Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Pay the Piper: A Rock ‘N’ Roll Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple

I bought this at ALA to get Yolen’s signature, and she had a co-author who was a musician. The doubly signed book came with a CD with a few of the songs from the book, bookmarks and a reader’s guide. I found out that Adam Stemple is Jane Yolen’s son and this is their first novel collaboration.
Another quick read, but I really enjoyed this retelling of the Pied Piper story in modern times with explanations for some of the older versions of the tale. 14 year old Callie gets to interview the band the Brass Rat during their concert in her small town. But something doesn’t feel right and she can’t seem write the article for the school paper. When her little brother and the other kids in town disappear on Halloween… anyway, you get the gist.I am wondering: How DO authors collaborate. I can understand on a scholarly article, but on a novel? Did Adam write the song lyrics/poetry in the book? Did he provide the background on the rock band’s life while Jane provided the mythology? In either case, I’m glad I bought it. I’ll have to keep reading Yolen.

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