Troll Bridge: A Rock'n' Roll Fairy Tale

When I bought this book, I wasn't sure if I was buying it for my 14-yr-old or my 10-yr-old. The question was answered for me: my 14-yr-old saw it and grabbed it first. She plays both fiddle and classical violin, and wants to start a "progressive metal" band, plus she loves fantasy fiction, so this book was a perfect fit. It was a quick read for her, but she loved it. The pages had barely settled the counter after she set it down before my 10-yr-old snatched it up. She read it in a day and wanted to know if there were more. With two such hearty recommendations, how could I resist? I sat down and read it myself. Yes, it was written toward the 9-12 crowd, but that didn't keep me from enjoying it. We definitely got our money's worth out of this one.

Moira is a classical harpist who plays with the Minnesota symphony. For publicity purposes she has sought and won a spot as a state fair Dairy Princess. Along with the other 11 girls of the "court," she attends community events and has had her likeness carved in butter. Traditionally, every year, the butter sculptures of the Dairy Princesses are placed on Troll Bridge. In time they melt or "disappear." This year, though, environmental concerns have nixed leaving the butter offering on the bridge. As Moira and the other princesses prepare for a photoshoot at Troll Bridge, they are caught up by a giant troll, who spirits them away to Trollholm. Meanwhile, four brothers who make up a popular boy band called The Griffsons are taking a vacation before their next concert tour. By chance the brothers end up at Troll Bridge too and are also carried away. In Trollholm, Moira alone has evaded the enchanted sleep that has bewitched the other eleven princesses. As she casts about to escape the fate of becoming a troll bride, she meets a mysterious and vaguely sinister fox named Foss who seems willing to help her. Jakob Griffson awakens in Trollholm only to discover that he and his brothers are soon going to be troll food. Moira and Jakob must work together to rescue all of them from the clutches of Aenmarr the troll and Trollhom itself. I liked the mixture of traditional folk tales and a teen's world. In this story they have called on The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Twelve Dancing Princesses as source material. Foss the fox is taken from the Scandinavian trickster Fossegrim but also reminded me of kitsunes in Japanese folklore. Musical imagery and elements run throughout the story. The beginning page of each chapter is decorated by a faint treble clef and the sections of the chapter are indicated by a fermata. A collection "Songs from Troll Bridge" completes the book. The lyrics are provided but would be fun to hear the songs. Stemple is a professional musician. Maybe he could make audio versions available on his website. This is the second "rock 'n'roll" fairy tale Stemple has written with his mother, folklorist, Jane Yolen.