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Dusssie
Dusie always knew puberty was going to be confusing, but she never realized it was going to be catastrophic--until she wakes up one morning to find that her hair has turned into a writhing mass of slithering snakes and discovers the real truth about her family: her mother is a Gorgon--right out of Greek mythology--and she was named after her mother's younger sister, Medusa. Her mother had hoped that Dusie's being half-mortal would protect her from inheriting the family curse.
Still reeling from this revelation, Dusie tries to keep her snakes under wraps. But after a boy she likes in school almost exposes her, she discovers another family secret--just one look from Dusie's snakes has the power to send someone right into his own personal Stone Age. Talk about "if looks could kill"!
Dusie better figure out how to control her snakes and her rage, and find a way to get her life back--before anything else disastrous happens.
Still reeling from this revelation, Dusie tries to keep her snakes under wraps. But after a boy she likes in school almost exposes her, she discovers another family secret--just one look from Dusie's snakes has the power to send someone right into his own personal Stone Age. Talk about "if looks could kill"!
Dusie better figure out how to control her snakes and her rage, and find a way to get her life back--before anything else disastrous happens.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
5 people are currently reading
270 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Springer
197 books2,351 followersBIO -- NANCY SPRINGER
Nancy Springer has passed the fifty-book milestone, having written that many novels for adults, young adults and children, in genres including mythic fantasy, contemporary fiction, magical realism, horror, and mystery -- although she did not realize she wrote mystery until she won the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America two years in succession. DARK LIE, recently released from NAL, is her first venture into mass-market psychological suspense.
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Nancy Springer moved with her family to Gettysburg, of Civil War fame, when she was thirteen. She spent the next forty-six years in Pennsylvania, raising two children (Jonathan, now 38, and Nora, 34), writing, horseback riding, fishing, and birdwatching. In 2007 she surprised her friends and herself by moving with her second husband to an isolated area of the Florida panhandle, where the birdwatching is spectacular and where, when fishing, she occasionally catches an alligator.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
February 11, 2010
In the vein of The Percy Jackson series. This book has a female protagonist, Dussie, who grows snakes on her head, in place of her hair. She is the half human niece of Medusa. The story opens with her getting her period, a turn off for any self respecting young male reader. Apparently,the becoming of a woman is what triggered the change into her half gorgon self. The story does have its own flair, though, if the reader can get beyond the Percy Jackson comparison. The characters are likable and funny. The plot has its own twists and challenges for the heroine. Dussie's coming of age is unique and touching. She even grows to appreciate her mother!! It also takes place in New York City. I enjoyed this book and will recommend it to my female 6th grade students. Older girls might not be into the story. Boys would like it if it weren't for the whole period thing on the first page. I wouldn't even try to convince them. I laughed out loud in some parts.
December 8, 2016
Dusssie by NANCY SPRINGER
Learning to love yourself is hard, especially with a head full of snakes, beautiful snakes but still . . . Dusie’s life has become a complicated mess, Gorgon adolescence of epic proportions. If finding love is all about hair, makeup, nice clothes, how will Dusie manage? Courage, kindness, gentleness, being oneself might count for more . . .
The riddle of the Sphinx puzzles but then makes sense, perhaps as a lesson for us all:
“To lose, you must win, and to win, you must loosen.”
This book is designated as Juvenile Fiction in my library, but a well-written book is ageless and gives hope to all, as does the author’s bio on Amazon.
Life can be strange but also so very good!
Learning to love yourself is hard, especially with a head full of snakes, beautiful snakes but still . . . Dusie’s life has become a complicated mess, Gorgon adolescence of epic proportions. If finding love is all about hair, makeup, nice clothes, how will Dusie manage? Courage, kindness, gentleness, being oneself might count for more . . .
The riddle of the Sphinx puzzles but then makes sense, perhaps as a lesson for us all:
“To lose, you must win, and to win, you must loosen.”
This book is designated as Juvenile Fiction in my library, but a well-written book is ageless and gives hope to all, as does the author’s bio on Amazon.
Life can be strange but also so very good!
September 3, 2017
Cute and funny! A must read for those who like mythology and a splash of comedy. :) That first chapter was gold, and I love how Dusie's relationship with her snakes played out.
October 25, 2017
Dusie is having a bad day. Puberty has hit and it has hit 13 year old Dusie with a real curve. Not only is it her 'time of the month,' she has also woken up to find that she has a full head of writhing snakes instead of hair! Talk about freaking out!
When her mother sees here the reaction is one of 'oh dear' and not freaking. Seems there is something that Dusie's mom has never told her. The reason why her mom wears a turban all the time? It isn't because she is a well known sculptor and it is just an artistic quirk. Nope, seems Dusie's mom is really a Gorgon...like in Greek mythology. In fact, Dusie is named for her aunt Medusa!
This is just swell! How will Dusie ever get a boyfriend with a rainbow of snakes on her head? Don't boys notice the girls with nice clothes, hair and skin?
On top of this she runs into the boy of her dreams and gives him a look that practically turns him into.... I don't want to give the whole story away.
