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True Heroes: A Treasury of Modern-day Fairy Tales Written by Best-Selling Authors
This one-of-a-kind treasury brings together the talents of nearly two dozen bestselling middle-grade authors including Shannon Hale, Brandon Mull, Ally Condie and Jennifer A. Nielsen — who have created original short stories, modern-day fairy tales, based on the lives and dreams of children they have met who all have two things in common: they have very big hopes and dreams and they are all cancer patients. Each short story is prefaced by a brief introductory bio of the child and is accompanied by photographs of the child, fully costumed and digitally inserted into a background — a baker, a dancer, a superhero, a dragon fighter, a sports star, a princess and more — that makes them the hero of their own modern day fairy tale story written by one of their favorite authors.
199 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2015
30 people are currently reading
842 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
September 15, 2016
While I was looking for upcoming Jennifer Nielsen and Brandon Mull books to pre-order, I kept seeing this title pop up in the search results. I finally took time to read the synopsis, preview Jonathan Diaz’s introduction, and decide I had to read this treasury.
Besides Jennifer Nielsen, Brandon Mull, Shannon Hale, and Liesl Shurtliff (works of whom I have previously read – all great authors), I discovered other talented authors who wrote inspiring fairy tales. The photographs are excellent and moving. The biographies of these true heroes stir emotions. The fairy tales remind us life is hard but hope abounds and when one has courage, it is possible to overcome challenges and chase dreams. I know a little girl who has acute lymphoblastic leukemia and whenever I see her, I marvel at how cheerful and energetic she is towards life despite all she has endured. She - along with the true heroes in this book and the other brave children out there - are wonderful testimonies of strength.
Besides Jennifer Nielsen, Brandon Mull, Shannon Hale, and Liesl Shurtliff (works of whom I have previously read – all great authors), I discovered other talented authors who wrote inspiring fairy tales. The photographs are excellent and moving. The biographies of these true heroes stir emotions. The fairy tales remind us life is hard but hope abounds and when one has courage, it is possible to overcome challenges and chase dreams. I know a little girl who has acute lymphoblastic leukemia and whenever I see her, I marvel at how cheerful and energetic she is towards life despite all she has endured. She - along with the true heroes in this book and the other brave children out there - are wonderful testimonies of strength.
May 6, 2019
This book is full of sadness, hope, strength, courage, adventure, and magic! I loved reading the stories of the incredible children, followed by wonderfully inspired stories by various authors for these kids and others. I highly recommend this book, although you may need tissues through a few parts of it. I especially found myself in tears after Jordan’s story. I loved Sophia’s story, and her picture is amazing! I love how well her picture captures the fantastic world that books and stories offer us. This is one of those kind of books that offers dreams coming to life! I also love the quotes used through this book! My heart goes out to the children in this book, and their families, and others facing similar situations. The Fantasy stories for these children would also make wonderful bed time stories for any kid.
July 16, 2021
This is an unusual book. It pairs bestselling authors with kids who have cancer. Each author writes a story for/about the child. There is a short bio on each as well. The stories were great, though I fought tears a few times as I thought of the real-life battles these kids are/were fighting. Kudos to the whole project.
May 23, 2024
DNF I bought this book to support the cause because it is an amazing cause. I was hoping to read the stories to my kids. Unfortunately the stories are boring or don't make sense. I was going to finish it anyway by scanning the qr codes and focusing on the kids instead, but the qr codes don't work. Now I really just don't have any reason to finish it.
January 18, 2026
In this collection, the photographer talked to kids with various forms of cancer and other serious conditions, learning what their dreams were. He then photographed them as whatever they wanted to be, using green-screens to photoshop them into backgrounds. Many authors wrote the various stories that go with the illustrations, starring the kids as the main characters. As with any collection, the stories vary in quality, but they are all good-hearted and creative. I’m sure that the kids who were able to read their stories loved them.
“Lilly, Warrior Princess,” by Shannon Hale. Lilly the princess is so powerful and un-killable that her enemies have locked her in a cursed tower, that is sapping her strength and will. She rallies by thinking of her mother, and eventually goes in pursuit of her enemies. I liked how this emulated Lilly’s experience with cancer, and the descriptions were good, though the plot was slight.
“A Fireman Always Helps,” by Tyler Whitesides. Korbyn the fire chief always helps, even when a boy gets more and more unusual things stuck in a tree! This would have made a good picture book—seems more aimed at younger children.
“A Good Day for Victory,” by Jennifer Nielsen. Jacob is the youngest racer in the Motocross race, but no one is tougher than him. This story was well written and descriptive, but the plot is about as slight as it gets.
