Walker Books

 

Imprint: WALKER PAPERBACK

 

• ISBN: 9781406363104
• Published: 05 May 2016
• Price: $14.99

 

Fractured fairytales are a popular writing task in many schools. In the past week the secondary girls in my ‘home’ school are writing them and in one of the local primaries in which I did a supply day the Year 2s are doing likewise.

Every now and then a new spin on fairytales comes along which completely floats your boat.

 

Alfie Onion fits the bill perfectly.  The story starts with Aggie Lumpett, daughter of a road sweeper, who dreams of greater things. Specifically, she dreams of marrying a prince and rising to giddy heights of wealth and luxury. Eventually aged 16 she gives up and eventually marries a pig farmer Garf Onion, because he was the seventh son of a seventh son and everybody knows that’s got to be a winner. All the more so because Aggie and Garf have seven sons of their own and Aggie just knows that Magnifico will be their saviour. The inconvenience of No# 8 Alfie coming along was not going to interfere with Aggie’s plans.

 

The time comes for Magnifico, a lazy and cowardly dolt, to begin his quest at last and Alfie, who has spent his life sleeping in the barn and being overlooked by everyone (except his biggest brother Yurt) is delegated to be his servant on the grand adventure.

 

As you might predict the unravelling of adventures with Magnifico, the scuttling sneak, and Alfie, who proves to be both resourceful and clever are full of humour and grand deeds as well as a few hilarious talking animals, some funky trolls and nasty ogres and a mysterious sleeping princess.

 

This is great fun and will be a popular read aloud and a worthy addition to both your Fractured Fairytales unit and your library.