Pay the Piper: A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale [Hardcover]

Adam Stemple (Author), Jane Yolen (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

A rock 'n' roll band to die for? Callie is about to find out.... Not much happens in fourteen-year-old Callie McCallan's sleepy Massachusetts town. So when the famous rock 'n' roll band, Brass Rat, schedules a concert in the Valley, it's big news. As a reporter for her school paper, Callie scores the scoop of a lifetime--a backstage pass to interview the lead singer of Brass Rat! Her friends are so jealous. But Callie isn't sure what the fuss is all about...until she meets the band. Lead singer Peter Gringras and his band mates are so cool. Especially Peter. When he plays his flute, it's as if he has some kind of hypnotic power. But there is something strange about the band, something Callie can't quite put her finger on. Maybe she's just being weird, but it's as if they're from here--but not from here--at the same time.

It's when, on Halloween night, Callie's little brother Nicky disappears--along with all the other children of Northampton--that she begins to wonder if her suspicions are so weird after all. It's crazy, but Callie thinks she knows why the children have disappeared--and who took them. To prove it--and to rescue Nicky and the other children--Callie will be forced down a road that will lead to her to a mythical world filled with fantastical creatures. A world from which there may be no return....

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8–In this new twist on The Pied Piper of Hamelin, a banished prince of Faerie has formed a folk rock band to earn the gold and silver he needs to buy off a curse he incurred by murdering his brother. When a promoter stiffs him, Prince Gringras turns to his third option for payment: leading children into Faerie, where their human souls can power the land of the Ever Fair. Although he succeeded in Hamelin and in other lesser-known locales, Gringras gets more than he can handle when he lures a group of trick-or-treaters that includes a high school reporter's little brother. Motivated first by the prospect of a great story, and later by fear for her brother, Callie follows Gringras into Faerie and undoes the curse that compels him to steal children away. The modern pacing and idiom of the scenes featuring Callie's goofy, upbeat family and friends make for a jarring contrast with the formal language used for the dark thoughts and actions of the exiled prince, and lengthy descriptions of Gringras's rock and reel band run the risk of alienating teens whose musical tastes favor other genres. However, these shortcomings won't deter readers who like a fast-paced Faerie tale, especially if they enjoyed Holly Black's Tithe (S & S, 2002).–Beth Wright, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, VT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. Yolen and her son, a professional musician, have produced a rollicking good riff on the Pied Piper. Callie, 14, attends a folk rock concert featuring Brass Rat, which she will write up for her school paper. The next night, Halloween, she stays home to write her review. Meanwhile, Brass Rat's leader has a story of his own. As the exiled son of the Faery king, he must, every seven years, tithe gold, silver, or souls. In the absence of gold, the "Piper" settles on the town's trick-or-treaters, including Callie's brother, as his payment. The authors keep the action moving while allowing readers to sympathize not only with Callie but also with the fairy piper, wicked as his plans--and his past--are. A strong, resourceful girl, a Faery land where ethical questions are posed, and some fun poked at baby boomer parents make this an entertaining as well as meaty read. Following the story is a collection of "Brass Rat Songs," eerily hummable despite being presented without musical notation. Francisca Goldsmith
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Starscape; 1st edition (June 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765311585
• ISBN-13: 978-0765311580
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,812,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fine version of the Pied Piper, July 22, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pay the Piper: A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale (Hardcover)

Fourteen-year-old Calcephony "Callie" McCallan is a school reporter school in Northampton, Massachusetts. She is excited by her job because this assignment enables her to go back stage while the popular rock 'n' roll band, Brass Rat performs. The only setback is that her parents make her bring her brother Nick with her. After listening to a recording by the group, Callie wonders why her classmates ate making such a fuss over this band. That is she wonders until she meets the dynamic lead singer Peter Gringras. His flute playing mesmerizes all who listen including Callie.

However, on Halloween night as the Brass Rat performs, all the children including her kid brother Nick vanish. Callie thinks she knows why the children have been "abducted" and plans to rescue them as she plans to follow the magic flute into the land of faerie to make the piper pay, but she will soon learn how "faerie justice" works.

The middle school crowd will enjoy this fine version of the Pied Piper starring a wonderful young heroine who risks her life to save her sibling and the other children from the unknown. As the audience learns the truth, feelings towards Peter the Pied Piper will change although he still committed the abductions. Young readers will enjoy the first rock and roll fairy tale while looking forward to future fantasies from this solid mother-son collaboration.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars R and R Fairy Tale, November 22, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Pay the Piper: A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale (Paperback)

Pay the Piper, by Jane Yolden, tells of girl, Callie, who discovers that an exciting new rock band, called the Brass Rat, is from another dimension and is kidnapping children as the result of a curse. Callie ends up following the bands leader, Grigras, into the other dimension and is able to break the curse put on him and his associates. The writing style was impressive and linked the genres of realistic fiction and fantasy very well. However, there is a lack of excitement in the story and that can cause a reader to lose interest in the book quickly. This is not a book for readers who are looking for a thrill.

3.0 out of 5 stars The Brass Rat, Pied Piper and Faerie.., January 24, 2012

By 

CRISTY "Mommy of twins" (Bluffton, SC, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pay the Piper: A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale (Yolen, Jane. Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale) (Hardcover)

The Pied Piper goes rock `n' roll with PAY THE PIPER. Interesting and modern twist on the classic tale Peter the Pied Piper of Hamelin. A clever retelling with rock bands, and Faerie lore as the famous piper is portrayed as the middle son of the Sidhe Faerie King, who has been cursed and banished to live among humans for a treason committed against his brother.

I found PAY THE PIPER to be an easy and entertaining enough read as far as the concept went; but the story was hindered by its overly juvenile dialog between the young human teens and lack of character depth. Yes Callie and her friends are 14, but the conversations between them were just too over the top to feel genuine, sounding more of the age of 9 than that of high school kids. Even the parents came off with a bad sitcom feel. Unfortunately, only that of the Piper Gringras and his loyal friend Alabas came across true. All in all I'd say PAY THE PIPER is an ok read that is obviously intended for younger readers, but I have no regrets to giving this one a look...especially since I picked it up in the bargain bin.