“Fairy Magic,” by Sara Larson. When Cami beats cancer, a fairy comes to grant her dearest wish—and she becomes a fairy herself, for one night. The descriptions in this are lovely, and kids who want to be a fairy will appreciate it. It’s not so much a story as a vignette, though.
“Annika, Little Fashionista,” by Kristyn Crow. Annika was born a star fashionista, even the hummingbirds who help her with the sewing knew it. When a celebrity wanted Annika to design her a dress for the Oscars, Annika has it made—right? I liked this one a lot. It was sweet and sassy and had good parents, and the writing was great. Too young for the kids I work with, but younger kids will like it.
“Marley’s Shot,” by Stephen Andrews. Marley wants to play college soccer, but when it really matters, she misses her shot and another girl gets all the offers. Marley wishes she could replay those last vital seconds—but maybe her choices would surprise her. I liked this one, even if it was a little didactic. Still good for athletes to know it’s how you show up and play over and over that matters, not one mistake.
“Jordan in Everywhere,” by Liesl Shurtliff. Jordan experiences an Alice-in-Wonderland adventure, with a heartbreaking but lovely surprise at the end. This was fun, fairly plotless, as befits Wonderland, but still packs a pCowunch because the reader knows the child who inspired it died before the story was finished.
“Swimming in the Stars,” by Ilima Todd. Sarah has always dreamed of being an astronaut, and knows her turn will come to take the 100 year journey in a cryo-tank. Where are they going? Home, of course. I liked this one, with the flashbacks and details. Not a ton of plot, but there’s the feeling of a complicated backstory behind it.
“Cowboy Carson,” by Jess Smiley. This is akin to a tall tale origin story, I think? A town has disappeared beneath the dust, and it takes a wild bull rider to make things right. I was confused by this one—not sure how it was supposed to land, and so many things left unexplained. That works when you know you are reading a tall tale, but not so much when you’re not sure what genre you are reading.
“The Mermaid’s Tale,” by Lehua Parker. A mermaid must make a painful sacrifice to save a ship from a seawitch. This is structured like a classic hero’s journey, with great detail and an actual plot, which I thought worked well. It’s quite a bit longer than the other stories.
“Sophia’s Wings” by Sharlee Glenn. In a kingdom of birds, a princess bird is born with a withered wing, and the doctor says it must be bound to her side, and she must not have any access to books, lest it make her sad for what she is missing. Guess how well that works? This is sweet and predictable, with lovely detail.
“Eli Rides to the Sky” by Clint Johnson. Though Eli is half the size of the other BMX riders at the X Games, and they taunt him for it, Eli knows he can fly higher than any of them. This was straightforward and aspirational, no surprises.
“The Princess in the Mirror” by Lisa Gerber. Princess Rae’s birth gift from her Fairy Grandmother is a magic mirror, and the princess in the mirror becomes her best friend. But when dragons invade and Rae goes to ask the mirror-princess for advice, she finds the mirror broken. I mostly liked this one—the last few pages were a classic hero’s journey structure. The rest was maybe too sweet? Nice detail, though.
“Ellie the Baker” by Adam Sidwell. Ellie’s grandmother is ill, and Ellie wants to make her feel better by baking her a cake from her grandmother’s treasured recipe book. She’s never baked before, but she learns—and makes a lot of cake. I love baking myself, so I loved the details in this. The plot is fairly slight, but that’s ok.
“Tristan’s Touchdowns” by Frank Cole. Tristan is on the football team but rarely plays because of his prosthetic leg. When his team is certain to lose, the coach gives in and puts him in as QB. He doesn’t know that Tristan’s got some pretty slick plays in mind. Though this had zero suspense, it was fun to see how it played out, and I liked the improbable ending.
“Sada of the High Seas” by Bobbie Pyron. Sarah has always wanted to be a pirate, but is doomed to be a lady. Then one day she sees a flyer advertising, “Pirates Wanted!” Of course she goes for it. This was short and a bit ridiculous and totally unbelievable. Not my favorite, though I could see what they were going for.
“Braelyn and the Speeding Train” by Peggy Eddelman. Braelyn the superhero saves her stuffed animals, which a bad man has kidnapped and tied to the railroad tracks. The girl the story was written for is four years old, and I’m sure she loved it. Older kids would probably roll their eyes, though.
“The Drop-Off” by Ally Condie. Anna was a dancer before the cancer that meant significant leg surgery. But she re-learned to walk more than year faster than expected, and now she’s going to a dance with a hot guy who’s already seen her scar. And it’s perfect. I really liked this one. This felt better than aspirational—it felt like a promise.