It is entertaining and there is a lesson to be learned from what Dusie goes through. A bit more meat to a humorous tale of a teen learning about life.
When her mother sees here the reaction is one of 'oh dear' and not freaking. Seems there is something that Dusie's mom has never told her. The reason why her mom wears a turban all the time? It isn't because she is a well known sculptor and it is just an artistic quirk. Nope, seems Dusie's mom is really a Gorgon...like in Greek mythology. In fact, Dusie is named for her aunt Medusa!
This is just swell! How will Dusie ever get a boyfriend with a rainbow of snakes on her head? Don't boys notice the girls with nice clothes, hair and skin?
On top of this she runs into the boy of her dreams and gives him a look that practically turns him into.... I don't want to give the whole story away.
It is entertaining and there is a lesson to be learned from what Dusie goes through. A bit more meat to a humorous tale of a teen learning about life.
December 26, 2017
Springer, Nancy Dusssie, 166 p. Walker (Bloomsbury), 2007.
Along with puberty, Medusa "Dusie" Gorgon has inherited a head of snakes. Though interesting and kind of cute, the snakes do not make for a fashionable hairdo. Now Dusie is stuck at home, trying to come to terms with her new "friends", while keep her real friends in the dark. She also needs to figure out how correct her biggest mistake - turning the cutest boy in school into stone.
Extremely cute, with a great ending. A fine addition to stories based on mythology.
EL, MS - ADVISABLE
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
Along with puberty, Medusa "Dusie" Gorgon has inherited a head of snakes. Though interesting and kind of cute, the snakes do not make for a fashionable hairdo. Now Dusie is stuck at home, trying to come to terms with her new "friends", while keep her real friends in the dark. She also needs to figure out how correct her biggest mistake - turning the cutest boy in school into stone.
Extremely cute, with a great ending. A fine addition to stories based on mythology.
EL, MS - ADVISABLE
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
June 26, 2012
Springer, Nancy. (2007). Dusssie. New York: Walker & Company.
0802796494
166 pages.
Appetizer: The morning after Dusie gets her first period she wakes to discover her hair has transformed into snakes (luckily, none of them are poisonous!). While this causes a wee-bit of a panic for thirteen-year-old Dusie, her mom doesn't seem to be surprised. In fact, it would seem her mother may have dreaded this. But even her mom is surprised when Dusie realizes she can hear the thoughts of all her new 27 snakes on her head.
The shocking change on the top of her head leads Dusie to uncover the secrets her mother has been keeping from her all Dusie's life and she'll embark on a journey of self-discovery (as opposed to a mythological quest) to find a way to undo the magic curse.
With both references to fairy tales and Greek Myths, it'd be easy to think of Dusssie as a "girl-version" of the Percy Jackson series. Dusssie is more focused on emotions and a potential romance than adventure. Dusie wants to feel loved, but she's not certain she can find love with 27 snakes slithering on top of her head. While there is a hint of a prophecy (or riddle, as the case may be) this book is more rooted in the personal, instead of a nation-saving quest. It feels a lot like an allegory, exploring a lot of the tensions of femininity and girl-becoming-womanhood-ness. Stuff.
I thought Springer did an excllent job of putting the reader (me!) in the mind-set of what it would be like to have...snakes for hair. An early scene shows the snakes feeling threated when Dusie tries to return to school. How do the snakes attempt to deal with their fear? Well....
"Deploy musssk! Deploy fecesss!" (p. 19).
The horror. And, ewwwww (but also hilarious!). That would be a very not fun condition to deal with. It made me so thankful that my hair was an ordinary bunch of dead cells. Thank you, world, for that.
Previously, I'd read Springer's first Enola Holmes mystery, The Case of the Missing Marquess. I absolutely LOVED the feminist twists she presented in Victorian England by giving Sherlock Holmes a super clever little sister. And that sense of female empowerment is also in Dusssie (which, personally, makes me want to do a little feminist happy dance. What does a feminist happy dance look like? It may or may not involve a lot of bending and flexing of muscles. That's all I'll possibly (not) reveal).
As I was reading, I felt that Dusie's maturation from a girl into a woman and coming to terms with who her mother was and is seemed to be the heart of the story. Of course, others may disagree. (I would, of course, love to read your interpretations in the comments!)
Some one else may want to focus on the way beauty is perceived. A teacher could also use this book with a lesson on the snakes that are commonly found in the U.S.A. To better understand her condtion, Dusie researches what the types of snakes are on her head (and this serves as a metaphor for her getting to know herself as well).
But now, having been so positive for all these paragraphs, let's take a moment to look at the book cover once more:
Hmmm.
I don't like it. While it definitely made me think of Medusa, nothing about the girl's face would want to make me pick the book up. Plus, I didn't get that the middle 's' was being spelled with a snake at first. (This is especially confusing because the character's actual name is Dusie. Only the snakes call her Dusssie.)
I think the cover is too literal. It doesn't make me want to pick up this story. Ya know? In my head, I see more of an outline of a Medusa head. Or maybe an image that would be more symbolic. But since I have no art skills, I can't actually show you what I'm thinking.
What do you-all think?
