Terrific Authors on Tuesdays: Patricia Wrede

Before we get to Patricia Wrede, I thought I'd post a picture of the 'half' for you all. After all, he doesn't get to post his reviews. (Although I can tell you his favorite author so far is Richard Scarry.) Ok. Now that you've oohed and ahhed, get over here and enter our giveaway. :)

Enjoying an Oreo shake. Note the pursed lips. And the question in his eyes: "more?".
Oreo shakes are actually quite easy - about 3 oreos per blender-full of vanilla icecream.


Patricia Wrede has been publishing books since the early 1980s, and while some of her books are well known - Sorcery and Cecelia and the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, you may not know most of her other books. She's an author that I can read over and over, and when a new book comes out, I always read it.
A list of books and my grades (sorry, Trackgeek is working hard):

Lyra Series - out of print, and hard to find in used book stores. Amazon is your best bet. I've read none of these, but would love to get my hands on them.
1. Shadow Magic (1982)
2. Daughter of Witches (1983)
3.The Harp of Imach Thyssel (1985)
4. Caught in Crystal (1987)
5. The Raven Ring (1994)
Shadows over Lyra (omnibus) (1997)

Enchanted Forest Series (juvenile) - all still in print and easily accessible.
1. Dragonsbane (aka Dealing with Dragons) (1990) - A
2. Searching for Dragons (aka Dragon Search) (1991) - A-
3. Calling on Dragons (1993) - B+
4. Talking to Dragons (1984) - B
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (omnibus) (1995)

Cecelia and Kate Series (young adult)- all still in print and easily accessible.
The story about how the first book came about is fun - it's included in Sorcery and Cecilia. Basically they started writing letters to each other creating a story. It sounds like so much fun to do if you have a 'writing buddy'.
1. Sorcery and Cecilia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (1988) (with Caroline Stevermer) - A
2. The Grand Tour (2004) (with Caroline Stevermer) - B
3.The Mislaid Magician: or Ten Years After (2006) (with Caroline Stevermer) - I haven't read this one.
Magicians of Quality (omnibus) (2005)

Mairelon the Magician Series (juvenile/young adult/adult)- Mairelon the Magician is still in print, but the Magician's Ward is awkwardly enough not. Which is frustrating! My library has a very old copy which is how I finally got to read it.
Mairelon the Magician (1991) - B+
The Magician's Ward (1997) - A-

Frontier Magic Series (young adult)- not only still in print, but only the first book has been written so far. Look for the others in the next few years - news about what's happening as of the last few months can be found on her blog, here.
Thirteenth Child (2009) - I must confess, this was a Failed to Finish. I'll probably give it another shot, but it just didn't live up to her other books for me.

Novels
The Seven Towers (young adult) (1984) - just reprinted, so you can get a pb copy for 8.99 new or of course scrounge for an older copy. I own this, so I'm saving it to read on holiday vacation.
Snow White and Rose Red (young adult) (1989) - just reprinted in the last couple of years, so it's pretty easy to find a copy of this as well. - B+
Book of Enchantments (juvenile) (1996) - this is also available, and I own it but haven't read it all the way through yet. It's short stories based on the Enchanted Forest setting.

Patricia Wrede has also contributed to the Star Wars series in the form of junior novelizations. You can find these in the juvenile section. You can also find her works in Annual Best Fantasy Collections - the 1st, 2nd, and 10th editions.

Like Patricia Wrede's books? May I suggest these authors:
Lillian Stewart Carl
Robin McKinley
Tamora Pierce
Sharon Shinn
Jane Yolen
Caroline Stevermer
Garth Nix
For more information, visit Patricia Wrede's blog here.