Indira has been a character-in-waiting her entire life. So she can't believe her luck when she's finally chosen to travel to Fable and study at the renowned Protagonist Preparatory, a school known for producing the best heroes.

But Indira's dreams of achieving hero status don't exactly go as planned. A failed audition lands her in the school's side-character track, and her best efforts to prove advisors--famous characters like Alice from Wonderland and Professor Darcy--wrong are constantly sabotaged. Indira is starting to feel like an evil antagonist might be to blame.

As the danger spreads, Indira discovers all of Fable is under siege. With her friends Maxi and Phoenix by her side, she pieces together clues that will reveal who is behind the dark magic threatening them all. But the more Indira uncovers, the more doubt she feels about her place in this world of stories. After all, can a side character really save the day? - Goodreads

I don't say this lightly but this is the most creative book, I have read this year. 

Indira isn't even the main star of the novel (at least to em). It is everything in the background from the setting, the supporting characters and the plot. Indira is going to Fable, where she will train to become a hero, the protagonist of her own story. But a lot of stuff happens for her to get there. 

While reading this book it is very clear to the reader that the author had a lot of fun with the setting and the people of Fable because that is where the focus is. This is not to say that Indira lacked qualities to keep the book going to make it worth while reading. But this book is long . . . extremely long. Like 60% of the book, the author just builds up the environment and gets you familiar with the characters that will be playing a part in the "action" for the lack of better term.

This book could have been cut in half and still would have been a fantastic read. By time anything actually happened,  not only did I breathe a sigh of relief but I also was ready to put the book down. I did but in a fairly short amount of time, picked it back up and keep reading because this world. . .  you want to live in it because you fall for the people that support Indira. You fall for the quirks and the book references in this novel. 

This is not to say Indira isn't a good character. She develops extremely well and I love how the author ties everything together from the beginning and the end. 

The book as a whole comes together and I highly recommend this read to everyone. The only issue is the fact that it is so so very long. 

Overall,  

4 Pickles

Saving Fable is an exciting page-turner that will delight adventurers. Indira Story is as wonderful as her name suggests. The world-building is unique and fantastical.

Many thanks to Random House Children’s Books/Crown Books for Young Readers for sending me a link to an eARC in exchange for a review!
Saving Fable, since announced, has been one of my most anticipated books for the year. Really, anything that Scott Reintgen writes thanks to Nyxia is highly placed on my hope-to-read list. The idea seemed super fresh, super genuine, and super fun, especially for Middle Grade readers who may not be too attuned to pick up a book for fun. And it absolutely was.
Saving Fable follows Indira Story, a character-in-waiting who has hopes that one day she’ll be picked by the Authors to become the hero in their story. When Indira finally gets picked, she’s so excited that her dreams are finally going to come true. But, after she failed her audition into Protagonist Preparatory and is placed into the side character track, she loses hope. But, with renewed spirit, Indira follows some great advice to work hard and prove that her destiny is to become a hero. Taking classes with some of literature’s most notable characters, she truly believes that she’ll one day make it into a story as the hero. When she learns from her guidance counselor that she’s not doing as well as she had hoped, Indira once again feels hopeless. But there are some mysterious things happening in Fable and at Protagonist Preparatory and Indira seems to find herself in the middle of the mystery. As she follows the clues, Indira enters into an adventure that she didn’t see coming. One where if solved, she’d not only be a fictional hero, but would save Fable from it’s doom.
I absolutely loved this story. Indira is a main character that any one of all ages can resonate with. Indira wants to be the hero of a story, she wants to matter. As she enters Protagonist Preparatory and is placed on the side character track, she loses heart. But it’s the community and the friends that she finds who truly inspire her to press on, regardless of what is spoken about her. She’s smart, adventurous, loyal, and a really great friend. She loves those who love her fiercely and does what ever it takes to keep them safe. She’s awkward at times, but it just makes her that much more of a wholesome, complete, relevant character.
Reintgen, with this story, does something super creative and super new. It’s literally a story about the behind the scene look of what it takes to create a story in a fantastical way. In telling Indira’s story, there’s so much creativity of what it looks like, kind of like Toy Story when the humans aren’t around. I loved how the story uses famous characters (both protagonists and side characters) to help train the newbies. I loved how there are references all throughout of favorite childhood books that resonate with many people, that students (even now!) are finding and love such as The Hunger Games, The Lightning Thief, Alice in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliet, etc. The worldbuilding of Fable and the book references throughout are genius! I absolutely loved this world and considering this is only book one, I can’t wait for more.
Saving Fable is a book that is perfect and fun for Middle Grade readers. Not only does it resonate with them, but it’s so much fun for those that just love to read. It also is a perfect book for students who may not love reading as a way to get to love reading. I couldn’t put this book down. I also can’t wait for the next one. Until then, I’ll be recommending it to all my teacher friends and friends that with students who are just starting to catch the reading bug. Saving Fable can be found in stores starting September 17th, 2019. I can’t wait for y’all to read this!

