The Pardoner. Alexander T. Wolf. Penelope. What could they possibly have in common? All are protagonists in works of metafiction, a subgenre of literature that allows readers to enter into a world of fiction that celebrates fiction, involving readers in an environment populated by self-aware characters. In Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction (Routledge, 1984), Patricia Waugh attributes the term to writer William H. Gass and explains that it is, “fictional writing which self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artefact in order to pose questions about the relationship between fiction and reality.” In other words, metafiction is fiction that never lets the audience forget that it is reading (or listening to) a created work. What, then, are its parameters? Metafiction may be a body of fiction contained in a larger work (The Canterbury Tales), a tale about a writer creating a story (The Plot Chickens), a novel about a reader reading a novel (If on a Winter's Night a Traveler), or a story in which the characters from one book find themselves in another (Wiesner's The Three Pigs). It can be a novel or other work of fiction within a novel (The Fruit Bowl Project), a narrative in which the author is also the character (Lemony Snicket), or a story that addresses specific conventions of writing (Hate That Cat). It may emerge as a parallel novel with the same setting and characters as a previous work yet told from a different perspective (Beast) or as one that extends the story of a fictional character (The Goose Girl). In whatever form it takes, metafiction provides an opportunity for readers to reach beyond the obvious and explore a thought-provoking and increasingly popular literary style.

ELEMENTARY

AUCH, Mary Jane & Herm Auch. The Plot Chickens. illus. by authors. Holiday House. 2009. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8234-2087-2. Gr 1-4–While reading aloud to her aunts, “Henrietta was in reading eggstasy,” so she decides to write her own tale. Although panned by The Corn Book, it's a hit with the storyhour kids who make Henrietta a local celebrity. “Eggcellent” oil and digital illustrations accentuate the story's visual humor and open the doors for readers' own “yokes.” CHILD, Lauren. Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book? illus. by author. Hyperion. 2003. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7868-0926-4. Gr 1-4–When Goldilocks shrieks, “You are not allowed in this story!” Herb realizes that he has fallen into his book of fairy tales. Confronted by angry characters whose stories he has interrupted with scribbling, cutting, and food spills, he awakes, determined to set the tales to rights. Colorful, humorous collages help him–and readers–learn a lesson about preserving the integrity of stories. DEPAOLA, Tomie. Strega Nona: Her Story. illus. by author. Putnam. 1996. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-22818-6; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-698-11814-0. K-Gr 3–From her Calabrian birth to her chance meeting with Big Anthony, Strega Nona relates her life story, even revealing the “ingrediente segreto” that her own Nonna insisted must always accompany magic. dePaola's characteristic figures people this frame story for his beloved Strega Nona adventures. DVD and audio versions available from Weston Woods. DRESCHER, Henrik. Simon's Book. illus. by author. MacAdam/Cage. 2006. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-59692-135-1. PreS-Gr 2–A boy's unfinished drawings come to life at night, allowing a furry monster to chase Simon through vivid watercolor cartoons. The fearsome creature, however, is only seeking a “big sloppy kiss,” and the two characters become inseparable friends in Simon's Book, the completed tale that the boy artist discovers in the morning. GERSTEIN, Mordicai. A Book. illus. by author. Roaring Book. 2009. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-59643-251-2. Gr 1-4–“Once in a book… there lived a family of characters,” who, except for the girl, all had their own stories. Rejecting every genre from fairy tales to science fiction, she decides to pen her story in her own style. Gerstein's watercolor cartoons, drawn from the perspective of a reader looking into the book, are a visual feast. An easy intro to autobiographical writing. GRAVETT, Emily. Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears. illus. by author. S & S. 2008. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4050-8948-7. K-Gr 4–In this “essential book to help…overcome…phobias,” the author invites readers to record their fears in order to counteract them. Through pencil drawings and mixed-media collages, Little Mouse does just that, portraying his worries about cats, knives, and other traumas, only to discover that, ironically, the author is actually terrified of HIM! HOPKINSON, Deborah. Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale (Introducing His Forgotten Frontier Friend). illus. by John Hendrix. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. 2008. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-83768-5; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-93768-2. K-Gr 3–“…[I]f you weren't there, you can't know for sure,” but this story aims to tell how Lincoln's boyhood friend may have once rescued Abe from dangerous rushing waters. The author involves readers throughout the book, inviting her audience to delight in Hendrix's fun-filled watercolor and ink cartoons. LEHMAN, Barbara. The Red Book. illus. by author. Houghton. 2004. Tr $12.95. ISBN 978-0-618-42858-8. PreS-Gr 4–Striking watercolor and ink paintings reveal a girl who finds a red book in the city snow about a boy on a far-off island who finds a red book about a girl in a snowy city…and so it goes. This wordless metafictive picture book encourages youngsters to continue the adventure. SCIESZKA, Jon. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. illus. by Lane Smith. Viking. 1989. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-82759-6; pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-14-054451-0. K-Gr 4–“I was framed,” claims Alexander T. Wolf, insisting that his sneezes caused the pigs' deaths and he hated to waste a good meal. Classic metafiction, this outlandish perspective on the porkers' demise features contemporary language and acrylic illustrations that virtually burst from the page. A dramatic story that begs to be enacted. DVD and audio versions available from Weston Woods. WIESNER, David. The Three Pigs. illus. by author. Clarion. 2001. RTE $16. ISBN 978-0-618-00701-1. PreS-Gr 3–The wolf huffs until the first pig cries, “Hey! He blew me right out of the story!” Via bright watercolor gouache and colored-pencil illustrations, a paper airplane transports the porcine trio on a search for another story to inhabit. They ultimately return to finish their tale, enhanced by the fictional characters they've collected along the way.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