Dinner Conversation:
"Color me stupid, but I was thirteen before I understood why my mother always wore a turban. I thought it was just part of her artistic weirdness. I had no clue until my own hair turned into snakes" (p. 1).
"Mom's name hadn't meant a thing to me. I mean, who knows what a gorgon is anymore? Mom hadn't told me until today that under the turban her hair was vipers, under the polish her fingernails were bronze, under the caps her teeth were fangs. She hadn't told me that she'd had wings surgically removed by a doctor who could be blackmailed to keep quiet. She had told me, years ago, that she'd named me after her dead sister, but she hadn't told me that Dusie was a nickname--short for Medusa" (pp. 7-8).
"A coldly regal voice said in my mind, we prefer to be addresssed as ssserpentsss.
"I would prefer if you would shut up!"
I heard a hissy murmur from the crowd, and the regal one said, Be polite. We bite" (p. 13).
"He never got to say any more. If looks could kill...but mine could. I didn't realize in time, but I felt it happen as anger blazed in me, my snakes thrashed and struck at the air, my eyes flared fire, and Troy...Troy turned to white stone" (p. 20).
"My mother had been lying to me. All my life. She'd let me think that while I was in school she spent her days at some studio somewhere, chipping away like Michelangelo, when really...really she was a serial killer, sort of" (p. 24).
"I am going to get rid of you, " I told my snakes...
Go ahead, said the scarlet king snake, and all the others gave a hissy titter, sss-sss-sss. They didn't act like I was scaring them. Not at all. They seemed completely sure I couldn't do it.
Or maybe they knew something I didn't" (pp. 77-78).
Tasty Rating: !!!!
0802796494
166 pages.
Appetizer: The morning after Dusie gets her first period she wakes to discover her hair has transformed into snakes (luckily, none of them are poisonous!). While this causes a wee-bit of a panic for thirteen-year-old Dusie, her mom doesn't seem to be surprised. In fact, it would seem her mother may have dreaded this. But even her mom is surprised when Dusie realizes she can hear the thoughts of all her new 27 snakes on her head.
The shocking change on the top of her head leads Dusie to uncover the secrets her mother has been keeping from her all Dusie's life and she'll embark on a journey of self-discovery (as opposed to a mythological quest) to find a way to undo the magic curse.
With both references to fairy tales and Greek Myths, it'd be easy to think of Dusssie as a "girl-version" of the Percy Jackson series. Dusssie is more focused on emotions and a potential romance than adventure. Dusie wants to feel loved, but she's not certain she can find love with 27 snakes slithering on top of her head. While there is a hint of a prophecy (or riddle, as the case may be) this book is more rooted in the personal, instead of a nation-saving quest. It feels a lot like an allegory, exploring a lot of the tensions of femininity and girl-becoming-womanhood-ness. Stuff.
I thought Springer did an excllent job of putting the reader (me!) in the mind-set of what it would be like to have...snakes for hair. An early scene shows the snakes feeling threated when Dusie tries to return to school. How do the snakes attempt to deal with their fear? Well....
"Deploy musssk! Deploy fecesss!" (p. 19).
The horror. And, ewwwww (but also hilarious!). That would be a very not fun condition to deal with. It made me so thankful that my hair was an ordinary bunch of dead cells. Thank you, world, for that.
Previously, I'd read Springer's first Enola Holmes mystery, The Case of the Missing Marquess. I absolutely LOVED the feminist twists she presented in Victorian England by giving Sherlock Holmes a super clever little sister. And that sense of female empowerment is also in Dusssie (which, personally, makes me want to do a little feminist happy dance. What does a feminist happy dance look like? It may or may not involve a lot of bending and flexing of muscles. That's all I'll possibly (not) reveal).
As I was reading, I felt that Dusie's maturation from a girl into a woman and coming to terms with who her mother was and is seemed to be the heart of the story. Of course, others may disagree. (I would, of course, love to read your interpretations in the comments!)
Some one else may want to focus on the way beauty is perceived. A teacher could also use this book with a lesson on the snakes that are commonly found in the U.S.A. To better understand her condtion, Dusie researches what the types of snakes are on her head (and this serves as a metaphor for her getting to know herself as well).
But now, having been so positive for all these paragraphs, let's take a moment to look at the book cover once more:
Hmmm.
I don't like it. While it definitely made me think of Medusa, nothing about the girl's face would want to make me pick the book up. Plus, I didn't get that the middle 's' was being spelled with a snake at first. (This is especially confusing because the character's actual name is Dusie. Only the snakes call her Dusssie.)
I think the cover is too literal. It doesn't make me want to pick up this story. Ya know? In my head, I see more of an outline of a Medusa head. Or maybe an image that would be more symbolic. But since I have no art skills, I can't actually show you what I'm thinking.
What do you-all think?
Dinner Conversation:
"Color me stupid, but I was thirteen before I understood why my mother always wore a turban. I thought it was just part of her artistic weirdness. I had no clue until my own hair turned into snakes" (p. 1).
