Now that her mother and father are gone, she faces the life that has ultimately been dealt for her. Vassar owns a tiny wooden magical doll named Erg that she takes everywhere, it was given to her by her mother before she passed away. Vassa in the Night is a modern day retelling of a Russian folklore entitled ' Vassilisa the Beautiful'. Inspired by the Russian folktale Vassilissa the Beautiful and Sarah Porter's years of experience teaching creative writing to New York City students.Ī modern retelling that will make little to no sense.

With Erg's help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch's curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood.

Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. So when Vassa's stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission.īut Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters-and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. In Vassa's neighborhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling out again could become an issue. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now-but not Vassa's working-class neighborhood. In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they've arrived. Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling, Paranormal Expected Publication: September 20th 2016

Vassa in the night by sarah porter