Friday, May 23, 2014

Friday Memes: Storm by Donna Jo Napoli

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Storm by Donna Jo Napoli. 350 p. Paula Wiseman Books/ Simon & Schuster, February, 2014. 9781481403023.

Publisher synopsis: A sixteen-year-old stowaway discovers her destiny on Noah’s ark in this riveting reimagining from award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli, available in time for the March 2014 major motion picture Noah.
The rain starts suddenly, hard and fast. After days of downpour, her family lost, Sebah takes shelter in a tree, eating pine cones and the raw meat of animals that float by. With each passing day, her companion, a boy named Aban, grows weaker. When their tree is struck by lightning, Sebah is tempted just to die in the flames rather than succumb to a slow, watery death. Instead, she and Aban build a raft. What they find on the stormy seas is beyond imagining: a gigantic ark. But Sebah does not know what she’ll find on board, and Aban is too weak to leave their raft.
Themes of family, loss, and ultimately, survival and love make for a timeless story. Donna Jo Napoli has imagined a new protagonist to tell the story of Noah and his ark. As rain batters the earth, Noah, his family, and hordes of animals wait out the storm, ready to carry out their duty of repopulating the earth. Hidden below deck…is Sebah.

First line: Each row has exactly as many pods as my fingers-ten.

Page 56: Queen and The Male don't understand a word I say-I recognized that immediately. I suspect they are smart creatures, but limited. Queen seems interested in everything. But The Male wants only to mate, and to please the Queen.

I enjoy Donna Jo Napoli's storytelling. A while ago, I was on a fairy tale novel tear and discovered her. I really enjoyed Magic Circle, which relates the Hansel and Gretel story from the witch's POV; Breath, which retells the Pied Piper story; Bound, a Cinderella story; Zel, Rapunzel; Beast, Beauty and the Beast set in the Mideast; and Crazy Jack, an interesting riff on Jack and the Beanstalk. There are others to check out as well as two wonderful collections of retold myths - Greek and Egyptian - published by National Geographic. And don't forget the incredible historical fiction.

8 comments:

  1. I don't think I've ever come across any of Napoli's books but I love the idea of all the fairy tale retellings. I'll have to keep an eye out for her.

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  2. I'm going to have to check out her fairytale retellings, which I love. Thank you for sharing.
    My Friday 56

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  3. I love fairy tale recollections! My favorite is Cinderella by far :) Have a wonderful weekend!

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  4. I haven't heard of Donna Jo Napoli but now I feel like I have been missing out. I myself have been on a bit of a fairy tale adaptation discovery myself and since Beauty & the Beast is my favourite, I might have to check out 'Beast'! I wonder how she is going to work Sebah into the Bible story! And which animals is she talking about in the F56? Thanks for introducing this author to me :) I hope you have a great weekend!
    My Friday Memes
    Juli @ Universe in Words

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  5. I'm fascinated! This sounds like a clever twist on the Bible story.
    Here's the link to my Friday post: THE DOCTOR'S INDISCRETION.

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  6. I'm intrigued. Sounds like a different world.

    Happy weekend!

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  7. What a beginning! I would keep reading.....

    Here is my Book Beginning post!!


    What a 56!!

    Here is my Friday 56post!!

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  8. This is one I've never heard of...sounds interesting!

    Check out my Friday 56.

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