Praise for Those Dreadful Fairy Books

A Dreadful Fairy Book: Winner of the 2019 Eric Hoffer Award for Best Middle Reader Book of the Year and the First Horizon Award for Debut Books

Yet Another Dreadful Fairy Book: Honorable Mention, 2021 Tofte/Wright Children’s Literary Award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers

“With an exasperated narrator who would much prefer a story whose fairies and plots behave the way they ought and with characters that not only question, but outright shatter the status quo to embrace difference, Etter offers readers a rich world of complexity and moral ambiguity as Shade navigates loss, betrayal, magic, and friendship in pursuit of the wonders of books and self-love. It’s difficult to give Etter credit for diverse racial representation in a world of multihued nonhuman creatures; nevertheless, this chubby brown protagonist full of flaws and wit and heart is quite welcome. For bibliophiles (and bibliothecaphiles) and all those who step expectantly into mushroom rings.”—Kirkus Reviews

“This isn’t just any fairy book: it’s dreadful. Shade is a brilliant heroine whose opinionated, spunky, and compassionate nature leads her into several fairy squabbles. Etter challenges the typical idea of fairies through humorous and dreadful twists. A charming read with a quirky narrator, a brazen heroine, and eccentric characters.”—Elizabeth Konkel, Booklist

“This book turns familiar (and less familiar) fairy-tale tropes upside down and inside out. With an even pace and varied cast of characters, the work will appeal to fantasy readers and fans of world-building. VERDICT: A charming addition to middle grade shelves.” —Jamie Jensen, School Library Journal

“Shade is a fierce, lovably flawed protagonist who knows her own mind and sets off on a quest for books: a fairy after my own heart!”—Josephine Cameron, author of Maybe a Mermaid and Dog-Friendly Town

“This is a rollicking romp with themes of friendship, forgiveness, and the value of books. It calls itself ‘A Fairytale for Readers of All Ages’ and I’d feel comfortable giving it to my 10-year-old or my 13-year-old and I quite enjoyed it at age 45. It’s truly a boisterous, entertaining fantasy and the characters are delightfully deplorable—heavy on the delightful.”—Lara Lillibridge, author of Girlish and Mama, Mama, Only Mama, parenting writer, essayist, and book reviewer.

“A Dreadful Fairy Book is anything but dreadful. In fact, it is an unexpectedly funny ode to books and the knowledge that they bring. Squashing fairytale stereotypes, author Jon Etter has layered wise themes within this raucously wicked fairytale. He unveils our great need to belong and to not only surround ourselves with people that accept us as we are, but to widen our friendship circle and expose ourselves to a more diverse group of people and experiences. Everything down to the design, layout, type font, and sprinkling of illustrations is on point.”—Bianca Schulze, Children’s Book Review

“Jon Etter’s A Dreadful Fairy Book is a snarktastic and fun fairytale adventure! It’s bubbling over with cheeky humor, twisted fantastical elements, and little characters with BIG personalities. I had so much fun joining Shade on her fantastically quirky adventure, belly laughed with each of Quentin’s funny observations and interjections, and loved Etter’s homage to and celebration of beloved books and reading. A Dreadful Fairy Book is sure to entertain, amuse, and enchant young readers!”—Word Spelunking

“Carefully crafted literary genius.”—Carey Hurst, Tales of a Wanna-Be Superhero Mom

“If you’re not a fan of weird worlds, colorful characters, and awesome adventures, put A Dreadful Fairy Book down right now. Also, you should go and get checked out. Seriously.”—Justin Shady, author of Missing the Boat, The Lava is a Floor, and the Black List and Hit List featured screenplay Saving Charlie Chaplin.

“Jon Etter brings a down-to-earth humanity and wry wit to his writing, giving even his most fantastic tales heart and laughs.” —Hy Bender, author of The Sandman Companion and contributing humor writer for The New York Times, Mad Magazine, Spy, and American Film.

“I love Shade, and how the story disrupts gender stereotypes, identities, ideologies and familiar storylines. I look forward to placing this story in the hands of a child.”––Anne Kissinger, head children’s librarian at Wauwatosa Public Library

“[A Dreadful Fairy Book] is probably my favorite book.” ––Paul Bender, reader of discriminating taste, age 9

AVAILABLE IN STORES, ONLINE, AND (MOST IMPORTANTLY) IN LIBRARIES: All three books of Jon’s  all-ages comedy/fantasy series, Those Dreadful Fairy Books!  Follow the adventures of sharp-tongued sprite Shade, card-sharping brownie Rigoletto Ginch, and kleptomaniacal pixie The Professor, as told by reluctant narrator Quentin Q. Quacksworth.