Vassa in the Night - Hardcover

Porter, Sarah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765380544 ISBN 13: 9780765380548

Publisher: Tor Teen, 2016

Synopsis

In Vassa's neighbourhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling out again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa's stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission. 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 a ferocious cunning. With Erg's help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch's curse and free her Brooklyn neighbourhood. But Babs won't be playing fair. Inspired by the Russian folktale "Vassilissa the Beautiful" and Sarah Porter's years of experience teaching creative writing to New York City students, Vassa in the Night weaves a dark yet hopeful tale about a young girl's search for home, love, and belonging.

About this title

Review:

"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

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Tor Teen
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0765380544
• ISBN 13: 9780765380548
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304