Boots and the Glass Mountain [Hardcover]

Claire Martin (Author), Gennady Spirin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up

Boots saves his father's fields from the ravages of the trolls' wild stallions, and with their help, he rides up the glass mountain and wins the princess's hand.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stately prose and majestic artwork grace the pages of this Norwegian fairy tale, which may be read as a male Cinderella story. Forced by his brothers to guard the crops on Midsummer's Night (when the trolls descend), Boots discovers and tames dazzling steeds bedecked--in successive years--in copper, silver and gold. The king, meanwhile, is tricked by an evil troll into establishing a competition for his daughter's hand. All suitors fail except for a mysterious horseman who appears on a copper-, then a silver- and finally a gold-saddled steed. In true fairy-tale fashion and splendor Boots is revealed as the horseman and transformed from farm boy into prince. Martin's ( The Race of the Golden Apples ) measured narration, well suited to read-aloud enjoyment, is tinged with romance, mystery and drama. Spirin's elegant paintings (each bordered by a gold frame and flecked with gold throughout) bring the story's disparate elements to life in glorious detail. With his typically lush approach to settings and apparel, the artist portrays the heraldic colors of royal pageantry, the muscular prowess of wild steeds and the gruesomeness of hairy trolls. A stunning display of artistry. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-- The tradition of the romantic fairy tale is richly upheld in this version of a Norwegian story from the classic 3 collection by Asbjornsen and Moe. Martin modernizes and shortens the story, changing Cinderlad to a boy named Boots, and adding a troll king to explain the origin of the glass mountain, but the plot and the flow of language are close to the original. Braver than his boastful older brothers, young Boots three times withstands the magic powers of the trolls and three times wins a fine steed. When the hand of the king's daughter is offered to any knight who can ride to the top of the glass mountain, Boots succeeds while the others fail, and is rewarded by the princess with three golden apples. In a pleasant reversal of the Cinderella story, the kingdom is searched for the apples, and ragged Boots is recognized as the golden knight. Spirin's elaborate illustrations, like medieval tapestries, sparkle with jewellike colors and are arranged within bordered pages decorated in the style of illuminated manuscripts. They perfectly suit the medieval costumes and antique theme of the story in which a princess, prettily perched on her glass mountain, waits to be carried off by a handsome knight. --Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (June 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803711107
• ISBN-13: 978-0803711105
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,445,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cinderella Story for Boys, March 28, 2004

By 

Aum Nicol (Grande Prairie, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boots and the Glass Mountain (Hardcover)

Boots and the Glass Mountain has the classic Cinderella plot but with a masculine twist. Horses, trolls, step-brothers and a glass mountain engage the reader beyond Cinderella and into a wonderful adventure story.

5.0 out of 5 stars My Kids LOVE This Book, September 1, 2011

By 

Fairy Godmother's Bookshelf (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boots and the Glass Mountain (Hardcover)

My two sons love this book; I'm so disappointed that it's out of print. It's well worth buying a used copy or hunting it down at your local library. With the help of three magical horses, Boots manages to do what no one else can - conquer the Glass Mountain and save the beautiful princess from a forced marriage to the King of the Trolls. The story is wonderful and engaging from start to finish, and the illustrations are stunning and have that classic fairy-tale feel. I highly recommend this book.