Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my LOCUS Y-A list.I think I’ll always have a soft-spot for imaginative young-adult speculative fiction and as the good people at Locus did such a grand job with picking their Sci-Fi winners, I’ll trust them to single out some special y-a books too.Ugh. How did Pay the Piper ever win a Locus award? 2006 cannot have been a great year for YA books!It’s not a ‘bad’ book, but it very, very ‘OK’.American, teenage girl, blah blah blah, quirky name, blah blah blah, a rock/folk band retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, blah blah blah, fairy politics, blah blah... snrk? Did I drift off there for a minute?Look – I’m not terribly good at writing negative reviews – I like books and I appreciate the effort put an author puts into telling a story. Because I’ve been working my way through award winners for the last couple of years, I’ve become somewhat spoilt. I expect the crème de la crème. Instead... I got vanilla yoghurt. Nothing wrong with vanilla yoghurt, but I’ve never deliberately bought it.There are two halves to this story worth discussing – the concept and the execution. The fantasy concept isn’t too bad really. Who was the Piper? Why did he lead all those kids into the mountain? What’s his backstory? What if he was still around? So we’ve got an immortal fairy prince, banished to the mortal world for killing his brother, forced to pay a tithe of gold or souls every seven years or become mortal himself. Because of his innate fairy gift for music, his bounced about over the centuries, trying to scratch-up enough cash to pay the tithe or, as a last resort (when he’s broke) stealing children. Nice guy, real likeable, huh?In the modern era he’s the frontman for a folk/rock band – playing flute and singing (at the same time?) and writing songs which are all about himself and his plight, because he’s self-absorbed, arrogant prick like that. So the band do a gig, the night before they have to pay the tithe, and it’s the last paycheque they need to raise enough to pay the fairy king. But the damn fools didn’t read the fine print – it’s a charity gig and they ain’t getting paid. And you know what The Mask says – can’t make the scene if you ain’t got the green – so they’re forced to steal the children instead.The Piper makes out like he hates taking children and, woe is me, he feels much, much guilt. But this sympathy shuttle’s never-ever gonna fly. How irresponsible do you get, to leave it until the night before the bill is due before you fill the piggy-bank? And to not check the contract on a charity gig under those circumstances? And then there’s the alternative – take the hit on the chin, pay the price yourself and become mortal yourself? Nope. Okay, so I’m totally cheering your corner in your quest to beat the Fairy King’s curse and get back home to fairyland, you brother-murdering twat.Which puts all of the empathy-burdon on our heroine, the bright as button, quirky little fourteen year old, Callie. She must be quirky, right? Because she has a quirky name? And her siblings (Mars and Nicolodeon) have even quirkier names – so this must be one hell of a kooky family? Except it’s not; it’s boring. She’s boring. Her teeny-bopper chitter-chatter with her buddies is annoying as hell. And her family are just so annoying! *petulant foot stamp and pout* And gosh-darn it, it’s just so hard to write a review of a gig when you overheard the band talking about tithes and stuff! Let’s have a strop, huh? She’s immature (if you haven’t gathered).When I was fourteen I was going to xxxxx with my xxxxx and xxxing her... actually that’s a little too much personal detail for this review – but let’s just say my real life was considerably more gnarly at that age than that of Callie and her picket-fence crew. If I’d met Callie then, we wouldn’t have been friends. The girl is sheltered, conventional, hasn’t got a drop of alternative attitude in her constitution (despite the rock and roll allusions of the series) and this story doesn’t exactly push her out of her comfort zone. She just sort of doddles along and solves the conundrum at the end.So an annoying child breaks a fairy curse and lets a murdering child-thief go home. Happy ever after. Barf...If you want to read an excellent story of fairies playing rock and roll - read War for the Oaks by Emma Bull - that is everything that Pay the Piper should be.If you want to read an excellent modern, re-imagining of the Piper (with drum'n'bass instead of rock) read King Rat by China Mieville.Save your time, skip Pay the Piper.After this I read: I Shall Wear Midnight
