Warned by her mother not to sing in the forest, young Katie finds herself challenged to a contest by a powerful, mysterious being. But a simple singing contest may have further-reaching repercussions than she bargained for.
Randi McKinnon’s KATIE AND THE TROLL QUEEN tells a familiar story: a young person with musical talent is challenged to an all-or-nothing contest with an otherworldly being. The illustrated children’s tale introduces Katie as a pleasant child, helpful and hard-working, as well as an excellent singer. Katie’s mother apparently used to sing, too, but will never sing a duet with Katie. She also warns the child never to go out in the forest and sing. However, while out picking fruit one day, Katie simply can’t help herself, and is met by the Troll Queen. This strange, beautiful woman challenges the little girl to a singing contest. Katie’s singing voice is on the line—but there also appears to be a second, secret win condition, as well as a tie back to Katie’s mother.
While a cute concept, the prose of KATIE AND THE TROLL QUEEN is clumsy and unedited. This makes it difficult to read aloud to its intended young audience, or for young readers themselves to follow. There are also many grammatical errors that increase as the book goes on. It’s a shame, as the story is a sweet one with potential. From what little the reader knows of Katie, she appears likable and relatable enough. The description of the Troll Queen, initially a beautiful woman with a few odd features, is also fascinating, and shows a degree of creativity. The illustrations accompanying the story aren’t bad; however, the art–also done by the author–doesn’t always mesh fully with the descriptions on the page. Combined with the previous issues, the book gives the impression of having been hastily put together from an otherwise competent and engaging idea. With some beta reading and edits, it could potentially be an excellent book for young readers. As it stands, though, it’s difficult to parse and gets lost in its own errors. The book is clearly a passion project, and one that should be praised for making it to its end point. However, it’s still very rough and unpolished. With a competent editor and proofreader, a bit of TLC, and a once-over on the art, this could be a sweet modern fairy tale for young readers.
While earnestly written and decently illustrated, Randi McKinnon’s KATIE AND THE TROLL QUEEN stumbles over its prose, regrettably becoming a very difficult read for its intended young audience.
