Toads and Diamonds

Set in a lightly fictionalized India, Tomlinson’s retelling of the Perrault fairy tale gains new resonance in a culture where reptiles are honored. Stepsisters Diribani, 15, and Tana, 16, are struggling to keep their household together after their father’s murder. He was a jewel merchant, and Tana hopes to follow in his footsteps. But these dreams are swept out of reach when Diribani comes back from the local well bringing not water but a gift from the snake goddess, Naghali—gems and flowers that drop from her lips when she speaks. The girls’ mother quickly sends Tana to the well, too, but she returns with an even stranger gift of snakes, frogs, and toads. The awe over Diribani’s gift from people both humble and mighty is predictable, but it’s refreshing to see the matter-of-fact welcome that Tana’s snakes receive from the townspeople. Tomlinson (The Swan Maiden ) does not oversimplify in this well-told tale; human discord and the harmony of nature are entwined with simplicity and elegance as the girls travel, physically and emotionally, to places they had never imagined. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)