The omniscient narrator addresses the reader directly, an invitation to read this book out loud.

Indira Story is a character in search of the book she can be a protagonist in, which would enable her to rescue her brother from being consigned to the mines, digging for story-nuggets to be passed to authors. (An idea that will make writers who have sweated blood laugh out loud, but might puzzle everyone else, especially the young readers the book is aimed at.)

I'm not really sure who the audience is, as young readers might get increasingly puzzled by all the meta of storytelling, editing, and tropes when they themselves are still discovering all these good things. The second half is particularly confusing as there is so much going on, with scant description of Protagonist School and Fable, the land of stories.

But Indira is a wonderful character, the villains are fun to boo, the secondary characters show great promise, and the pacing zooms right along.

When I was teaching elementary school, I would have read this one aloud to fifth and sixth graders especially, taking advantage of all the dramatic moments, and thereby enabling kids to ask questions about story-building. I think it would be a ton of fun for classroom read-along and family time, but also a delight for the bookworm kid who is always in the library.

This wonderfully unique book features Indira Story as the main character. She's waited a long time to audition for her role in a book. When the day finally comes, it's not quite what she expected!

Scott. Reintgen is a fabulous storyteller, but he also provides the reader with an opportunity to see and feel the writer's process throughout the book. This will be our next book club at school!

This book was such a delight! In the land of Fable, characters are chosen to go to Protagonist Preparatory. Indira Story has been waiting for her chance to be chosen for the prestigious school and one day, she gets her wish. Much to her dismay, she is on the side character track. Villainous plots unfold and it's up to her and her new friends to stop a calamity waiting to happen.

I really loved the exploration of finding and believing in yourself. Yes, the world Reintgen crafted has rules, but they're meant to be broken with the right tools and determination. Indira is also such a great character. She's determined, but very soft—she cares deeply for the people around her while also keeping her eye on the prize of her own journey to becoming a hero.

The references are also top notch, with famed literary figures like Mr. Darcy, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and Odysseus serving as teachers at the school. In addition, the way Reintgen brings together other aspects of storytelling, like the Grammar Police and Editors, is so thoughtfully done. The best part: he clearly had a fun time crafting this world of meta-stories.

A whimsical ride from start to finish, focusing on the power of friendship and the strength that comes from believing in yourself.

Saving Fable by Scott Reintgen 5 stars

This is the first book by Mr. Reintgen that I have read, but this one makes me want to look up his backlist. The premise of this book is that all characters are just waiting to be written and introduced to the Outside World. Most characters live in certain lands for a time and if they don't get picked for further training they get sent to other lands where they work to support Fable. Indira Story from Origin gets picked to go to Fable where she attends Protagonist Preparatory. She auditions for Protagonist track but fails and is put into the side character career track. She is assigned classes where her teachers are Mr. Darcy, Odysseus, Romeo Montague and Alice (in Wonderland). She really wants to be a hero so that her brother David can leave Quiver and join her story, so she works really hard to be a good character. However, not all is well in Fable and some students have been disappearing and Romeo is a victim of dark magic. It will take a great deal of courage and the bonds of friendship to save Fable and give Indira her story.

This book is a love story to reading and the value of imagination. I enjoyed the references to books that I have read and the sarcastic remarks directed to Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. This looks like that it will be a series and I eagerly await the next book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's for this ARC.

What a WONDERFUL, FUN book this one is!! I sucked it down so fast!! The story of Indira Story and her chance to be a character in Fable is absolutely delightful!!

Written for young readers, it has a Harry Potter vibe to it. Except what was freakin ingenious was that it is about books being written, characters being chosen to be in them, and it’s a school where the characters study and hope to be chosen by an Author. The world building is so incredible and entertaining! There are bookmarks who are tall, thin, odd characters who walk around talking about the book they’re reading. Then there are DOGears, who run around causing mischief. I mean who wants their book dog eared?!! There is one world, then you look up and there’s another above it!! There are dragon eye transporters to take you up to the other world. Plus the world’s themes keep changing. There’s so much more in this world, it is filled with interesting things!! The characters are so well written, and the plot is adventurous, suspenseful and an exciting ride!!