I find it interesting how often Yolen co-authors books. It makes me wonder how much of her own voice I'm getting and what not. This isn't to say I don't like her work. I do. I find her to be an interesting author who tackles a wide range of subjects and styles. There's something a bit admirable about that. This time, she teams up with her son, a professional rock musician.Pay the Piper is an interesting book. It takes as its premise that the Pied Piper of Hameln was an outcast prince of faerie. Every seven years, he must return a teind to his father of gold, silver, or souls. Typically he manages to scrape together his teind in money, but occasionally he falls short, and children are more susceptible to his magic than adults. Hence Hameln and the number of children who disappeared during the Children's Crusades. Now, with the name Peter Gringras, he is the lead singer in a band called Brass Rat. They have performed for years now. People are captivated by their music. Callie McCallan is a school reporter in a small Massachusetts town. The band is playing her town just a few days before the teind is due. Unbeknownst to Brass Rat, this concert is for charity, so they don't make the teind, which means that Gringras must resort to souls. Callie, because of things she's accidentally seen, has nearly figured out what's going on. When the children of the town disappear on Halloween, Callie sets out to save them. In the process she tries to figure out a way to break the curse that subjects Gringras to his fate.Overall, it's a charming tale and a fairly quick read. It's not stellar, nor is it Yolen's best work/collaboration. But it's an imaginative take on the fairy tale genre, and you get the added bonus of having Brass Rat's lyrics at the end of the book. That's kinda cool. Supposedly, this is the first in a series of Rock 'n' Roll fairy tales. But if you want a good imagining and retelling of the Pied Piper story, I recommend turning to Donna Jo Napoli's Breath instead.
What do You think about Pay The Piper (2006)?
The prolific children's author Jane Yolen attempts to create a rock n' roll rendition of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, in which the piper is really an exiled faerie prince. The initial narrative begins promisingly enough, with 14 yrld burgeoning journalist Callie, convincing her hippie but protective parents to let her attend a rare local Brass Rat concert, so that she can interview them for the school paper. Yolen and her co-author and son Adam Stemple admirably connect the mesmerizing power of rock and fame to the magic music of faerie, and the quick paced, short story will keep middle graders' interest. The writing, however becomes stilted and disjointed in the later chapters, the book doesn't seem to know what it wants to be? Is Callie starring in a Judy Bloom, Lois Lowry tale of blossoming innocence, or is prince Gringras starring in a dark emo tale, a la Edward in a Lois Duncan plot? Yolen explains the mixed up history of the book, trying to create a tween horror tale for one publisher, while helping her son get published, and then selling the book elsewhere to another publisher with another purpose... no wonder it gets a little lost. There are too many cooks in the kitchen here, with too many agendas. Despite Callie's high school age, she reads more like a 6th or 7th grader, and the book will hold the most appeal for the age group. Cool cover, short story, fantasy and rock n' roll...you could probably get a reluctant reader to give it a shot, but it's sounds better in theory than it is in reality.
—Sarah
This was one of the books I've read when I started reading since it was in the library and it was short I could have finished at the same day. I must admit if you are not fan of rock or heavy metal you would not have enjoy the book as much as I've had. It tells a story of a classic tale you heard before but now in a modern setting with fairies and rock and roll. Hooked yet? Not sure,well you should. I dunno how she does it but Yolen write this book in such a way which enchants and amazes you in a way as if you were listening to the guitar solo of your favorite song. Quick,easy read and full of fun this book you wish this was a story your parents read to you at night. The only reason I didn't give this book full 5 stars is because it was short and I really,really wanted more.
—Dominique
I chose the book “Pay the Piper” because the book blob was interesting. Callie, the school news reporter, lives in a Massachusetts town where nothing ever happens, so when the news broke out that a band, Brass Rat, was performing everyone was excited. Callie got a chance to interview them and she figured out something that she hopes she never knew. On Halloween everyone went out for trick a treat except her (she didn’t know how to write an article about Brass Rat that people would actually believe) when she heard that all the children went missing she knew the ban, Bass Rat, had something to do with it. I didn’t like the style the author wrote this book. The plot was interesting but the style made it hard to continue reading. It had details that didn’t make sense until I finished the book. The first chapter was dreadful to read. Now that I think of it, I wonder why I didn’t stop reading like my sister did when she first read it. I think if the author wrote it better this story would have been amazing. I would recommend this to middle school kids who are interested in mystery and adventure. The book “Pay the Piper” had mystery and adventure from the beginning of the book to the end.
—Grace
