Fairy-tale creatures are dying as people forget their stories. Someone must write the stories to keep their worlds from crumbling. The fairy-tale creatures choose Sara—against her will—drawing her into a world of magic, where monsters are real and boundaries are broken. Sara wants to help, but doesn’t know how. She doesn’t know the stories, and the creatures she meets are terrifyingly different from the folklore. The more she writes, the worse things get. But all is not as it seems, and some creatures want to tell stories of their own. Sara must decide who to trust as she learns to breathe life back into the fairy-tale worlds. Author Anna Tan creates a beautiful multicultural world for Dongeng, weaving in characters from traditions both familiar and foreign. Danger and hope, fear and joy all come to life in this thoroughly fun adventure.

Best for: Young adults who enjoy fairy tales from multiple canons and cultures.

Discern: Some references to dark themes, some references to non-biblical gods.