I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to anyone, old and young!! In fact I ordered a hardback copy for a friend’s daughter and i think she’ll love it!!!!

Thank you so much to @randomhousekids #crownbooksforyoungreaders and @netgalley for the eARC of Scott Reintgen’s @reintgen new middle grade book Saving Fable!
I was absolutely charmed by Indira Story, the heroine and protagonist of Saving Fable. Indira’s Dream is to make it out of Origin and find some way to make it to Fable - and the hope of being chosen by an Author. Indira is everything I want in a heroine— caring, strong, & smart. It is so fun to see how the story unfolds, especially for a book lover. The text is full of fun, bookish references that I think middle grade readers will really appreciate.
I absolutely recommend Saving Fable for book lovers of all ages, and anyone who wants to go on an adventure with a smart, spunky heroine! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What a great story! This was so much fun to read--I loved the whole premise, with Indira and other characters hoping to be written into a story in the Real World. It was really fun to see the different areas of Imagination, like Fable and Origin. I also loved Protagonist Prepatory and the different classes the Indira attended. It was just a really clever world and I really enjoyed venturing into it with Indira. Indira was a great character--I loved her heart and her pluck and her determination and seeing her struggle to believe in herself. The plot was also really interesting, with twists and surprises to keep it moving along quickly. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!
4.5. stars.
I read an ARC provided by the publisher via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Indira Story has been chosen to potentially a character be in a novel. All her life, she has believed that she will be the hero, but after arriving at Protagonist Preparatory and failing her auditions, she is scheduled to be a side character. Mishap after mishap, Indira begins to realize that something terrible is happening to Fable. On her journey to save her friends and family, she will need to prove whether she is fit to be a hero or destined to remain a side character.

<i>Saving Fable</i> is definitely unique and interesting. The world that Reintgen creates is incredible; it’s like I can just reach out and grab a white mocha for myself! The town of Fable was a concept that I really liked in that it changes its “look” every so often. One day it can be set in the wild west and the next day there will be castles and knights.

My favorite thing was the message of looking on the bright-side and never giving up. Especially being a middle grade, I think it was really important to have the underlying lesson be about remaining true to yourself and trusting your instincts.

What a cute little book! I was offered to read this before its released, by surprise! I didn’t know the author had a MG book in the making. I have always requested his arcs for his Nyxia Triad series, and I have loved to bits the first two books. The third one? I’ve been postponing it; I don’t want the story to end. What if my favorite characters die? Because that can happen!! Those books are unpredictable!

The main character of this story is a girl called Indira Story. But Indira is not your typical girl, and no, this is not the usual trope: Indira is a character in waiting. She doesn’t live in the Real World. In her world characters live waiting for an author of the real world to put them into a story.

The concept of this book is simple, yet complex. Not all the characters are given the opportunity to be in a story, and some are part of a book that’s never finished. Characters train hoping to become exactly the hero/side character/villain an author wants to write about. Some are disappointed, some are happy, some just accept their fate.

I liked how easy it was to read. How the author of this story put well known characters to be teachers in the protagonist preparatory school. Like Teacher Darcy and his how to fall in love by page 12 classes that were always under the rain, just to add in the dramatics. Or the Alice’s lesson of how to escape being kidnapped and solve riddles.

I will read the sequel, that’s for sure.

I loved the cleverness of this story! Indira is an aspiring protagonist. All she needs is an author to place her in a story. But, things don't always go to plan and Indira's journey takes her on a much bigger quest than anticipated. It's not just her story that's at stake. Suddenly, all of Fable is in trouble and no one may be getting a story ever again.

Scott Reintgen! You are a fantastic Author! I adored this story so very much! What an incredible premise and so wonderfully executed! From the dog-ears and Marks to the Editors, every part of this world felt thrilling and magical but also plausible. I loved the narrator popping in here and there with side notes. Just as with NYXIA, every character felt superbly thought out--it truly is only fitting that Reintgen would write about the importance of side characters when he is the king of crafting them to have their own worlds and back stories. This was reminiscent Cornelia Funke days in the best way. I had such a blast in this world and I think the middle grade audience is going to adore it as much as I did.

Everybody in this world wants to be a main character in a book. If they get to Fable they will be taught skills that will enhance their chances of getting chosen.

