A Fabulous Creature

James, an ordinarily semi-bookish 15-year-old, has been dragged to the Sierras for a summer retreat with the parents. Although disappointed he won't be able to complete his summer Don Juan project under the instruction of his best friend Max- he soon begins to enjoy the Sierras very much due to some remarkable discoveries: 1) A magnificent, majestic buck he happens upon out hiking due to a reawakening of his "Daniel Boone" phase. 2) In the nearby Camp, a retreat for the rich- a vivacious female specimen, Diane- who actually might be interested in James- if her family ever stopped talking about hunting. 3) A trio of kooky kids, led in their magic games by the spacey/moody 13-yr-old Griffin Donahue, who'll talk your ear off about ceremonial rites but absolutely silent about her infamously rich and beautiful mother. So which is the title "fabulous creature"? Read to find out! I first read this novel when I was 11, and I've loved it ever since. It's especially remarkable how Snyder is able to set up the characters and their viewpoints in a very believable manner. You are with James every step of the way- how he falls for Diane's aggressive aliveness and is drawn in by Griffin's (and gang) belief in the magical; how he thinks he's so clever - and is (funny barbs) and not (easily awkward and manipulated). Definitely deserves to go back into print! But don't take my word for it: from the New York Times review: "It's a good book - not only because it pits the plastic people against the wilderness people and mixes the mythic and real, but because Snyder is true to her own story. She herself does not succumb to the expediencies of plasticity and artifice. In a richly symbolic texture, her settings of camp and wilderness become powerful protagonists. " [...]

"A Fabulous Creature", is a novel that will get you from the first page. It tells the story of a teenage boy struggling with his first real romance and also with the fact that his family is worlds apart from that of his girlfriend's. Containing amusing characters, a plotline that inspires reflection, and an accurate portrayal of teenage emotion, this book ties all these delectible ingredients together in a dramatic ending that left me going back to reread my favorite parts just for one last taste. This book is ideal for a more advanced junior high reader or someone in the first years of high school, but people of any age will enjoy it.

"A shepherd boy braves the evil magic of a wizard's maze to save his pet lamb." says our library catalog. This is really a fairy tale-type story, and really good.