Vogelein, Volume 1: Clockwork Faerie

When Jakob, Vogelein's Guardian of fifty years, dies quietly in his sleep one night, her life is thrown into utter turmoil. Left without someone to wind her, the tiny clockwork faerie has less than five hours to live unless she can find someone to trust. Unable to reach the keyhole in her back, she continues to wind down until she stops and then her memories of the past three hundred years will quickly slip away, leaving her as a simple automaton unable to speak or move on her own.

In her search for a new Guardian, Vogelein must grapple with her own past, her current daily survival and a true Faerie who has taken an instant disliking to her all so she will not lose her memories and her self.

Booklist

Gr. 5-up. Clockwork Faerie collects the first five issues of Vogelein into a wonderfully creative graphic novel about Vogelein, a beautiful mechanical fairy created in the seventeenth century. Although she is immortal, she must be wound every 36 hours. After her old friend and caretaker dies, she must find someone new to take care of her. Her search introduces her to a sheltered college student, a wise street cleaner, and the bitter fairy Midhir, who has been transformed by the industrial world of Man. Through these relationships and her cherished memories, Vogelein discovers her own humanity in a modern world that often ignores the possibility of magic. This modern fable is a rare treasure that weaves fanciful imagination into themes of individuality, diversity, and independence. The art is beautifully shaded black and white, and it carries the narrative impeccably, bringing across both the emotions of the characters and the depth of their world. Great for middle readers who like graphic novels or for younger children to share with an adult.
Tina Coleman, Copyright c American Library Association. All rights reserved