Crown Books for Young Readers and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published September 17th.

Indira desperately wants to be a character. Her older brother wasn't chosen and she's hoping she can include him in her book. She gets to Fable but her advisor tells her she's been failing all the classes. She knows she's done the work but her homework pages are blank. She figures the paper her advisor gave must have a spell on it. Then she finds out more about her, none of it good. The other advisors want proof. Getting proof is dangerous but she heads out to find it. What she finds is a horrible plot to take her place in a book. You see, her advisor was an unfinished character and she'd lied about her name to get the job. The advisor doesn't care if she destroys two worlds to get what she wants.

Can Indira stop her? Who will help her? Can she stop the spell and save her classmates that "disappeared"? That's a lot of "if's". But Indiri has been doing well in her classes and she'll just have to wing it like she usually does.

This was a fun read with main characters, side characters, and those that would do cameo spots. Indira is just a side character so how can she be a hero? With magic, and special tools there's a lot of mischief that can be done. It's good that Indira is trying to stop that.

What a great read for middle schoolers who like fantasy tales!

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this middle-grade fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

saving fable (Scott Reintgen)

Title: saving fable

Author: Scott Reintgen

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: Tomorrow, September 17, 2019!!! (hardback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-0525646686

Source: NetGalley

When I was offered an eArc of this book, I jumped at the chance.  The premise be awesome.  The story centers around Indira Story who has been a character-in-waiting who yearns to be a protagonist in an author's book one day.  But to do so, she has to be selected to go to Fable to attend the Protagonist Preparatory.  Indira is excited to get her chance but be upset to discover herself in the side-character tract.  Indira is determined to earn protagonist status.  But everything seems to be going wrong . . .

On the novel's Goodreads page the author says, "This book is a love letter to the world of literature. I wrapped up everything we love about books and shoved it all inside a breathless adventure story about a girl trying to figure out what it means to be a hero."

This love of literature can certainly be seen in the lovely world-building.  I really did like the idea of a school where characters train to be more rounded, to develop interests and quirks, and to broaden their horizons in order to catch the eye of a potential author.  I loved that famous characters from other stories are teachers.  Particular favourites include Alice, Mr. Darcy, and Romeo Montague.  I loved the set-up for the book with its different towns and jobs for the characters.

I also think that Indira Story was a fantastic character.  I was rooting for her the entire time.  I absolutely adored her host family and thought many of their scenes were some of the strongest of the book.  Her other character friends were fun but I do wish they had a more page time and were fleshed out further.  I especially would have liked Peeve to not have disappeared for the entire second-half of the story.  But this being a first book of the series, maybe those characters will make bigger appearances in later books.

I did think the first half of the plot was much stronger than the second.  Once Indira got to the school and had her first day of classes, the story did get a bit muddled.  Also the world-building suffered after this point too.  There was never really enough description of the town of Fable or the inside of the school itself.  The classes themselves weren't discussed in much detail either.  The evil character in this book did have a believable backstory which I enjoyed.  I just think that the mystery plot elements and resolutions weren't particularly strong.

Also the comparison of this to the Phantom Tollbooth is over-reaching.  While the concepts are fun, the story is not overly clever and certainly doesn't have the magnitude of the magic of language like that classic.  It lead me to having high expectations that weren't fulfulled.  That said, I do think this be a story that kids should love.  This adult did like it and would certainly be willing to read the next installment of the series.  As the author says:

"As you enter a world where everything about books has literally come to life, I'd encourage you to keep a few things in mind::

1. Bookmarks are bad at giving advice, because they miss entire chapters in the story.
2. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.
3. Mr. Darcy's class, Love by Page 12, always takes place in the Rainy Courtyard.
4. Down in the Sepulcher, one can find every Unfinished story that's ever been written.
5. Every story YOU write creates new jobs for these characters. It'd be a shame for you to leave them unemployed. So go ahead and write the story that only you could write. These characters are training hard in school to make sure they're ready for the day you do."

Arrrrr!!!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Crown Books for Young Readers!

Goodread's website has this to say about the novel:

Side characters can be heroes too in this charming and fast-paced adventure that is The Land of Stories meets The Phantom Tollbooth!

Indira has been a character-in-waiting her entire life. So she can't believe her luck when she's finally chosen to travel to Fable and study at the renowned Protagonist Preparatory, a school known for producing the best heroes.

