Vassa in the Night

by Sarah Porter Narrated by Madeleine Maby

Overview

"A dark, thoroughly modern fairy tale crackling with wit and magical mayhem." -Leigh Bardugo, New York Times bestselling author of the Grisha Trilogy In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they've arrived. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now-but not Vassa's working-class neighborhood. In Vassa's neighborhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling out again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters-and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa's stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission. But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg's help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch's curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Babs won't be playing fair.... Inspired by the Russian folktale "Vassilissa the Beautiful" and Sarah Porter's years of experience teaching creative writing to New York City students, Vassa in the Night weaves a dark yet hopeful tale about a young girl's search for home, love, and belonging.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

07/25/2016
Porter (the Lost Voices trilogy) delivers a suspenseful reinvention of the Russian fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful,” set in a darkly magical version of present-day Brooklyn. “Traps don’t get more obvious than this,” reflects protagonist Vassa at one point. “And they don’t get more irresistible.” The wryness and impulsivity in Vassa’s comment are emblematic of her personality, and it’s that very mix of qualities that drives her to make a fateful stop at the infamous local bodega, BY’s, which sways on chicken legs and advertises its right to behead shoplifters (the head of one of Vassa’s classmates hangs outside, as proof). Accusing Vassa of stealing, the proprietress, Babs, forces her to work in indentured servitude for three nights, during which time Vassa discovers that Babs’s magic may be connected to the growing imbalance between day and night affecting the city. With help from her talking wooden doll, Erg, Vassa endeavors to bring down the witch. It may take a little effort for some readers to ground themselves in the near-hallucinatory strangeness of Porter’s setting, but those who do will be rewarded with a feverishly imagined and deliciously surreal adventure. Ages 13–up. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

With a deft hand, lovely prose, and an eye for details, Porter reworks the Russian story of Vassilissa the Beautiful, setting it in an industrial Brooklyn where magic seeps into the mundane.... the end result is an ethereal, almost dreamlike fairy tale that generates a magic all its own." —Booklist, starred review

"In this urban-fantasy take on the Russian folk tale 'Vassilissa the Beautiful,' Porter weaves folk motifs into a beautiful and gripping narrative filled with magic, hope, loss, and triumph." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“[E]lements of traditional horror blend well with high-concept fantasy in this surprising and engaging tale.... A must-have for YA urban fantasy collections."—School Library Journal, starred review

School Library Journal

★ 08/01/2016
Gr 9 Up—Sixteen-year-old Vassa Lisa Lowenstein's mother is dead, and her father is gone. She has a stepmother and two stepsisters. It's an odd living arrangement but no more peculiar than a lot of things in her working-class Brooklyn neighborhood. The nights have been especially strange, growing longer and longer. When her stepsister sends Vassa out in the middle of the night for lightbulbs, the only store that's still open is the local BY's. Everyone knows about BY's, and its owner Babs Yagg, but people do tend to remember a store that dances around on chicken legs and has a habit of decapitating shoplifters. When things don't go as planned in BY's, it will take all of Vassa's wits and her enchanted wooden doll Erg's cunning to escape the store alive and maybe even break whatever curse has been placed on Brooklyn's nights. This stand-alone urban fantasy is inspired by the Russian fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful." Although Vassa is described as incredibly pale, the rest of the book is populated with characters who are realistically diverse for its urban location. Evocative settings and imagery help bring this bizarre corner of Brooklyn to life. Vassa is a cynical, no-nonsense character who is quick to make jokes and take risks with the delightfully sharp-tongued Erg at her side. A deliberate lack of romantic tension makes this a refreshing read, and elements of traditional horror blend well with high-concept fantasy in this surprising and engaging tale. VERDICT A must-have for YA urban fantasy collections.—Emma Carbone, Brooklyn Public Library

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2016-06-22
Brooklyn is an enchanted kingdom where most aspire to arrive—most of it, that is, the exception being Vassa's working-class neighborhood, where the white teen lives with her stepmother and stepsisters, struggling with the feeling that she does not belong. In Vassa's neighborhood, magic is to be avoided, and the nights have mysteriously started lengthening. Baba Yaga owns a local convenience store known for its practice of beheading shoplifting customers, but it seems that even the innocent are susceptible to this fate. One night, after an argument with a stepsister, Vassa goes out on an errand to Baba Yaga's store—one she knows may be her last. With her magic wooden doll, Erg, a gift from her dead mother, Vassa is equipped with some luck that she will very much need. Erg is clever and brazen, possessing both an insatiable appetite and a proclivity to swipe the property of others. But will Erg's magic be enough to help free Vassa from Baba Yaga's clutches and possibly her entire Brooklyn neighborhood from the ever increasing darkness? Vassa's narration is smart and sassy but capable of wonder, however familiar she's become with Brooklyn's magic. In this urban-fantasy take on the Russian folk tale "Vassilissa the Beautiful," Porter weaves folk motifs into a beautiful and gripping narrative filled with magic, hope, loss, and triumph. An enthralling, magic-tinged read about home, family, love, and belonging. (Urban fantasy. 14 & up)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171140809
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	11/11/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

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