“William and the Dragon” by J. Scott Savage. A dragon has defeated all the bravest knights in the land, so the king, William’s father, decides they must abandon their land. Six year old William decides that even though he has no weapons and no plan, he has to try himself. This read like a classic high fantasy short story for kids, dragon and all. I liked it a lot!
“The New Guy” by Chad Morris. What happens when you put a six year old into a championship game when all the other players are seventeen? You’d be surprised. This was fun, wish-fulfillment stuff—what a lot of six year old would-be ballers dream about.
“Batkid Versus the Bully” by Brandon Mull. Ethan is both a kid doctor and, secretly, Batkid. When he learns that a new bully is coming to town with some seriously sophisticated tricks that could cause some serious damage, Ethan is on the case. But he suspects there’s more to these crimes—and to their perpetrator. I love Brandon Mull’s writing, and this was a fun story—unexpected, maybe a little didactic the way a lot of superheroes can be, and enjoyable.
“Lilly, Warrior Princess,” by Shannon Hale. Lilly the princess is so powerful and un-killable that her enemies have locked her in a cursed tower, that is sapping her strength and will. She rallies by thinking of her mother, and eventually goes in pursuit of her enemies. I liked how this emulated Lilly’s experience with cancer, and the descriptions were good, though the plot was slight.
“A Fireman Always Helps,” by Tyler Whitesides. Korbyn the fire chief always helps, even when a boy gets more and more unusual things stuck in a tree! This would have made a good picture book—seems more aimed at younger children.
“A Good Day for Victory,” by Jennifer Nielsen. Jacob is the youngest racer in the Motocross race, but no one is tougher than him. This story was well written and descriptive, but the plot is about as slight as it gets.
“Fairy Magic,” by Sara Larson. When Cami beats cancer, a fairy comes to grant her dearest wish—and she becomes a fairy herself, for one night. The descriptions in this are lovely, and kids who want to be a fairy will appreciate it. It’s not so much a story as a vignette, though.
“Annika, Little Fashionista,” by Kristyn Crow. Annika was born a star fashionista, even the hummingbirds who help her with the sewing knew it. When a celebrity wanted Annika to design her a dress for the Oscars, Annika has it made—right? I liked this one a lot. It was sweet and sassy and had good parents, and the writing was great. Too young for the kids I work with, but younger kids will like it.
“Marley’s Shot,” by Stephen Andrews. Marley wants to play college soccer, but when it really matters, she misses her shot and another girl gets all the offers. Marley wishes she could replay those last vital seconds—but maybe her choices would surprise her. I liked this one, even if it was a little didactic. Still good for athletes to know it’s how you show up and play over and over that matters, not one mistake.
“Jordan in Everywhere,” by Liesl Shurtliff. Jordan experiences an Alice-in-Wonderland adventure, with a heartbreaking but lovely surprise at the end. This was fun, fairly plotless, as befits Wonderland, but still packs a pCowunch because the reader knows the child who inspired it died before the story was finished.
“Swimming in the Stars,” by Ilima Todd. Sarah has always dreamed of being an astronaut, and knows her turn will come to take the 100 year journey in a cryo-tank. Where are they going? Home, of course. I liked this one, with the flashbacks and details. Not a ton of plot, but there’s the feeling of a complicated backstory behind it.
“Cowboy Carson,” by Jess Smiley. This is akin to a tall tale origin story, I think? A town has disappeared beneath the dust, and it takes a wild bull rider to make things right. I was confused by this one—not sure how it was supposed to land, and so many things left unexplained. That works when you know you are reading a tall tale, but not so much when you’re not sure what genre you are reading.
“The Mermaid’s Tale,” by Lehua Parker. A mermaid must make a painful sacrifice to save a ship from a seawitch. This is structured like a classic hero’s journey, with great detail and an actual plot, which I thought worked well. It’s quite a bit longer than the other stories.
“Sophia’s Wings” by Sharlee Glenn. In a kingdom of birds, a princess bird is born with a withered wing, and the doctor says it must be bound to her side, and she must not have any access to books, lest it make her sad for what she is missing. Guess how well that works? This is sweet and predictable, with lovely detail.
“Eli Rides to the Sky” by Clint Johnson. Though Eli is half the size of the other BMX riders at the X Games, and they taunt him for it, Eli knows he can fly higher than any of them. This was straightforward and aspirational, no surprises.