"Mom's name hadn't meant a thing to me. I mean, who knows what a gorgon is anymore? Mom hadn't told me until today that under the turban her hair was vipers, under the polish her fingernails were bronze, under the caps her teeth were fangs. She hadn't told me that she'd had wings surgically removed by a doctor who could be blackmailed to keep quiet. She had told me, years ago, that she'd named me after her dead sister, but she hadn't told me that Dusie was a nickname--short for Medusa" (pp. 7-8).
"A coldly regal voice said in my mind, we prefer to be addresssed as ssserpentsss.
"I would prefer if you would shut up!"
I heard a hissy murmur from the crowd, and the regal one said, Be polite. We bite" (p. 13).
"He never got to say any more. If looks could kill...but mine could. I didn't realize in time, but I felt it happen as anger blazed in me, my snakes thrashed and struck at the air, my eyes flared fire, and Troy...Troy turned to white stone" (p. 20).
"My mother had been lying to me. All my life. She'd let me think that while I was in school she spent her days at some studio somewhere, chipping away like Michelangelo, when really...really she was a serial killer, sort of" (p. 24).
"I am going to get rid of you, " I told my snakes...
Go ahead, said the scarlet king snake, and all the others gave a hissy titter, sss-sss-sss. They didn't act like I was scaring them. Not at all. They seemed completely sure I couldn't do it.
Or maybe they knew something I didn't" (pp. 77-78).
Tasty Rating: !!!!
April 3, 2023
If you’ve read the Pjo series, you will already have a familiar background to what this book is about. The main character is Dussie, Medusa’s niece, who has to deal with the curse of Medusa.
Spoiler alert: In the end, when Troy visits Dussie at the lobby, he mentions that the summer before he found her address incase he gets up the nerve to ask her out, and Dussie ignored that part completely, like, HELLO?!? What happenes next for them???
Spoiler alert: In the end, when Troy visits Dussie at the lobby, he mentions that the summer before he found her address incase he gets up the nerve to ask her out, and Dussie ignored that part completely, like, HELLO?!? What happenes next for them???
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2017
I loved this! It was captivating and absolutely hilarious somehow (which I wasn't expecting because it didn't seem to be that kind of book). My favorite characters were the snakes. They were SO FUNNY! They kind of popped in randomly with lines that somehow made me burst out laughing, which I loved! This was a really quick read, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes greek mythology.
April 17, 2019
I didn't like the main character for about half of this. The ending was good though, and Dussie and her life got a bit more interesting by the end of the story. Cy was a good character. Overall, I felt that there were a lot of plot holes and areas that lacked necessary expansion. At least it was short. 3 stars.
April 15, 2019
This is a gem of a story. It's cute, the characters are likable (even the formidable Sphinx), and you get a good dose of both Greek mythology (well, the sphinx is Egyptian) and herpetology. It's very well put together, and a quick and delightful read.
May 2, 2022
I read this book a long, LONG time ago and I have to say it was one of the best books for teaching me about self love and self esteem. Would highly recommend for mythology obsessed youngsters who need a pick-me-up in that department.
August 29, 2017
Good coming of age story - puberty tough enough without her added complication.
December 25, 2022
Such a sweet little story. Absolutely fell in love with the story. It was great to see the main character grow as a person from within
July 18, 2023
What a sweet unique coming not age story. Everything wrapped up rushed & too neat but I enjoyed it. I'd love to read a sequel
August 22, 2024
Delightful, quick read.
January 26, 2008
One of those two stars is for the cover alone--because it's one of my favorite covers ever. I still love the cover, even though I really didn't love the book.
Once again, Greek myths come to life in New York City... This time it's Dusie, normal 13 yr old, waking up to find out that she's grown a headful of snakes. Her mom and aunts are Gorgons...
Dusie has to figure out how to live with a headful of unruly snakes, deal with the resentment she feels for her mother, unpetrify the boy she turned to stone, and solve a riddle from the Sphinx.
It's funny that Dusie was so surprised by the snakes' arrival and her mother's true identity, given that her last name is Gorgon...and her mom always wears artsy turbans. Note to readers: if you've never seen your mom's head without a covering and your last name is Gorgon, be suspicious.
My rating should actually be: "2 stars, but..." because even though the story development is really disjointed, and the writing isn't great, I can think of a bunch of 5th/6th graders who will probably enjoy it a lot. In its favor is: pretty quick, light/easy-to-read writing, (excellent cover), the great-to-imagine horror of snakes on one's head, and mild "tween" issues like a boy, mother-hate, growing up, etc.
sidenote: I find it annoying when books have titles that should be pronounced one way according to the rules of pronunciation but another way according to what you find out in the book. ...How is a person supposed to know how to say the book's name before reading it?
Like this one: Dusssie. Should read like Dŭssy. But no. Her name is Dusie. only one s. obviously like Me-dus-a--so it's said like Dōōszey. and the extra s's (ss? esses?) are because the snakes talk to her with a lot of hissing, so they say Dussssssssie, but it still sounds like Dōōssssssssssssszy.
See also: Shug. which makes anyone say Shuhg. ...but when you read it, you find out that Shug is named for the character in the Color Purple--Shug, short for Sugar--so it has a little more of an ŏ sound.
