Much of the power of Zilpha Keatley Snyder's A Fabulous Creature comes with the subtlety she weaves through the landscape of the Sierra Nevadas.James Fielding is less than thrilled his parents when his parents get the rare bout of “happy-boyhood theory”-itus and instigate a summer retreat in the wilderness. But he surprises himself with how quickly his apathy towards nature is quickly overturned by his discovery of its beauties… not least of which is a majestic stag. And what starts out as an observational curiosity with the resort next door becomes full-blown fascination when he meets the vivacious hottie Diane and a trio of kooky kids led by the puzzling girl Griffin.Coming-of-age stories are a dime a dozen, but this is one of my favorites (incredibly obscure though it is). Why? I’ll let the New York Times* cover me on this one:"It's a good book - not only because it pits the plastic people against the wilderness people and mixes the mythic and real, but because Snyder is true to her own story. She herself does not succumb to the expediencies of plasticity and artifice. In a richly symbolic texture, her settings of camp and wilderness become powerful protagonists. " James thinks he’s a lot cleverer than he really is. And like with all her characters, Snyder exaggerates this tendency with specifics to both tap into our stereotype and develop it to represent something bigger. In her world, a deer is also a lord of the valley. A girl also a beast, human also nature, and a small victory also towering growth.A lot of teenagers—hell—like a lot of people, are too cleverly detached by half. And as James learns to step away from this easy path, to really see meaning (in this case, in nature) and stand for it. And well, isn’t that what coming of age is all about? Choosing to become Someone.~ Reread 1/2/2010
