Losing the Plot

Basil and Terry may be neighbors and attend the same school, but they have nothing else in common. Terry is into all types of sports, and Basil prefers to spend his time reading books. But when Basil’s father insists he helps Terry get better at reading, what looks like it’ll be a horrible Saturday activity gets turned upside down after Gretel (from Hansel and Gretel) pops out of the book they’re reading and asks for their help in locating Hansel who has gone missing! Basil and Terry join Gretel in her world, which is run by the Fairytale Alliance Network of Character Yunions (FANCY). There, they learn that if Gretel, Hansel, and the rest of the fairy tale characters fail to continuously play out their storylines, they risk causing plot holes that may destroy their entire world. Will Basil and Terry be able to help Gretel locate Hansel without the witch noticing they’re gone? Losing the Plot was such a fun read! Who wouldn't love to fall into the book they're reading and become part of the plot? Byrd does a great job seamlessly weaving a ton of wordplay into the novel, playing on confusion over homophones (for example, leek vs. leak). I also loved that the fairytale characters are unionized (I mean unionized) depending on what type of character they play within their own story, and how that also subtly suggests that people should be allowed to break away from their assumed personalities (based on their looks or interests). While Losing the Plot is a standalone with a satisfying conclusion, a teaser at the end hints that Basil and Terry’s story is not over yet. This is a slim book with short chapters, making it a perfectly sized read for middle-grade kids (and readers of all ages).

Full of charm and wit, Losing the Plot is the story of a bookworm, a jock, and their unexpected quest into the world of Grimms fairy tales to help Gretel find her brother and thwart the mysterious scheme that's threatening to unravel all of the stories. Be prepared to meet Sleeping Beauty, Rumplestiltskin, and other familiar faces.

Basil Beedon is our intrepid narrator - bookish, unhappy to be stuck tutoring his sports-adept neighbor Terry, and full of delightful metaphors. including "I gaped like a gobsmacked goldfish" or things unraveling "like a roll of toilet paper thrown off a cliff." I thoroughly enjoyed his dry observations and his learning to get along with Terry and respect the other boy's strengths. There's also some interesting commentary on what it means to be the hero of a story, and how sometimes characters who do less than nice things are still seen as "good" because the story thinks they should get a happy ending.

Pick this up for a quick jaunt through fairytales turned on their head in a standalone novel (although, it looks like there's a sequel!).