Once again, Greek myths come to life in New York City... This time it's Dusie, normal 13 yr old, waking up to find out that she's grown a headful of snakes. Her mom and aunts are Gorgons...
Dusie has to figure out how to live with a headful of unruly snakes, deal with the resentment she feels for her mother, unpetrify the boy she turned to stone, and solve a riddle from the Sphinx.
It's funny that Dusie was so surprised by the snakes' arrival and her mother's true identity, given that her last name is Gorgon...and her mom always wears artsy turbans. Note to readers: if you've never seen your mom's head without a covering and your last name is Gorgon, be suspicious.
My rating should actually be: "2 stars, but..." because even though the story development is really disjointed, and the writing isn't great, I can think of a bunch of 5th/6th graders who will probably enjoy it a lot. In its favor is: pretty quick, light/easy-to-read writing, (excellent cover), the great-to-imagine horror of snakes on one's head, and mild "tween" issues like a boy, mother-hate, growing up, etc.
sidenote: I find it annoying when books have titles that should be pronounced one way according to the rules of pronunciation but another way according to what you find out in the book. ...How is a person supposed to know how to say the book's name before reading it?
Like this one: Dusssie. Should read like Dŭssy. But no. Her name is Dusie. only one s. obviously like Me-dus-a--so it's said like Dōōszey. and the extra s's (ss? esses?) are because the snakes talk to her with a lot of hissing, so they say Dussssssssie, but it still sounds like Dōōssssssssssssszy.
See also: Shug. which makes anyone say Shuhg. ...but when you read it, you find out that Shug is named for the character in the Color Purple--Shug, short for Sugar--so it has a little more of an ŏ sound.
January 18, 2012
Cute idea--good, but not great execution. One minute I liked this book, the next I thought, This author is trying way too hard to be hip. Then I would read something very funny, then I would think, This is just defying logic too much. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the story and writing were uneven. Thus, the neutral 3 stars. Dusie is your typical teenage girl--obsessed with looks, clothes, and boys. Then she wakes up with probably the biggest nightmare scenario for a teenage girl (well, anybody)--a head full of snakes. A head full of snakes, Dusie, real name Medusa...get it? I sort of did. My knowledge of Greek mythology is scanty. It's not necessary, but it's helpful while reading Dusie. How does a teenage girl with a head full of snakes deal with this problem? Dusie spends the entire book trying to figure it out. There are many clever aspects to this story. Dusie's mom is a famous sculptor, known for her lifelike creations. How is this accomplished? By turning people to stone! Who is Dusie's father? Her mom takes her to the Whitney Museum to "meet" him. As time goes on, Dusie grows to love her snakes. But soon she will have to make a decision about what to do with them. As her friend Cy says, "I've tried to keep an optimistic outlook, but truly, you will not be able to live any sort of normal life with snakes on your head." But this part of the book is the most disappointing of all. Dusie never has to make a decision--the snakes just slither off her head with no explanation. And then it gets worse. Everything, and I mean everything, is tied up way too neatly. Dusie even ends up with a head full of gorgeous blonde shimmering locks in place of the snakes. I felt cheated. It seemed like the author had a deadline to meet and panicked.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2012
The title of the book, Dusssie, by Nancy Springer is supposed to be a snake hissing. However, in the book her name is Dusie, pronounced “Do See.” The play on words is the heart of the story. Dusie is trying to figure out who she is on the inside. She wakes up one morning and has snakes on her head. Mom explains that she is a gorgon: Color me stupid, but I was thirteen before I understood why my mother always wore a turban. I thought it was just part of her artistic weirdness. I had no clue until my own hair turned into snakes.
Dusie’s real name is Medusa – named after her famous aunt. Dusie flips out but still tries to go to school and cover her snakey head. Except things go awry. She gets annoyed with a boy she likes on the way to school and gives him the evil eye. Oops. Now he’s stone on the outside but breathing on the inside. Dusie feels awful. She sets out to turn him back and learns how to like herself, her snakes, and (gasp) her mom.
Dusie doesn’t interract with many other characters. She makes friends with an old man who helps her find a cure for her snakes and she argues with her mom. She also talks to the Sisterhood but that’s about it. The plot was well done with some interesting twists but I thought the story could have used another character. Maybe another kid like her? A cousin?
Dusie gets her snakehead because she starts to menustrate and enters womanhood. While the story is a clever way to address the anxieties of puberty, I wish the author had left out the details of cramps and changing sheets, etc. in the first chapter. It turned me off. If you can get past that it is a fun book and quick read.
Dusie’s real name is Medusa – named after her famous aunt. Dusie flips out but still tries to go to school and cover her snakey head. Except things go awry. She gets annoyed with a boy she likes on the way to school and gives him the evil eye. Oops. Now he’s stone on the outside but breathing on the inside. Dusie feels awful. She sets out to turn him back and learns how to like herself, her snakes, and (gasp) her mom.
Dusie doesn’t interract with many other characters. She makes friends with an old man who helps her find a cure for her snakes and she argues with her mom. She also talks to the Sisterhood but that’s about it. The plot was well done with some interesting twists but I thought the story could have used another character. Maybe another kid like her? A cousin?