“The Princess in the Mirror” by Lisa Gerber. Princess Rae’s birth gift from her Fairy Grandmother is a magic mirror, and the princess in the mirror becomes her best friend. But when dragons invade and Rae goes to ask the mirror-princess for advice, she finds the mirror broken. I mostly liked this one—the last few pages were a classic hero’s journey structure. The rest was maybe too sweet? Nice detail, though.
“Ellie the Baker” by Adam Sidwell. Ellie’s grandmother is ill, and Ellie wants to make her feel better by baking her a cake from her grandmother’s treasured recipe book. She’s never baked before, but she learns—and makes a lot of cake. I love baking myself, so I loved the details in this. The plot is fairly slight, but that’s ok.
“Tristan’s Touchdowns” by Frank Cole. Tristan is on the football team but rarely plays because of his prosthetic leg. When his team is certain to lose, the coach gives in and puts him in as QB. He doesn’t know that Tristan’s got some pretty slick plays in mind. Though this had zero suspense, it was fun to see how it played out, and I liked the improbable ending.
“Sada of the High Seas” by Bobbie Pyron. Sarah has always wanted to be a pirate, but is doomed to be a lady. Then one day she sees a flyer advertising, “Pirates Wanted!” Of course she goes for it. This was short and a bit ridiculous and totally unbelievable. Not my favorite, though I could see what they were going for.
“Braelyn and the Speeding Train” by Peggy Eddelman. Braelyn the superhero saves her stuffed animals, which a bad man has kidnapped and tied to the railroad tracks. The girl the story was written for is four years old, and I’m sure she loved it. Older kids would probably roll their eyes, though.
“The Drop-Off” by Ally Condie. Anna was a dancer before the cancer that meant significant leg surgery. But she re-learned to walk more than year faster than expected, and now she’s going to a dance with a hot guy who’s already seen her scar. And it’s perfect. I really liked this one. This felt better than aspirational—it felt like a promise.
“William and the Dragon” by J. Scott Savage. A dragon has defeated all the bravest knights in the land, so the king, William’s father, decides they must abandon their land. Six year old William decides that even though he has no weapons and no plan, he has to try himself. This read like a classic high fantasy short story for kids, dragon and all. I liked it a lot!
“The New Guy” by Chad Morris. What happens when you put a six year old into a championship game when all the other players are seventeen? You’d be surprised. This was fun, wish-fulfillment stuff—what a lot of six year old would-be ballers dream about.
“Batkid Versus the Bully” by Brandon Mull. Ethan is both a kid doctor and, secretly, Batkid. When he learns that a new bully is coming to town with some seriously sophisticated tricks that could cause some serious damage, Ethan is on the case. But he suspects there’s more to these crimes—and to their perpetrator. I love Brandon Mull’s writing, and this was a fun story—unexpected, maybe a little didactic the way a lot of superheroes can be, and enjoyable.
September 21, 2015
There are not enough words as to how much I loved this book! I was left feeling completely inspired and in awe of both the heroic kids featured, but also by the brilliant author who wrote the stories! How can you not be moved to tears to see the question "If you could be anything, what would you be?" to bought to the page. These brave children bared their dreams for us to see. I am crying when I try to put into words how this book made me feel. It shows the true spirit of the bright light of children even in difficult times, like sickness. That despite these hard times, they can dream and inspire and move others. They let their wonderful souls show and created a one-in-a-lifetime read that I know will move you to tears too! 5 over-the-moon stars!!!
September 24, 2015
This book is a compilation put together to raise money for an amazing charity and to tell the stories of some pretty spectacular kids who are True Heroes in real life as they battle cancer at a very young age.
The stories in the book are inspired by or made up for these kids. If I had my "official story critic" hat on I'd probably give most of them three stars. But that's not what this book is about. Like I said before, it's about these kids and their dreams, and I'd give them five stars, a hundred stars, all the stars in the sky if I could!
So that's where the four-star rating came from, in case you were wondering. If you're considering buying this book, please do. The photographs are beautiful, the kids are incredible, and the cause is truly worthy.
The stories in the book are inspired by or made up for these kids. If I had my "official story critic" hat on I'd probably give most of them three stars. But that's not what this book is about. Like I said before, it's about these kids and their dreams, and I'd give them five stars, a hundred stars, all the stars in the sky if I could!
So that's where the four-star rating came from, in case you were wondering. If you're considering buying this book, please do. The photographs are beautiful, the kids are incredible, and the cause is truly worthy.
May 3, 2016
Beautiful book, gorgeous pictures, inspiring children
May 11, 2024
This was beautiful. Many authors coming together to write a short story for all these kids that are fighting cancer.
