Jessica Day George: My All-Around Favorite Author?

To be honest, I have a lot of favorite authors. There are a lot of authors that I look up to, that I admire, and whose books I adore. But I think Jessica Day George, author of countless different series, might just take the cake. Maybe not my most favorite author, or the author of my favorite book, or even my favorite writing style. But the author who has written a bunch of different projects and has yet to make me dislike one of her books. 

I was first introduced to Jessica Day George the way many of us were –through the Tuesdays at the Castle series. I read all of these books when I was probably ten years old or younger. And I fell in love with them. Today there are five books in the series, though when I read them there were only three. This series is all about a castle that sporadically moves and adds or takes away rooms, the family that lives in it, and eventually she throws in some griffins. And she does it all wonderfully. 

This is the best way to be introduced to Jessica Day George, in my humble opinion. These books are light, funny, and well-written. Her plot is interesting and just downright wholesome. I go back to these books whenever I want some quality writing from when books were simple, when I didn’t have to worry about things I don’t want to read being in them, when romance was light and humor was just plain funny.

The next step in my conversion to a JDG fanatic (I hope it’s ok if I call her that 😂) was Princess of the Midnight Ball, a twelve dancing princesses retelling. This series actually made it up onto my Prize Shelf, where my absolute favorite books go. There are three books in it, each one a retelling of a different fairy tale. She covers the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood, sticking with the same cast of characters but following a different person for each book. I think the romance is just so sweet in this trilogy, but not so much that a thirteen year-old me didn’t like it. Again, writing well without making it overly complicated.

After that came Dragon Slippers. I would say that these are my favorite books that she’s ever written, but that would be a lie. I can’t choose. This might be tied with the two I just talked about though. Because… Dragons. Need I say more? 

I will, don’t worry. This book describes dragons as majestic, speaking, intelligent creatures. The main character is a stubborn, sassy girl who is a refreshing twist on the damsel in distress. Actually, she’s a damsel about to cause some distress 😂. Jessica Day George once again shows off her ability to take things we know and love (Such as fairy tales) keep what we adore, and add in new twists that feel perfectly natural and endear her characters to us. 

I’ll pause to say that yes, JDG’s books are almost all middle-grade, written for a younger audience. But I don’t care. I still love them, and I find her simpler style refreshing after books that don’t have as good a story to tell, but say it in fancier words. Personally, I’d rather have her endearing characters and well-thought out stories than prolific prose and a thousand plot twists (which have their time and place too)

Next step. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow. Another retelling that you wouldn’t know was a retelling! This book is a take on East o’ the sun, West o’ the moon. The style is completely different than anything George has written and I’m obsessed with it. It’s far more what you would expect of a fairy tale adaptation, with a pulled-back view of the story and a more whimsical narrator. This book adds in Norwegian culture and mythology, and it’s one of my all-time favorite fantasy romances. 

And finally, The Rose Legacy. This is the only series of hers that I’ve read but do not own. As a horse girl myself, I loved this trilogy that explores the bond between a person and a horse and sees just how deep it can go. Yes, it is a bit younger than her other series. But I still enjoyed it. 

I’ll leave you with this: Jessica Day George has published 16 books. (More if you count anthologies) I’ve read 15 of them. The only book I haven’t read yet is Silver in the Blood, and that’s only because I keep forgetting to get it from the library. And I’ve loved every single book of hers. How frequently does that happen!? Not very!

Hence, I give her the title All-Around Favorite Author.