Dusie gets her snakehead because she starts to menustrate and enters womanhood. While the story is a clever way to address the anxieties of puberty, I wish the author had left out the details of cramps and changing sheets, etc. in the first chapter. It turned me off. If you can get past that it is a fun book and quick read.
May 4, 2008
Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com
Every young girl looks forward to the day she will "become a woman" with much excitement and some trepidation. But when thirteen year-old Dusie gets her period, she has more to fear than simply feeling fatter, or wondering if the boys will be able to tell. She has sprouted snakes on top of her head! Twenty-seven of them, to be exact.
Now she knows why her artsy mother has always worn a turban upon her head. Why didn't her mom warn her? She's so angry with her mother, yet desperately needs her. She turns that anger on Troy, the boy with eyes of tarnished silver who is simply flirting by trying to touch her hair. Her snakes strike out to protect her with disastrous results. They turn him to stone!
Dusie confides in an old man named Cy, who offers to help. He creates a potion that will kill her snakes without harming Dusie. But does Dusie still want to get rid of them? Can she ever find true love with a head full of snakes? Does she need them to help her undo the damage they've caused? Dusie gets to know each of her snakes, and, in the process, learns more about herself.
DUSSSIE by Nancy Springer is a creative novel which plays with the coming of womanhood in a delightfully unexpected way. If Dusie can find her way through the mysterious changes of puberty, surely a mere mortal reader can. This was a fast, pleasurable read, one I recommend to all young ladies coming of age. If your head gets that crawly feeling, it just might be snakes!
Every young girl looks forward to the day she will "become a woman" with much excitement and some trepidation. But when thirteen year-old Dusie gets her period, she has more to fear than simply feeling fatter, or wondering if the boys will be able to tell. She has sprouted snakes on top of her head! Twenty-seven of them, to be exact.
Now she knows why her artsy mother has always worn a turban upon her head. Why didn't her mom warn her? She's so angry with her mother, yet desperately needs her. She turns that anger on Troy, the boy with eyes of tarnished silver who is simply flirting by trying to touch her hair. Her snakes strike out to protect her with disastrous results. They turn him to stone!
Dusie confides in an old man named Cy, who offers to help. He creates a potion that will kill her snakes without harming Dusie. But does Dusie still want to get rid of them? Can she ever find true love with a head full of snakes? Does she need them to help her undo the damage they've caused? Dusie gets to know each of her snakes, and, in the process, learns more about herself.
DUSSSIE by Nancy Springer is a creative novel which plays with the coming of womanhood in a delightfully unexpected way. If Dusie can find her way through the mysterious changes of puberty, surely a mere mortal reader can. This was a fast, pleasurable read, one I recommend to all young ladies coming of age. If your head gets that crawly feeling, it just might be snakes!
September 2, 2013
Every young girl looks forward to the day she will “become a woman” with much excitement and some trepidation. But when thirteen year-old Dusie gets her period, she has more to fear than simply feeling fatter, or wondering if the boys will be able to tell. She has sprouted snakes on top of her head! Twenty-seven of them, to be exact.
Now she knows why her artsy mother has always worn a turban upon her head. Why didn’t her mom warn her? She’s so angry with her mother, yet desperately needs her. She turns that anger on Troy, the boy with eyes of tarnished silver who is simply flirting by trying to touch her hair. Her snakes strike out to protect her with disastrous results. They turn him to stone!
Dusie confides in an old man named Cy, who offers to help. He creates a potion that will kill her snakes without harming Dusie. But does Dusie still want to get rid of them? Can she ever find true love with a head full of snakes? Does she need them to help her undo the damage they’ve caused? Dusie gets to know each of her snakes, and, in the process, learns more about herself.
DUSSIE by Nancy Springer, is a creative novel which plays with the coming of womanhood in a delightfully unexpected way. If Dusie can find her way through the mysterious changes of puberty, surely a mere mortal reader can. This was a fast, pleasurable read, one I recommend to all young ladies coming of age. If your head gets that crawly feeling, it just might be snakes!
Now she knows why her artsy mother has always worn a turban upon her head. Why didn’t her mom warn her? She’s so angry with her mother, yet desperately needs her. She turns that anger on Troy, the boy with eyes of tarnished silver who is simply flirting by trying to touch her hair. Her snakes strike out to protect her with disastrous results. They turn him to stone!
Dusie confides in an old man named Cy, who offers to help. He creates a potion that will kill her snakes without harming Dusie. But does Dusie still want to get rid of them? Can she ever find true love with a head full of snakes? Does she need them to help her undo the damage they’ve caused? Dusie gets to know each of her snakes, and, in the process, learns more about herself.
DUSSIE by Nancy Springer, is a creative novel which plays with the coming of womanhood in a delightfully unexpected way. If Dusie can find her way through the mysterious changes of puberty, surely a mere mortal reader can. This was a fast, pleasurable read, one I recommend to all young ladies coming of age. If your head gets that crawly feeling, it just might be snakes!
February 28, 2014
As if puberty wasn’t bad enough, Dusie Gorgon wakes up on the day of her first period to discover her hair has turned into snakes!
