The Word Dancer by Maxine Rose Schur

“It feels so much like a fairytale; with the way it’s written, the fast pace of the story, the bite-sized chapters, the witty dialogue, and the almost parable-style of presenting greater themes, it just felt so familiar and cozy.”

Review by Rayleigh Setser

When traitors take over the kingdom of Wisland, Wynnfrith, a young orphan raised at court, must flee with Oliver, the five-year-old crown prince. In order to reach safety, the two children must embark on a treacherous journey that pits them against the cruel Ugsome family. Though she is afraid, Wynnfrith is determined to keep Prince Oliver safe.

Aided by Mistress Plummety Peache, a feisty enchantress with a loving heart, and by the magical and mysterious Word Dancer, Winnfryth must learn to use not just her head, but also her heart to ignite the full power of words.

If Wynnfrith can find within herself the way to unleash this magic, she might just be able to defeat the enemies of Wisland—and realize the true bravery within her.

"'One word,' thought Wynnfrith, 'cannot ever really describe a person. One word is never enough.'"

The Word Dancer is a darling of a book! I didn't expect to be swept away by a middle grade book as quickly as I was, yet once I sat down to start it, I had no choice but to read the entire story in one sitting! It feels so much like a fairytale; with the way it's written, the fast pace of the story, the bite-sized chapters, the witty dialogue, and the almost parable-style of presenting greater themes, it just felt so familiar and cozy. The writing style instantly transports you into their world.

Wynnfrith reminded me of Wendy, from Peter Pan, in how she spoke with fantastic patience to young Prince Oliver (very similarly to Wendy talking to the Lost Boys). I loved the way the characters spoke to each other in that fairytale style of dialogue. And on the note of dialogue, I was in stitches at some of the comments. Mistress Peache... you have to meet her! She's a top tier character.

The theme of how powerful words are was stunningly entwined throughout the story. There were so many instances where a scene or a conversation would have made a great lesson companion for kids; and I think that parable style of storytelling is why the messages worked so well with this story. Teachers, you need to this one!

"'A word has not the power to fright,' he said, 'for it only has the power you give it. Little Lass, let your fearsome words fall as dry leaves.'"

My one caution towards this book is that there is a lot of name-calling between the "good guys" and "bad guys". There's nothing that I flagged as inappropriate. Most of the name-calling is pretty hysterical and primarily made-up words and phrases; however, if you've got a youngster who has a name-calling habit that you're trying to break, be aware that this one has a doozy of fun phrases that might be repeated (seriously, I want to start using some of these and I'm a mature adult).

And I can't close this review without a nod to the wisest king there ever was. Below, my favorite quote from The Word Dancer:

"You see, a prison was never needed nor ever used when King Goodliwink reigned. Instead, he used his little dungeon to store his overflow of books."

Content Ratings:

3. Very mild action.

2. Romance with mild content (holding hands and mild kissing).

0. None.

Other Trigger/Content Notices:

Some mention of grossness (snot, pimples, spit, etc) from the villains. Some mention of spooks and nightmares, not graphic. Some mention of loss of parents. No cursing. Only romance is in a scene where Wynnfrith thinks a boy likes her and she feels important; there is also a scene in which two characters (not the kids) kiss briefly.

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