Once Upon a Rhyme

Tales Inspired by Verses and Lullabies edited by Lyssa Chiavari
with stories by Amy Bearce, Lyssa Chiavari, T. Damon, Dorothy Dreyer, Janina Franck, Leigh Hellman, Chris Kanther, Intisar Khanani, Jamie Krakover, Selenia Paz, Erin Petti, and D.G. Shepard

Once upon a time, there were rhymes.

Nursery rhymes have been a part of childhood around the world for as long as we can remember, passed down through generations. But what if we could see them in a new light? What if we could explore them from a different perspective, or in a time and place we never expected?

In ONCE UPON A RHYME, twelve young adult authors reimagine the verses we thought we knew for a brand-new audience. Whether it’s an enchanted rainstorm portending an unwelcome gift, a collapsing sky-bridge over a world cast in darkness, or a magic horn that causes mischief and mayhem, each fantastical tale offers a fresh perspective on the songs and poems we’ve heard a thousand times.

What happens when old rhymes are brought to life in new ways? The stories in these pages are just the beginning of the answer.

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Inside the Stories

“Wolpertinger’s Riddle,” a story inspired by HOPPE HOPPE REITER, by Janina Franck, author of A Spark in Space
Lena’s mother is dying. When medical treatment proves unsuccessful, her last hope lies with the witch who lives beyond the swamp. Lena embarks on a difficult quest to reach the witch and beg her for a favor, joined by a pair of mysterious siblings who also seek the witch. But when Lena encounters a fabled wolpertinger that warns her of danger, will Lena have the strength to make it through the witch’s trial to save the people she cares for?

“Ireland Off-Script,” a story inspired by RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY, by Amy Bearce, author of the Wish and Wander series
In this Irish twist on Liar Liar for teens, charming and always-tactful Holly kisses the Blarney Stone in Ireland and suddenly cannot lie, not even the little fibs that keep things running smoothly. Her picture-perfect life is about to go wildly off-script—live on camera, in front of her friends in journalism club and streamed to the world. Before their trip to Ireland ends, Holly must discover which truth can break the curse or she’ll be stuck with this unwanted gift of gab forever.

“Broken Crown,” a story inspired by JACK AND JILL, by debut author D.G. Shepard
When the legendary ghost ship Von Denniken appears in orbit and disaster strikes the colony world of Uraya 1A, Jillian’s father is blamed for a catastrophe that could doom everyone on the planet. Desperate to clear his name, Jillian and her best friend Jack embark on a reckless mission to board the mysterious vessel and retrieve water to save the colony. But what she finds on board the ghost ship will change Jillian’s life forever…

“Free Starlings of the Rose-Colored Mountain,” a story inspired by SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE, by Erin Petti, author of the Thelma Bee series
In a story woven from the gentle warmth of woodland magic, an adventurous young bog rat sets out to discover the wonders of the world. But when a menacing shadow fills the sky, he must turn to his Old Gramp for answers. It’s an old tale, the boy will learn, about greed, heartache, but most of all, the unbreakable, life-saving power of hope even in the darkest places.

“White as Snow,” a story inspired by MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB, by Selenia Paz, author of the Leyendas Trilogy
Grieving the recent loss of her Great-Aunt Estella, Olivia takes a job sorting a lifetime of clutter for a wealthy recluse named Bruno Houndstone. But Mr. Houndstone carries grief of his own, and there’s more to his mysterious past than meets the eye. Through her work, Olivia finds clues about Mr. Houndstone’s long-ago family, including his young daughter, Marianne, and her little lamb. When old enemies return seeking revenge, Olivia will need help from one she’s lost to save the kindly old man she’s come to love like family.

“How the Garden Grows,” a story inspired by MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY, by Intisar Khanani, author of the Sunbolt Chronicles
Mariam has lived many places, but her beloved cottage and garden is the only place that ever felt like home. It’s also her mother’s resting place and a sanctuary for the lesser forest spirits that live there with her. When well-meaning village council members who neither see nor believe in forest magic inform her the property now belongs to a distant heir, Mariam refuses to give up without a fight—especially after she learns they intend to raze the surrounding forest for farmland. To keep her home and its garden spirits safe, she’ll have to enlist the help of stronger, and more dangerous, powers that dwell among the trees.

“The Golden Muffin,” a story inspired by THE MUFFIN MAN, by T. Damon, author of the Forest Spirit series
He only shows up once on the blue moon, and only for the one he has chosen. If he chooses you, you must pick from his tray of muffins. One muffin could change your life for the better, or another might ruin it—but they all look the same. The choice is yours, but you MUST pick a muffin. Because if you don’t, the Muffin Man becomes a monster…

“Mousetrap,” a story inspired by HICKORY DICKORY DOCK, by Jamie Krakover, author of the Tracker Sequence
Ziva always makes light of stressful situations, but training to be a cadet on a spaceship is no joke. When she starts receiving cryptic messages mimicking the nursery rhyme Hickory Dickory Dock, it all feels like a prank. But as the accidents around her start piling up, she’ll have to uncover who is behind them before someone else gets the last laugh.

“The Sprite and the Shepherd’s Horn,” a story inspired by LITTLE BOY BLUE, by Chris Kanther, author of the upcoming Nine Kingdoms series
Grey is an apprentice at the Emporium, where merchants of magical goods sell their wares. While delivering an enchanted horn, Grey’s fellow apprentice and friend, an impulsive sprite named Puck, accidentally unleashes magical mayhem on the whole village. With only a few hours to break the spell before sunset arrives—bringing the dangerous Shadow Stag with it—it’s up to Grey to figure out how to help his friend and rescue the town.

“The Angels Will Weep,” a story inspired by ROCK-A-BYE BABY, by Leigh Hellman, author of Orbit
Since Mae was little, Nana’s house had always been more home than anywhere else. Standing tall and proud against the broad Midwest fields, Nana’s house was built on rules that were known but not spoken and ways that were right because Nana said so. The house was sturdy, holding in generations of life and death and only creaking with the effort of it. Mae had come to live there as a child but now that she was grown she could feel it all deep in her bones, stored like a future inheritance: Nana’s house and all the secrets that held it together.

“Gently Down the Stream,” a story inspired by ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT, by Dorothy Dreyer, author of the Empire of the Lotus series
On the secluded Eliphalet River, healer Roe draws illness from others—at the cost of her own health. When she saves a mysterious merman named Calder, their fragile trust deepens into something neither of them expected. But when a cursed creature rises from the river’s depths, Roe must decide how much of herself she’s willing to give up to heal the river itself.

“Sky is Falling,” a story inspired by LONDON BRIDGE, by Lyssa Chiavari, author of the Iamos Trilogy
Lea lives Starside, in a space station network so vast that it casts the planet below into a state of perpetual shadow. But it wasn’t always this way. Once, she lived Groundside, where she was best friends—and maybe more—with a girl named Iona, a girl believed by the superstitious Groundsiders to be a Silverblood. A witch. Lea knows there’s no such thing as magic. But when she encounters Iona again after two years apart, everything she believes is called into question, for what happens between them can only be called magic… of the darkest kind.