Oh yeah, sorry, didn’t tell you, I’m a Gorgon and you're half-human and I named you for your dead aunt Medusa, says her mom.
Her mom had been hoping the human blood would counter-act the mythical DNA, but magic, apparently, is a dominant gene.
Dusie runs around frantically at first, freaking out, and with just cause. She screams and yells and sobs and tells her mom she hates her and acts exactly like any other teenager would in a similar situation. She’s angry and scared and hurt and now she’s 100% sure no boy will every like her because she’s so ugly! Again: all normal – the subtext becomes the text, as they say.
Then the snakes start talking to her, giving their opinions on the matter. She has some fights with them at first, but gradually settles down and starts listening, talking, and doing some hard thinking about who she is, exactly, and what kind of person she wants to be.
The best part was, hands down, the snakes. All 27 of them develop into seperate personaltities, and thier running commentary on events had me in a fit of giggles! Imagine a cast of Muppet characters camped out on your head!
It’s a fantastic take on ancient-myth-in-modern-day, and while I felt it ended a little too cute and neat, it was a great story with a character any 13 year old girl could relate to.
November 17, 2014
This book is not to be found on Kindle or at the library, so I decided to take a chance and order this off Amazon. I was not disappointed. First off, the book was in beautiful condition, and the cover is much more attractive in person. Put that aside, and the story was great. I both received and finished the book today. It was easy to be absorbed in it, and to really, truly enjoy it. Even the snakes themselves were wonderful characters, and the ones that were annoying at first eventually became lovable. Nancy Springer often does bittersweet endings, ones that I am never quite sure whether or not I like. This one was, I suppose, but to a lesser extent than some of her other books. It ended happily, for everybody.
Dusie's problem was not just that she had snakes for her hair, it was that she believed that they would prevent her from finding love. You see, she thought that to find true love it was all about the clothes, and hair, and make-up and superficial things, and that since the snakes made her 'ugly' she would never have the one thing that she truly wanted. The novel is her journey of learning the true meaning of love discovering who she truly is.
It was a short book, a pleasant book. It was fun and the snakes were wonderfully enjoyable. I would recommend this one, especially since it is a wonderfully low price on Amazon.
Review By: http://lachatblanc.wordpress.com/
Dusie's problem was not just that she had snakes for her hair, it was that she believed that they would prevent her from finding love. You see, she thought that to find true love it was all about the clothes, and hair, and make-up and superficial things, and that since the snakes made her 'ugly' she would never have the one thing that she truly wanted. The novel is her journey of learning the true meaning of love discovering who she truly is.
It was a short book, a pleasant book. It was fun and the snakes were wonderfully enjoyable. I would recommend this one, especially since it is a wonderfully low price on Amazon.
Review By: http://lachatblanc.wordpress.com/
May 1, 2015
This is an awesome little book which maybe should be required reading in a middle-school mythology class when they talk about comparative ritual process. They do still teach that stuff in middle school, right?
For a plot synopsis or a teaser, you can read the blurb. Instead of re-hashing all that, I'm going to say something you won't find there.
Usually I stay away from discussions of symbology and all that, because I'm not a very symbolic person, but... This book depicts menarche as a pivotal sparking event for germination of the protagonist's untamed creative animus—symbolized by a suddenly sprouting head full of snakes, a sort of Yang principle fraught with perils and contrasting with the inherent Yin of the female child. In this liminal state, between menarche and full bloom, the heroine navigates a dangerous ritual space of separation, largely on her own, aided by a wise and mysterious elderly guide, as well as a council of supportive elder females. Within this framework, she learns to understand, control, and temper her blossoming creative force, eventually merging it into a balanced adult persona and acceptance of self.
And you thought it was about a girl in New York who grew some snakes on her head and accidentally turned the cute boy into stone. Sometimes, Horatio, twenty-seven snakes isn't just a cigar.
For a plot synopsis or a teaser, you can read the blurb. Instead of re-hashing all that, I'm going to say something you won't find there.
Usually I stay away from discussions of symbology and all that, because I'm not a very symbolic person, but... This book depicts menarche as a pivotal sparking event for germination of the protagonist's untamed creative animus—symbolized by a suddenly sprouting head full of snakes, a sort of Yang principle fraught with perils and contrasting with the inherent Yin of the female child. In this liminal state, between menarche and full bloom, the heroine navigates a dangerous ritual space of separation, largely on her own, aided by a wise and mysterious elderly guide, as well as a council of supportive elder females. Within this framework, she learns to understand, control, and temper her blossoming creative force, eventually merging it into a balanced adult persona and acceptance of self.
And you thought it was about a girl in New York who grew some snakes on her head and accidentally turned the cute boy into stone. Sometimes, Horatio, twenty-seven snakes isn't just a cigar.
July 14, 2009
This is a fun, fluffy book that took me only slightly more than an hour to read. Light on substance, but a good distraction with a unique and clever premise.