All of the stories were so wonderfully written to show a dream or a wish of each child. From dancing, to mermaids, pirates, to cooks, motorcycle races, cowboys, super heros, brave dragon tamers and many more.
I especially loved Korbyn the firefighter. Helping a kid get his kite from a tree, but while he was up there helped retrieve his shoe, which the kid threw to knock out the tree. Then a cat, then dog, then bike, then uncle, then car, then elephant. I found this one very cute.
All of the stories were so wonderfully written to show a dream or a wish of each child. From dancing, to mermaids, pirates, to cooks, motorcycle races, cowboys, super heros, brave dragon tamers and many more.
I especially loved Korbyn the firefighter. Helping a kid get his kite from a tree, but while he was up there helped retrieve his shoe, which the kid threw to knock out the tree. Then a cat, then dog, then bike, then uncle, then car, then elephant. I found this one very cute.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2018
This book is heart warming and heart wrenching all at the same time. I think the project behind this book is wonderful and inspiring—most especially because the subject, these beautiful children, are wonderful and inspiring. Many of the stories are fun and well written. I love that each story is written with a specific child in mind, keeping in mind that child’s dream and making him/her the hero. Each story could easily stand on its own and each would make fun little bedtime stories. I also love the photos and QR codes for more. Lovely book.
October 4, 2024
The strength of this book was the warrior children, of course. I loved reading their stories (some were tear-jerkers) and the photography was gorgeous. I admit that I skimmed through the fantasy stories, and they didn’t appeal to my children as well. I think I’d love to see this more in picture book format, with just a full 2-page spread on each child with some of the additional photographs plus their individual stories. Either way, beautiful representation of children with cancer, focusing on their strength and how powerful and brave they are.
August 22, 2017
This book was really good in a sad sort of way. It was so sad reading about all these children who have had to struggle for life at such an early age, yet I was glad I read it as this book helped me be more aware of these children around me. And what I can do to help. Sometimes it's just a short story or kind word. Sometimes it's just a card or playing a game. And these small gestures can really change people for good.
June 11, 2018
I read this book with my younger two kids just a bit at a time before bed. I liked how the stories of real children battling disease were included in along with fantasy stories about them as the main characters battling dragons or winning games or improving their skills elsewhere.
I also appreciated their stories and the opportunity it gave me to share them with my children to widen their horizons a little bit about others and their challenges.
I also appreciated their stories and the opportunity it gave me to share them with my children to widen their horizons a little bit about others and their challenges.
July 17, 2018
I think I enjoyed the children's real life stories more. I like the idea behind the book. I wish it would have worked out that this could have continued and served many children. It didn't help that the cover wasn't enticing.
July 19, 2021
This is such a unique book. I started listening to it on Audio, but I just had to get the book. The photographs are amazing. The stories written by the variety of authors are also amazing. This is a great read!!!
June 23, 2022
I listened to this but when I found out there were pictures of the "super hero" kids I had to find the book too. It didn't disappoint. These short stories written for cancer warriors are really touching. What a fabulous project.
November 9, 2022
Super fun collection of short stories from a great group of authors. Would be great to listen to with the whole family on a road trip. My favorite was Swimming In the Stars by Ilima Todd, loved the ending.
May 4, 2025
I don't know how many people will read this book. It's not the type of book I usually read, but what these famous authors did for these children is pretty incredible. I hope this brought a smile to their faces and their family's as well.
September 7, 2017
Amazing Cancer Cuties written into the stories of their dreams. The photos of these real-life cancer fighters are superb. Such a touching project!
October 25, 2017
Some of stories better than others but overall quick enjoyable read
January 9, 2019
Collection of stories modeled after specific children with cancer. All the stories are good. Some are great. Checking out other books by some of the authors. (they were that good)
February 21, 2019
Wonderful photos of these children. I’m sure they treasure this book. The stories are sweet but vary in quality.
June 12, 2019
This was smiles the whole way through. Amazing kids and beautiful photos!!!
April 21, 2020
Loved reading this to my babies. These kids are amazing and inspiring!!
May 5, 2020
Selected children who are suffering with cancer, get a specific story written just for them by a famous author. Definitely meant for children and tweens.
December 17, 2021
I love this book, makes my heart warm, so many emotions!!
May 20, 2022
most incredible book ever
August 11, 2022
Would be better with the photography. I listened to the Audiobook.
March 12, 2023
I LOVED IT!!! My grandma bought it for me and I've read it like five times.
February 23, 2024
Sweet short stories. Love all the brave kiddos!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews