gray hairs, aren’t really our “true” bodies. We still feel like the same person we were at 16, 18, 20, so who is this stranger in the mirror with the crow’s feet? And I think we all feel disconnected, sometimes, from the new generation of young people: their slang, their fashions, etc.
Unfortunately, in Except the Queen, this alienation sometimes seems to tip over the line into “Kids These Days”/”Get Off My Lawn.” Kids these days use the F-word and the S-word. Kids these days party too much. Kids these days get tattoos! I’m not sure, at 32, whether I’m supposed to side with the older women against the young hooligans or whether I’m supposed to feel like a hooligan myself.
I’m also disappointed that the Latino character’s Spanish is wrong. I don’t mean slang. I mean using ustedes to refer to a singular person, that kind of thing. It’s strange, because this would have been pretty easy to research and get right.
Most problematically, the plot just doesn’t have a lot of forward momentum, at least for me. The prose is beautifully crafted, but the story is not keeping me turning pages.
This is really a “DNF-for-now” rather than a “DNF-forever.” I’ve greatly admired both Jane Yolen’s and Midori Snyder’s work in the past, and on the strength of that work and of the lovely writing in Except the Queen, I think I’ll probably give it another shot someday. Maybe the second time will be the charm.
—Kelly Lasiter
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