Dusie, short for Medusa, has just discovered the hard way that her mother is one of the mythological gorgons and that she was named after her aunt, the Medusa who was killed by Perseus hundreds of years ago. She learned all of this by waking up one morning and finding that her head had sprouted 27 serpents overnight. Her mother is impressed with the colorful beauty of Dusie's king snakes, black racers, and garter snakes, but Dusie is pretty sure her life has ended. This is only confirmed when she accidentally turns the guy she likes into stone.
Like I said, there's not a ton of substance here, but Nancy Springer has breathed new life into Greek mythology, and the story is genuinely entertaining. Fans of Percy Jackson can continue the mythological fun here, but guys be warned: there is some mention of girly things like periods!
Dusie, short for Medusa, has just discovered the hard way that her mother is one of the mythological gorgons and that she was named after her aunt, the Medusa who was killed by Perseus hundreds of years ago. She learned all of this by waking up one morning and finding that her head had sprouted 27 serpents overnight. Her mother is impressed with the colorful beauty of Dusie's king snakes, black racers, and garter snakes, but Dusie is pretty sure her life has ended. This is only confirmed when she accidentally turns the guy she likes into stone.
Like I said, there's not a ton of substance here, but Nancy Springer has breathed new life into Greek mythology, and the story is genuinely entertaining. Fans of Percy Jackson can continue the mythological fun here, but guys be warned: there is some mention of girly things like periods!
November 13, 2010
I liked the idea of this book better than the execution of the idea. It might have been the "creep factor" which turned me off a bit. I literally could no read this with the dust jacket on the book. I am so snake phobic I avoid the reptile house at the zoo, much to the amusement of my children. But I digress...
Dusie is a pretty typical teenage girl and that voice shows through in the narratve. When she reaches puberty she realizes she is from a family of gorgons and is the niece of the legendary Medusa, and is in fact named for her aunt.
I really liked the relationship between Dusie and an older mn namd Cy. Cy is the voice of reason in Dusie's now chaotic world.
While not at all preachy this story helps teach good life lessons
Dusie is a pretty typical teenage girl and that voice shows through in the narratve. When she reaches puberty she realizes she is from a family of gorgons and is the niece of the legendary Medusa, and is in fact named for her aunt.
I really liked the relationship between Dusie and an older mn namd Cy. Cy is the voice of reason in Dusie's now chaotic world.
While not at all preachy this story helps teach good life lessons
August 19, 2011
I think the best part of this book was how Springer essentially tells a story about adolescence in girls - how uncomfortable, embarrassing, awkward, & ugly you feel - in this way, Dusie Gorgon is going through what every girl does, maybe just a little more so. Dusie discovers all is not as she thought when, shortly after her first period, she wakes up to find her hair has been replaced by snakes. Sure enough, her mother reveals that she was named after her deceased aunt, Medusa. Now Dusie realizes that, not only is everything she ever believed about herself a lie, but she is actually dangerous to other people. In order to solve this problem, Dusie is going to have to rely on no one but herself to discover who she truly is.
December 27, 2007
I teach 7th grade reading to girls in a public school and am always looking for great books to add to my library. This book was given to me and I loved it! It is a very cute story about a young lady who wakes up the morning of her "change" with a head full of snakes. She soon finds out that her mother is a goddess and that she is half-goddess. Through the adventures of accidentally turning her crush into stone, meeting an unexpected friend, and trying to find a way to get rid of the snakes on her head, she learns who she is. A great recommendation of a coming-of-age book for young ladies to read!
March 31, 2008
Recommended for middle through high school. Should appeal to kids who liked The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, girls more than boys. The protagonist is a 13-year-old girl who discovers that she is half-human, half-Gorgon (Dusie is short for Medusa) when she sprouts snakes instead of hair the day after she gets her first period. (Minor discussion of her period may turn off younger male readers, especially as it is mentioned in the second paragraph of the book.) Learning to cope with this unwelcome turn of events and the complications it brings - can she turn someone into stone? - make up the bulk of the story. It was a fairly quick enjoyable read.
November 19, 2008
This story was very cute, comical and entertaining. The relationship between Dusie and her snakes was intriguing and strange. Hearing internal voices in your head, or rather, snippets from the exterior part of your head, would be creepy and bothersome. Yet with Dusie, the snakes designed the structure of her well-rounded character. The internal beauty of Dusie out-shined the intimidating appearance in the eyes of her friends and family. An important ideal was threaded in the text: in order to receive love, one must give love. This is true, however, I believe that one shall give love without expectations. I recommend this book to people of all ages. It is truly a happy read.
March 19, 2011
Despite a few instances of profanity which were totally unnecessary (and without which, I could've handed this book to my 12-year-old daughter...as it is, I can't), I really liked this book. I didn't think I would. The cover isn't very appealing, and also kind of scary to someone who doesn't love snakes. I didn't see how Dusie would ever deal with such a horrible event as waking up with snakes on her head!
But as time went on, her character really grew and changed and I loved how the snakes became so real. Each had their own personality and their own voice. I actually started to like them. I loved the ending and how Dusie learned to solve her problem.
But as time went on, her character really grew and changed and I loved how the snakes became so real. Each had their own personality and their own voice. I actually started to like them. I loved the ending and how Dusie learned to solve her problem.
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