Beloved New York Times bestselling author Gregory Maguire twins an origin legend of the famous Nutcracker with the life of Drosselmeier, the toy maker who carves him. Maguire takes us to the realms of the Brothers Grimm and E. T. A. Hoffmann—the enchanted Black Forest of Bavaria and the salons of Munich. Hiddensee imagines the backstory of the Nutcracker, revealing how this entrancing creature came to be carved and how he guided an ailing girl named Klara through a dreamy paradise on a Christmas Eve. At the heart of Hoffmann’s mysterious tale hovers Godfather Drosselmeier—the ominous, canny, one-eyed toy maker who presents the once and future Nutcracker to Klara, his goddaughter. In Hiddensee, Maguire ponders a profound question: How can a person who is abused by life, shortchanged and challenged, nevertheless access secrets that benefit the powerless? Ultimately, Hiddensee offers a message of hope. If the compromised Godfather Drosselmeier can bring an enchanted Nutcracker to a young girl in distress on a dark winter evening, perhaps everyone has something precious to share.
From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings.
I love covering the genre of fairy tales and folktales and this scavenger hunt (escape the classroom) is the perfect way to get them interested in the unit and/or review the basic concepts fairy tales. For this Scavenger Hunt You Will Need: -A few Copies of "Leaping Beauty" by Gregory Maguire -5-11 Lock Boxes (or Shoe Boxes with Holes in them to keep the Locks in Place) -5-11 Locks to Lock the Lock Boxes -About 30 Envelopes This Scavenger Hunt Will Cover: -Comparing Fairytales -Setting -Plot -Characters/Characterization -Vocabulary -Sequencing -Story Elements For this Scavenger Hunt/Escape the Classroom, you will need to have read three different passages as a class from Gregory Maguire's Leaping Beauty. If you have not read this book yet, I highly recommend it! Leaping Beauty is a collection of traditional fairy tales that have been completely reworked settings, morals, and most importantly all animal characters. Also, where many traditional fairy tales revolve around princesses and prince charming, many of the gender roles have been switched changing the plot lines as well and making it more interesting to male readers. These stories are enchanting, captivating and hilarious. After reading these passages, you will have students complete these different clues as part of a scavenger hunt. They will practice different elements of stories and it will also get them introduced to comparing fairytales. As an extension activity, I often compare these stories to their original counterparts or to another twisted fairy tale and have students do a writing activity!
Book Synopsis What happened to young Elphaba before her witchy powers took hold in Wicked? Almost 30 years after the publication of the original novel, for the first time Gregory Maguire reveals the story of prickly young Elphie, the future Wicked Witch of the West--setting the stage for the blockbuster international phenomenon that is Wicked: The Musical.Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, will grow to have a feisty and somewhat uncompromising character in adult life. But she is always a one-off, from her infancy; Elphie is the riveting coming-of-age story of a very peculiar and relatable young girl.Young Elphie is shaped and molded by the behaviors of her promiscuous mother, Melena, and her pious father, Frex. She suffers ordinary childhood jealousies when her sister, saintly Nessarose, and brother, junior felon Shell, arrive. She first encounters the mistreatment of the Animal populations of Oz, which live adjacent to but not intertwined with human settlements, haunted by a Monkey and receiving aid from Dwarf Bears. She thrashes through her first bruising attempts at friendship, a possible lifeline from her tricky family life. And she gleans the benefits of an education, haphazard though it must be--until she arrives at the doors of Shiz University, about to meet the radiant creature that is Galinda.Elphie is destined to be a witch; she bears the markings from childhood--most evidently in her green skin but more obscurely and profoundly in her cunning and perhaps amoral behaviors, as she seeks to make do, to slip by, to sneak out, to endure, and to aspire.
"What are the best Modern Fairy Tale Books and Stories?" We looked at 384 of the top Modern Fairy Tales so we could answer that very question!
A Lion Among Men von Gregory Maguire
Discover great books in the Libby reading app that are being adapted into films and TV on the big (and small) screen this year.
Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire, published by Harper Collins, 2003. This first edition, first printing hardcover copy is in very fine condition. The binding is solid and the pages are intact and clean. The outer boards are clean. The dust jacket is pristine.
I am thrilled to share a recent interview with author Gregory Maguire about Cress Watercress, his writing process, and his favorite children's books.
The TeachingBooks Virtual Book Tour is your opportunity to learn from and build personal connections with extraordinary book creators and their brand-new titles. In this post, award-winning author …
Book Synopsis What happened to young Elphaba before her witchy powers took hold in Wicked? Almost 30 years after the publication of the original novel, for the first time Gregory Maguire reveals the story of prickly young Elphie, the future Wicked Witch of the West--setting the stage for the blockbuster international phenomenon that is Wicked: The Musical.Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, will grow to have a feisty and somewhat uncompromising character in adult life. But she is always a one-off, from her infancy; Elphie is the riveting coming-of-age story of a very peculiar and relatable young girl.Young Elphie is shaped and molded by the behaviors of her promiscuous mother, Melena, and her pious father, Frex. She suffers ordinary childhood jealousies when her sister, saintly Nessarose, and brother, junior felon Shell, arrive. She first encounters the mistreatment of the Animal populations of Oz, which live adjacent to but not intertwined with human settlements, haunted by a Monkey and receiving aid from Dwarf Bears. She thrashes through her first bruising attempts at friendship, a possible lifeline from her tricky family life. And she gleans the benefits of an education, haphazard though it must be--until she arrives at the doors of Shiz University, about to meet the radiant creature that is Galinda.Elphie is destined to be a witch; she bears the markings from childhood--most evidently in her green skin but more obscurely and profoundly in her cunning and perhaps amoral behaviors, as she seeks to make do, to slip by, to sneak out, to endure, and to aspire.
Matchless • Wicked • Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister • Mirror, Mirror • Lost • More ...
Was hat es mit der geheimnisvollen Hexe des Westens auf sich? Von wem stammt sie ab? Wie wurde sie so böse? »Wicked« erzählt die aufregende Vorgeschichte des »Zauberer von Oz«. Elphaba ist als junge Hexe ein ernsthaftes, intelligentes und unglücklicherweise grünhäutiges Mädchen. Ihr Vater ist ein sittenstrenger Prediger, ihre Mutter eine leichtfertige Schönheit. An der Universität studiert sie Biologie und forscht besonders über grundlegende Ähnlichkeiten zwischen Menschen und Tieren. Unterdessen ist aber der Zauberer von Oz dabei, die Rechte der Tiere grausam einzuschränken. Kaum jemand scheint sich daran zu stören – bis auf Elphaba. Die etwas linkische und leuchtend grüne Studentenhexe bereitet radikale Aktionen vor, um den tyrannischen Zauberer von Oz aus dem Amt zu jagen.
