Waiting on Wednesday (50) | Egg and Spoon

Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire

A fantasy set in Tsarist Russia.

Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father has been dead for years. One of her brothers has been conscripted into the Tsar’s army, the other taken as a servant in the house of the local landowner. Her mother is dying, slowly, in their tiny cabin. And there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in Saint Petersburg — a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena’s age. When the two girls’ lives collide, an adventure is set in motion, an escapade that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and — in a starring role only Gregory Maguire could have conjured — Baba Yaga, witch of Russian folklore, in her ambulatory house perched on chicken legs.

Just look at that first line: “A fantasy set in Tsarist Russia.” STOP. IT. You only need to say “fantasy” and “Tsarist Russia” for me to be ALL IN. Those are two of my favorite things together in one book. Never mind that the author of this gem of a mash-up is written by Gregory Maguire, the author of WICKED and so many other amazing retellings. Also, BABA YAGA?! I can’t. I can’t wait for EGG AND SPOON.

EGG AND SPOON comes out September 9, 2014 from Candlewick