But Indira's dreams of achieving hero status don't exactly go as planned. A failed audition lands her in the school's side-character track, and her best efforts to prove advisors--famous characters like Alice from Wonderland and Professor Darcy--wrong are constantly sabotaged. Indira is starting to feel like an evil antagonist might be to blame.

As the danger spreads, Indira discovers all of Fable is under siege. With her friends Maxi and Phoenix by her side, she pieces together clues that will reveal who is behind the dark magic threatening them all. But the more Indira uncovers, the more doubt she feels about her place in this world of stories. After all, can a side character really save the day?

To visit the author’s website go to:

Scott Reintgen - Author

To buy the novel go to:

saving fable - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Previous Log Entries for this Author

nyxia - book 1 (On the Horizon – Young Adult Sci-Fi eArc)

nyxia unleashed - book 2 (On the Horizon - Young Adult Sci-Fi eArc)

Like the little elves that knit away in the night that happen to be clothes you find sitting on your bed in the morning, @reintgen has created a beautifully weaved fable made up entirely of the side characters that could become your favorite hero’s in new books. Saving Fable is a great read not only for the audience it was created for: kids, but also anyone with a childlike heart. This coming from me and I’m only halfway finished reading!

Mr. Reintgen’s creativity has gone beyond what I imagined Saving Fable would be about and skyrocketed into the ether farther than Emmett ever traveled in Nyxia. Mr. Reintgen has stolen my heart, his young readers hearts and replaced it with the genuine courage of a little girl named Indira Story. She is definitely endearing! I found myself in awe of his talent and the way his mind works. I gawked audibly in so many places just on the genius of his writing style in this book. Seriously there are so many wonderful tidbits from books you’ve read, writing processes and pure thrilling, mysterious entertainment revolving around the writing process you seem to forget you aren’t one of the side characters.

#savingfable coming out September 17, 2019. @netgalley thank you for allowing me the honor to read Saving Fable in lieu of my honest review. Scott is one of my favorite new authors!!

Wreck-It-Ralph theme meets fictional characters. Saving Fable was a story of character shool yet to be written. What a nostalgic story!

Saving Fable was a heart-warming and a fun story. The story tackles a fictional place where all characters that every author started to write or undone was summed up to a magical place called Fable. Indira Story was a soon-to-be protagonist of an unknown author. She goes to Fable to learn and study how to be a good character. A mysterious fictional character started to disrupt the process of an author, and Indira with her gang face the challenges to restore balance in Fable.

The story brought nostalgic characters like Percy Jackson, Mr. Darcy, Alice, and many more. The characters are fun and charming especially Indira.

The whole story brings this uplifting spirit of never giving up and pursuing one's dreams despite the challenges and understatement from the surrounding people.

Thank you, publisher and Random House, for the digital copy through Netgalley.

The world of books comes to life in Saving Fable.

Imagine taking a class given by Alice (best Alice in Wonderland!) teaching you how to get captured and narrowly escape or maybe a class with Romeo teaching you a class on I thought you were dead is more up your alley. Protagonist Preparatory is not your everyday school they prepare characters for their potential role in a book incase they get picked by an author. Students audition to become a Protagonist and if you fail the audition then you get assigned to the side-kick track in school

Indira Story finally got picked for Fable but when she fails her auditions and her dreams of becoming a Protagonist feel impossible she is determined to work harder in hopes to turn things around. She was meant to be a hero and not just a side-kick but things are just not going her way. Something dark is going on in Protagonist Preparatory that can destroy Fable. Can a side-kick save Fable? I can't answer this for you because you have to pick u this book ate find this out.

I enjoyed reading this story. If you like the Land of Stories you will enjoy this book. A middle grade book that gets us to think about what we do when we fail. Do you give up or try harder? Do we let others dash our hopes or find ways to overcome it? A fun book that will take you on an adventure with Indira Story.

I’m so grateful to get a copy of Saving Fable. When I first read the synopsis I was already so intrigued. Wondering who I was in my own story was something I often did and sometimes still do. Am I the main character in my own life? What if I’m just a side character? Scott Reintgen tackles these questions in the most beautiful and creative story.

Saving Fable might be classified as a middle grade novel, but I think it can truly be a novel for all ages. The message it sends it beautiful and thought provoking. I can imagine it as an amazing movie and though it is a standalone novel I can’t even begin to imagine all the other stories that could exist is this wonderfully complex and creatively original world.

This might just be one of my favorite books of all time and I definitely a book I wish I had when I was younger. It was beautifully written with an engaging plot, relatable characters, and a captivating world. I literally cannot praise it enough!