In an interview last year, Gregory Maguire laid out his motivation as an author: “One of my gambits as a novelist is to try simultaneously to make my readers feel off-balance and at home.” Maguire most famously accomplished this feat in his Wicked Years series, which planted its audience in a familiar place—the Land of Oz—but made that place […]

Wicked scribe Gregory Maguire takes his patented vim, vigor and wit and applies it to Russian folklore in his latest, Egg & Spoon. At times rollicking, the story follows two young girls, Cat and Elena, in a classic tale of princess-and-pauper mistaken identity. But Maguire has made flipping classics on their head his bread and butter, so […]

Sometimes we forget that all those books about witches, vampires, werewolves, and fairies are basically based on tales people used to pass around the campfire. But vamps and wolfmen aren’t the only supernaturals in town, and 2014 has seen the release of some excellent YA novels that are breathing new life into myths and legends less well-trodden than […]

One of the best things about traveling through literature is the ability to visit countries all around the world; exploring their histories, their landscapes, and their people, all without leaving your own living room. Below are five books that explore Russia and the former Soviet Union.