AVI. A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End: The Right Way to Write Writing. illus. by Tricia Tusa. Harcourt. 2008. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-0-15-20555-4. Gr 4-6–When Avon the snail complains, “I'm making no progress writing about my own adventures,” Edward, an ant, reveals the “rules of writing.” Avon never gets very far, but Avi delights readers with puns, wordplay, and twisted advice about how to write, while Tusa captures the characters' misadventures in humorous pencil sketches. BLUBAUGH, Penny. Serendipity Market. HarperCollins/Laura Geringer Bks. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-146875-9; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-146876-6. Gr 6-9–Mama Inez lives “in a house at the end of the world where magic occurs on a regular basis.” When the world's “spin” is out of tilt, she invites storytellers to rebalance it by telling tales. Three-dimensional folk- and fairy-tale protagonists emerge, sometimes intertwining, and often telling their stories from different perspectives in this tribute to the power of story. CREECH, Sharon. Hate That Cat. HarperCollins/Joanna Cotler Bks. 2008. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-143092-3; PLB $16.89. ISBN 978-0-06-143093-0. Gr 5-8–Although his uncle insists that “a poem has to rhyme,” Jack (from Love That Dog) discovers a plethora of styles in the poems his teacher reads aloud. Experimenting with various poetic devices and forms, he reveals his innermost thoughts, demonstrating his artistic and personal growth in the process. Audio version available from HarperChildrens Audio. DURKEE, Sarah. The Fruit Bowl Project: Fifty Ways to Tell a Story. Delacorte. 2006. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-0-385-73289-5; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73385-4. Gr 6-8–Visiting rock star Nick Thompson challenges eighth graders to craft seven ordinary details into different versions of the same story. The results–everything from haiku to musicals–offer an array of literary devices that reveal volumes about their authors and will inspire readers to imitate them. FUNKE, Cornelia. Inkheart. tr. from German by Anthea Bell. Scholastic/Chicken House. 2003. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-439-53164-1; pap. $10.99. ISBN 978-0-439-70910-1. Gr 6-8–When bookbinder Mo reminds his daughter that, “The book whispers its story to you at night,” Meggie never dreams she'll be trapped in a nightmarish tale. Her reading prowess and quick thinking enable her to outsmart the villainous Capricorn, an antagonist unintentionally released into the world through her father's interpretive powers. Audio version available from Listening Library. HALE, Shannon. The Goose Girl. Bloomsbury. 2003. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-58234-843-8. Gr 7 Up–“…[B]orn Anidori-Kiladra…Crown Princess of Kildenree,…she did not open her eyes for three days,” perhaps sensing her inadequacy for her royal role. Betrayed and forced to become a goose girl, the feisty Ani learns to face her foes and claim her rightful place. A lyrical fleshing out of the Grimms' tale. Audio version available from Full Cast Audio. MCCAUGHREAN, Geraldine. Not the End of the World. HarperTempest. 2004. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-076030-4; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-076031-1; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-06-076032-8. Gr 5-8–“The end of the world is a busy time if you mean to outlive it,” Noah's family discovers as they face hunger, sickness, and the possible destruction of their Ark. Told primarily by Noah's daughter Timna, this interpretation explores the conflicts that may have plagued the family chosen to survive the Deluge. Audio version available from BBC Audiobooks. SCHMIDT, Gary D. Straw into Gold.Clarion. 2001. Tr $15. ISBN 978-0-618-05601-9; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-547-23776-3. Gr 5-7–“Nothing is ever quite by chance,” Da cautions his son in this lyrical reimagining of “Rumplestiltskin.” Thus, when the king challenges Tousel to solve a life-or-death riddle, the boy discovers his fate inexorably intertwined with that of the bereft Queen and her child who was once taken by the “little man with the long-tipped beard.”

