Only two books completed in March. I’m still plodding away at the books that were not completed at the end of February. I might have started something new, but if so I can’t recall.
1. 
Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones
This is a great juvenile science fiction novel. Sirius, the dog star, has been exiled to Earth. Time is running out for him to figure out who framed him. The trick is… he’s a dog. How can he accomplish what he needs to do when he is so limited and powerless? An interesting twist on the idea of incarnation, a celestial being who takes on flesh with all its limitations.
2. 
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
A fun adventure in the spirit of The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland meets Tam Lin. Seriously, who could resist a book with such a delightful title? Not me. September finds herself beguiled by the Green Wind and leaves her dull dishwashing to go adventuring. Unlike Dorothy or Alice, she departs not by accident but on a whim, seeking adventure. When she arrives in Fairy Land she takes on a quest not because she must but because it seems like an interesting thing to do. (This story would seem to be a direct answer to Vanessa Veselka’s complaint about the lack of females who set out on a quest just for the fun of seeing what lies beyond the front gate.) An interesting cast of characters, a narrator who is interested in meta-narrative. I rather lost my heart to the spunky September. This might be a fun read aloud for older kids. However, the story is rather gritty. I think this is a bit too mature for Bella for a while yet.
I see there are two sequels. I’m looking forward to reading them.
