I love retellings of fairy tales, especially ones that tend to be overlooked for the more 'famous' stories. For me, this tale derived from the original Pied Piper is exactly what I am looking for. With a cute cast of characters, a nicely written plot, and a perfect setting, Matthew Cody does a decent job of spinning the Piper's ratty story.

As with most retellings, they do change some of the story and for purest, this may not be the exact story for you. For others. this cute book is perfect for reading with your children. I did and then went on to read the real story, which my children loved. It does start off slow, but overall, it held our attention and look forward to the next.

What a delightful book! I love the combination of a pied piper retelling with other fairytales sprinkled in. I especially love seeing a hero with a disability and his experiences addressed but not "fixed". I can't wait for book two!

I truly loved this story - there was so much action and adventure going on throughout the book. This is a really fast-paced and action packed novel which teenagers will love. You see the struggle that the characters go through and how they can overcome these obstacles in life. A really distinctive book which will keep you hooked for more!

"We Gotta Get Out of This Place...", (The Animals 1964)

Putting aside the magical apprentice, prophesied-one, and object quest fantasies, tales built around being taken away and having to get back home may be among the most durable of all story arcs. From The Odyssey to Wizard of Oz, people just want to go home.

The Pied Piper tale may resonate because it's one of the few tales with no traditional resolution. The children of Hamelin are taken away - but to where and to what ultimate purpose? This book starts at that point and spins out a continuing tale that's part Neverland and part folktale survey mashup.

The opening of the book is gripping and dark. Cody nicely captures the Piper's sinister and hypnotic call. We then switch to modern times and meet the two kids we know immediately will be drawn into the Piper story. Again, this is set up well, with portents, and dark figures, and a "rat extermination professional" instead of a piper. And our heroes, Max and Carter are fine. Having a mildly wild-child older sister and a thoughtful, shy younger brother doesn't exactly break new ground, but both characters are built for the long haul and have reader appeal.

But then we get to "New Hamelin". We start with loads and loads of exposition and explaining in order to get all of the characters and the reader on the same page storywise. I can see that as a real benefit to younger readers who aren't familiar with how these sorts of books work. NO SPOILERS, except to say that this then becomes a quest along a road in search of a way home. The book sticks with the Piper angle, but we get many more characters, more borrowings from other tales, (Baba Yaga?), and pretty much an anything goes fantasy and magical creature walk-about. I was O.K. with that, but be warned. While this could have been a tidy and entertaining stand-alone book, it is actually the first in a three book series, and is loaded with cliffhangers. I'm undecided whether this has was it takes to draw me through a trilogy, so be forewarned.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)