SNICKET, Lemony. Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Biography. (A Series of Unfortunate Events Series). HarperCollins. 2002. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-06-000719-5; PLB $14.89. ISBN 978-0-06-000720-1; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-06-056225-0. Gr 6-8–“This morning I had the curious experience of attending my own burial,” Snicket claims, as he reveals his unusual, humorous, and confusing life story. Using photos, diary entries, letters, quotes, and a variety of other invented documents, the author/character frequently refers to his “Baudelaire” series, making this an ideal companion to his other works. TOWNLEY, Roderick. The Great Good Thing. S & S/Atheneum/A Richard Jackson Bk. 2001. RTE $17. ISBN 978-0-689-84324-2; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-689-85328-9. Gr 3-5–“Booook open!...Ooopen!” and Princess Sylvie, protagonist in a tale of royal intrigue, must humor the Reader by speaking her tired old lines once again. However, when Sylvie's book is thoughtlessly destroyed, she risks everything to have it rewritten for generations to come. TOWNLEY, Roderick. Into the Labyrinth. S & S/Atheneum/A Richard Jackson Bk. 2002. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-0-689-84615-1; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-1392-4. Gr 3-5– In this action-packed sequel to The Great Good Thing, Princess Sylvie's now-popular book has been uploaded onto the Web where a juvenile hacker eliminates words and introduces characters from other novels. Believing that “the story has to come first,” Sylvie launches herself into cyberspace to protect the integrity of the original tale. WILLIAMS, Marcia, retel. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. illus. by reteller. Candlewick. 2007. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-3197-0. Gr 4-8–When the Tabard Inn host proposes that each pilgrim “tell a story on the journey” to Canterbury with “the best tale…rewarded by a meal paid for by the rest,” the frame is set for nine rollicking narratives told in a juxtaposition of medieval and modern English. Watercolor cartoons add zest, humor, and clarity to these classic tales.

HIGH SCHOOL

ATWOOD, Margaret. The Penelopiad. Canongate. 2005. pap. $13. ISBN 978-1-84195-798-2. Gr 10 Up–Penelope has always let others tell the escapades of her husband, Odysseus. Now it's her turn, and the well-known epic looks a bit different from her side of the tapestry. This clever prose reinterpretation, interspersed with choral odes, invites readers to make comparisons with the original. CALVINO, Italo. If on a Winter's Night a Traveler. tr. from Italian by William Weaver. Harcourt. 1982. pap. $14. ISBN 978-0-15-643961-9. Gr 11 Up–“Reading is going toward something that is about to be,” and thus The Reader and The Other Reader delve into 10 seemingly unrelated, inconclusive novels that lead them to an intermingling of their lives. This definitive metafictive frame novel, focusing on the relationship between author and reader, provides endless opportunities to complete the unfinished stories. KLEIN, Lisa M. Ophelia. Bloomsbury. 2006. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-58234-801-8; pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-1-59990-228-9. Gr 9 Up–In a 16th-century world in which women “must always abide the earthly authority of men,” Ophelia refuses to succumb to Hamlet's admonition to “go to a nunnery.” Instead, she escapes from his madness in this suspenseful, well-paced alternate future for Shakespeare's wronged heroine. MCCAUGHREAN, Geraldine. Cyrano. Harcourt. 2006. Tr $16. ISBN 978-0-15-205805-0. Gr 7-10–“What a divine fool that Cyrano was! What a colossus of style!” Yet, the witty master swordsman, ashamed of his long nose, must hide his feelings for Roxanne while writing poems for her in the name of another. Faithful to Rostand's play, this beautiful, well-crafted narrative puts flesh and bones on its protagonist. MYERS, Walter Dean. Amiri & Odette: A Love Story. illus. by Javaka Steptoe. Scholastic. 2009. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-590-68041-7. Gr 7 Up–Hip-hop rhythms recount the story of Amiri's life in the violent, drug-infested Swan Lake projects. Entranced by Odette, Amiri fights and defeats his rival “Big Red” and declares his love for Odette. Powerful acrylic and collage illustrations convey the urban landscape in this gritty rap based on the ballet. NAPOLI, Donna Jo. Beast. S & S/Atheneum. 2000. RTE $17. ISBN 978-0-689-83589-6; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-689-83590-2. Gr 7 Up–Prince Orasmyn is cursed by a pari (a Persian fairy) for his imperfect sacrifice during Ramadan. Turned into a lion, he struggles to accept his fate, knowing he can only be freed by a woman's love. Focusing on Orasmyn's journey of self-discovery, this is an intriguing perspective on the original “Beauty and the Beast.” Audio version available from Recorded Books. PORTMAN, Frank. King Dork. Delacorte. 2006. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-385-73291-8; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73450-9. Gr 9 Up–“They call me King Dork…the brainy, freaky, oddball kid who reads too much.” But by reading books from his father's personal library–especially notes written in The Catcher in the Rye–Tom, the cynical misfit, unravels details about his dad's mysterious life and unexplained death. A multilayered, coming-of-age novel with fascinating characters. Audio version available from Listening Library. REEVE, Philip. Here Lies Arthur. Scholastic. 2008. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-09334-7. Gr 8 Up–“Everyone's heard of Arthur…but you haven't heard the truth,” claims Gwyna, a homeless peasant posing as a boy for her own safety in this “dark side” of Camelot. While she struggles toward womanhood, Gwyna reveals a disturbing portrait of the manipulation of history in this cautionary tale with modern-day implications.

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Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan is currently teaching English and Italian at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River, MA.