The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway

January 1, 2023
This year, Madeline's Renaissance faire summer is one of new friendships, budding romance, and self-discovery. Growing up with parents who work the Ren faire circuit, traveling around the country in an RV and going to online school, Madeline lived in a warm bubble until her mother's death last year. When she and her dad arrive in Oklahoma, she meets teen bard Arthur, who happens to be the son of the faire's new owners--and is determined that she play the role of princess. Still grieving and guarding herself against potential pain, Madeline tries to hold Arthur at a distance despite their day trip adventures, vulnerable conversations, and magnetic chemistry. This is a welcome modern coming-of-age story about unfolding, letting go, and growing up. Madeline is initially self-conscious and hyperaware of her larger size, but Schumacher eschews storylines in which fat characters end up slim and transformed. Madeline learns that she deserves to take up space and appreciate her body as it is without shedding (or wanting to shed) a single pound. All the relationships are complex and nuanced, including those between Madeline and her father, her newfound friends, and her closest friend, Fatima. Madeline and Arthur read White; Arthur's dads are in an interracial relationship, and there is diversity in the supporting cast. Readers will welcome this story about a leading lady who doesn't have to be skinny to love herself or to be loved. A skillfully written and appealing romance with a powerful and refreshing message. (Romance. 12-17)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2023
Grades 7-10 A Renaissance fair in Texas provides a distinctive setting for the story of Maddie, who has grown up traveling the Ren fair circuit with her parents and helping sell handmade journals and jewelry in their stall. Almost a year after her mother's death, 17-year-old Madeline has become averse to change and is afraid of getting really close to anyone again for fear of losing them, too. Arthur, a strolling bard and the son of the fair's owners, attempts to befriend Maddie, calling her Gwen (for Guinevere). But Maddie, who sees herself as fat, can't believe that he's really attracted to her. Her engaging first-person narrative chronicles the ups and downs of her experiences as the fair's reluctant princess, her slowly shifting view of herself, and the development of her relationship with Arthur. The colorful backdrop often puts the characters in costumes, adding an interesting historical dimension to the unfolding drama of seemingly one-sided attraction. A lively, gentle romance novel featuring two well-drawn main characters whose frequent verbal sparring reveals their wit and their vulnerabilities.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 23, 2023
A teenager working the Renaissance faire circuit experiences a summer brimming with new experiences and slow-burn romance in this sincere rom-com by Schumacher (Amelia Unabridged). Following her mother’s recent death from cancer, 17-year-old Madeline Hathaway wants to hide away from the world. She begrudgingly continues on with the family business instead, which involves traveling around the country with her father while he peddles wares at Ren faires, and attending school online. When they arrive in Oklahoma, her mother’s favorite stop, she constantly finds herself “peering around corners hoping to see coming toward me, only to be disappointed.” Madeline soon meets Arthur, a teen bard and the faire owner’s son, who asks her to be the faire’s Princess Guinevere. She’s initially hesitant, believing no one wants to see a fat girl in the role. But as the teens grow closer, she becomes more confident in the idea that she has what it takes to be the faire’s princess. Madeline and Arthur are irresistible romantic leads; their burgeoning feelings for each other and their mesmerizing chemistry, coupled with Madeline’s worries surrounding body image, grief, and her future, makes for a swoony, uplifting love story. Ages 12–up.