Storyteller

“Once upon a time,” begins the narrator of this richly imagined novel. But what follows is no ordinary fantasy full of dragons, elves, and wicked stepmothers. Yes, the tale involves a boy named Jack. But he’s not the one who climbed a beanstalk or slew seven giants with one blow. This Jack is a storyteller, a seventeen-year-old farm boy who sets off to seek his fortune in the royal city of Sundar.

Jack has many adventures and narrow escapes on his journey. He also meets an assortment of memorable characters—including a talking bird, a one-eyed robber, a mysterious illusionist, and a melancholy princess. Each has a tale to tell, and these accounts, along with Jack’s own stories and the framing narrative, are woven into a complex, dazzling tapestry that will capture the reader’s imagination. Through them, Edward Myers explores the power—for good and for evil—of the stories we all tell.

“Once upon a time,” begins the narrator of this richly imagined novel. But what follows is no ordinary fantasy full of dragons, elves, and wicked stepmothers. Yes, the tale involves a boy named Jack. But he’s not the one who climbed a beanstalk or slew seven giants with one blow. This Jack is a storyteller, a seventeen-year-old farm boy who sets off to seek his fortune in the royal city of Sundar.
Jack has many adventures and narrow escapes on his journey. He also meets an assortment of memorable characters—including a talking bird, a one-eyed robber, a mysterious illusionist, and a melancholy princess. Each has a tale to tell, and these accounts, along with Jack’s own stories and the framing narrative, are woven into a complex, dazzling tapestry that will capture the reader’s imagination. Through them, Edward Myers explores the power—for good and for evil—of the stories we all tell.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8

Jack, 17, is a storyteller who leaves his village to seek his fortune in the Royal City. He is appointed Royal Storyteller, charged with lifting the spirits of King Alphonse, who is grieving his wife's death. Jack makes an enemy of the young and bratty Prince Yoss, but falls in love with beautiful but melancholy Princess Stelinda, who tends to talk in rhyming couplets. When the cruel prince takes the throne, Jack is forced to travel the kingdom, spinning stories that make the new king look good. He faces several trials, including imprisonment and near beheading. The book's messages are clear: stories are powerful for good or evil, and we must each live our own to the fullest. There are stories within stories here, and a framing narrative. Characters are colorful and memorable: Loquasto, the talking midnight mynah who is Jack's companion and who loves a talking fish; the illusionist Zephyrio; the Robin Hood-like Garth Golden-Eye; and Celestina, the Woman of the Woods and rightful heir to the throne. At the conclusion, readers will be pleased to find that Jack is the grandfather in the framing narrative, having lived as happily ever after as he had hoped and now bidding his grandson, the listener of this tale, to be off, as the world awaits him. No dragons, elves, or evil stepmothers here, but this narrative will be enjoyed by those who like traditional fairy tales in which good triumphs over evil and the simple boy scores the beautiful princess.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME

Edward Myers is the author of 20 books for adults and 12 for children, including Storyteller, published by Clarion Books in July 2008, and two middle-grade adventure novels, Climb or Die and Hostage, published by Hyperion. He lives with his wife and two children near New York City.