Can't Catch Me: And Other Twice-Told Tales (Paperback)

~ Michael Cadnum (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Concise writing cuts to the heart of the matter in this droll collection from National Book Award–finalist Cadnum (The Book of the Lion), whether it be a certain gingerbread boy's overbearing parents in the title story or a ghostly Ophelia bent on her own secret revenge in "Or Be to Not." Even the most urbane bears can be brought low when entrapped by a crusading pro-human Goldilocks in "Bear It Away," while a certain giant's wife manages to create a happy ending after a young thief escapes by beanstalk in "Mrs. Big." "Medusa," "Daphne" and "Give Him the Eye" offer stark insight into the behavior of Greek gods and goddesses as well as the brutal side of love. Meanwhile, elves, no matter how gifted, find little welcome when faced with human suspicions in "Naked Little Men" and "Elf Trap," while "Together Again" gives the truth behind that old nursery rhyme about a lord named Humpty Dumpty. Both adult and YA readers will enjoy this quirky assemblage of 18 traditional tales with a modern edge. (May)
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Review

"A writer to watch and enjoy." —Patricia A. McKillip, author, The Book of Atrix Wolfe

"Cadnum delves more into the psyche of the protagonist than fairy tales ever do."  —BookLoons

"[Cadnum] tangos with tart truths, waltzes with acerbic wit, and often and dances in the dark."  —Fantasy Magazine

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Tachyon Publications (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892391333
• ISBN-13: 978-1892391339
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,950,093 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "like something Kipling might have written", April 23, 2006

By	busy reader (Waltham, MA) - See all my reviews

I found this delightful book quite by accident while looking for another title by this wonderful author for my daughter. Can't Catch Me collects 18 whimsical tales, all retellings of familiar stories. "Bear It Away," is Goldilocks transformed into something Kipling might have written for his "Just So Stories": "How Bears Lost the Ability to Speak." "Can't Catch Me" retells the Gingerbread Man. "P-Bird" is the Phoenix. And so on. But although half the stories in this volume retell classic fairy tales, the stories are much more than that. They take familiar stories and make them magical again. For adults, for children, for anybody who grew up reading for the pleasure of discovery.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing compendium of new-age tellings, April 10, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Can't Catch Me And Other Twice Told Tales by Michael Cadnum is an outstanding collection of interesting and insightful lore drawn from history and retold with a modernized and compelling philosophical perspective of contemporary wisdom and collective post-situation knowledge. Diligently feeding its readers with advice and worldly understandings of these once ancient tales of long ago and far away, Can't Catch Me gives the reader an intriguing compendium of new-age tellings. Can't Catch Me is very highly recommended for general fiction, philosophy, historical, myth, folklore enthusiasts for its adroit grasp of these ancient "twice-told" tales.