Storyteller - Softcover

Kirkus Reviews (starred): "The cast of magnificently varied and multidimensional characters includes a viciously greedy king, an evil illusionist, a princess who feels trapped by her royal position and a brilliant, talking bird who is hopelessly in love with a fish. The stories Jack tells along the way . . . act as clever devices that provide insight into the nature of power, love, good and evil. As Myers engages the reader in the tale, he also deftly and subtly explores and illuminates the writer's craft and the very basis of story and the power of storytelling. Marvelous."

School Library Journal (starred): "Jack, 17, is a storyteller who leaves his village to seek his fortune in the Royal City. . . . When [a] cruel prince takes the throne, Jack is forced to travel the kingdom, spinning stories that make the new king look good. He faces several trials, including imprisonment and near beheading. The book's messages are clear: stories are powerful for good or evil, and we must each live our own to the fullest. There are stories within stories here, and a framing narrative. Characters are colorful and memorable. . . . At the conclusion, readers will be pleased to find that Jack is the grandfather in the framing narrative, having lived as happily ever after as he had hoped and now bidding his grandson, the listener of this tale, to be off, as the world awaits him."

Booklist: "[This] story has the timeless appeal of adventure, humor, and light romance, all woven together by an able teller of tales."

Teenspace: "[Jack] encounters a cast of characters that includes an evil magician, a talking bird, and a resentful princess, among others. As they tell [him] their stories, and he shares a few of his own, the tales swirl together to form a kaleidoscope of feelings that will transport the reader on a magic carpet ride that they won't soon forget."