Poisoned Apples

 Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty (2014) by Christine Heppermann

Christine Hepperman gives us fifty poem about modern teenage life based in vivid retellings of classic fairy tales. We have everything from Snow White to Beauty & the Beast, from Cinderella to the miller's daughter in Rumpelstiltskin; even the princess from the Princess and the Pea gets her moment*. Hepperman uses dark and pointed imagery to talk about the difficulties facing modern young women--difficulties that are grounded in problems as old as the fairy tales she employs. 

Some of the dark imagery come from the fairy tales, but most comes from the pressures of growing up female--worrying about not eating enough or too much; worrying about what you wear and whether it's appropriate; making sure your skin is perfect and you look good--but not too good to tempt the boys; being a good girl; staying on the right path; watching out for wolves... The poems hit home and speak to a new generation of teenage girls who have to navigate the dark forests filled with wolves and woodsmen, looking for the safety of grandma's house....or maybe looking for adventure without danger. ★★★★

*View from the Balcony

When my sleeve slips past
the black-and-blue patchwork of skin
during my practiced royal wave,
the crowd cheers even louder,
for here's the proof~
I am the kingdom's mottled sweetheart
who can feel a single pea like a fist
thrust through the mountain of eiderdown.

The prince hammers a kiss onto my cheek.
I look down into the shadows of the courtyard
and try to spot all the others, so many
real princesses
standing stiffly on the merciless cobblestones.