Troll Bridge: A Rock'n' Roll Fairy Tale (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Adam Stemple (Author)
Key Phrases: troll wives, troll boys, dairy princesses, Little Doom, Mama Selvi, Jakob Jakob (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10–In this follow-up to Pay the Piper (Tom Doherty, 2005), the authors have converted The Three Billy Goats Gruff into a modern fairy tale that once again has a musical flair. Sixteen-year-old Moira, a harpist, has been named one of the 12 Dairy Princesses in the small town of Vanderby, MN. There is a long-standing tradition of carving the Princesses' heads out of butter and placing them on the Trollholm Bridge during the state fair. But this year, the tradition isn't carried out, and the girls are taken into Trollholm, a magical realm filled with man-eating trolls and a talking fox, Fossegrim. At the same time, the popular teen band, the Griffsons, is taking a much-needed break. When the boys discover the Trollholm Bridge, they too are taken into the troll world. The result is a fast-paced adventure story in which Moira and the Griffsons must escape the great troll Aenmarr. They work together with Foss to rescue his magical fiddle, which promises to send them back to their own world. But all is not as it seems, and the story ends with a grand twist that is totally satisfying. The writing is filled with humor and straightforward prose, and the song lyrics are so well written that one can almost hear the music that accompanies them. Add a touch of romance and you have a great, well-rounded book for teens.–Tasha Saecker, Caestecker Public Library, Green Lake, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Musically gifted Moira, one of 12 "princesses" whose likenesses are scultpted in butter as part of the festivities for the Vanderby State Fair, arrives at a photo shoot just in time to see the other 11 being carried away by a giant troll, Aenmarr. Grabbing the troll's shirttail, Moira is swept off a bridge into Trollholm, where the giant proceeds to prepare his captives to become wives for his three sons. When Jakob and his brothers, members of a popular musical trio, arrive at the bridge, Aenmarr captures them, earmarking them as dinner for his family. Fortunately, Jakob escapes and meets Moira, and with advice from a fiddle-playing telepathic fox, they attempt to rescue Jakob's brothers and the princesses. Drawing elements from "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" and "The Three Billy Goats Gruff," the mother and son who produced Pay the Piper (2005) another Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale, give folklore a modern spin in an entertaining tale in which radio talk-show personalities ponder the fates of the missing teens. Diana Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Starscape; 1st edition (July 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765314266
• ISBN-13: 978-0765314260
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,239,370 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, August 7, 2006

By	Camille "at the BookMoot!" (Katy, TX) - See all my reviews

Moira is a classical harpist who plays with the Minnesota symphony. For publicity purposes she has sought and won a spot as a state fair Dairy Princess. Along with the other 11 girls of the "court," she attends community events and has had her likeness carved in butter.

Traditionally, every year, the butter sculptures of the Dairy Princesses are placed on Troll Bridge. In time they melt or "disappear." This year, though, environmental concerns have nixed leaving the butter offering on the bridge.

As Moira and the other princesses prepare for a photoshoot at Troll Bridge, they are caught up by a giant troll, who spirits them away to Trollholm.

Meanwhile, four brothers who make up a popular boy band called The Griffsons are taking a vacation before their next concert tour. By chance the brothers end up at Troll Bridge too and are also carried away.

In Trollholm, Moira alone has evaded the enchanted sleep that has bewitched the other eleven princesses. As she casts about to escape the fate of becoming a troll bride, she meets a mysterious and vaguely sinister fox named Foss who seems willing to help her.

Jakob Griffson awakens in Trollholm only to discover that he and his brothers are soon going to be troll food. Moira and Jakob must work together to rescue all of them from the clutches of Aenmarr the troll and Trollhom itself.

I liked the mixture of traditional folk tales and a teen's world. In this story they have called on The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Twelve Dancing Princesses as source material.

Foss the fox is taken from the Scandinavian trickster Fossegrim but also reminded me of kitsunes in Japanese folklore.

Musical imagery and elements run throughout the story. The beginning page of each chapter is decorated by a faint treble clef and the sections of the chapter are indicated by a fermata. A collection "Songs from Troll Bridge" completes the book. The lyrics are provided but would be fun to hear the songs. Stemple is a professional musician. Maybe he could make audio versions available on his website. This is the second "rock 'n'roll" fairy tale Stemple has written with his mother, folklorist, Jane Yolen.