Raising the Griffin

By Melissa Wyatt

What’s it really like to be a prince? To his horror, British schoolboy Alex Varenhoff finds out when the monarchy is restored in the tiny country of Rovenia.

“To see, to do, to prevail.” The motto of Rovenia stands for bravery and honor. But none of this matters to Alex Varenhoff. Though he was always aware of his tie to the ancient monarchy, Rovenia tossed out the Varenhoff dynasty long ago, when the Communists took over. But Rovenia now finds itself in need of the leadership of a king.

Alex must leave home in England and assume his role in Rovenia as . . . prince? He’s thrust into a life he was never raised for. Alex hates pomp and circumstance, and the hordes of screaming girls that wait everywhere. And this new life is dangerous, for there are Rovenians who oppose the monarchy. Becoming a true prince presents Alex with a heartbreaking challenge far beyond anything he ever expected, one of the greatest challenges that any Varenhoff has ever had to face.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 18, 2007
• ISBN: 9780307433664

Melissa Wyatt

I have had the most boring life of any young adult author, and I’ve read a lot of young adult author bios, so I know. I have never sailed to Australia or trekked through Tibet. I have never been a race-car driver, danced on Broadway, or run with the bulls. I grew up in Weiglestown, Pennsylvania, a little town a few miles north of York, Pennsylvania, which of course is famous for the Peppermint Pattie. I was an accomplished liar as a child, though I didn’t lie to be mean or to weasel out of things. I just made up things to make myself seem more interesting to friends, teachers, and total strangers. Even then, I had an amazingly boring life. But being a good liar is a great background for a writer. I started making up stories about people other than myself and writing them down in eighth grade. But when I graduated from high school in 1981, I’d had about enough of school and took the first of a series of secretarial jobs for the State of Pennsylvania, jobs where the primary directive was to “look busy.” So I sat at the typewriter and wrote. Reams and reams of stuff. It was a great opportunity to stretch my writing wings and learn the craft. I left the state after eight years, and for a little while I made a living as a doll artist, sometimes making dolls for famous people like Demi Moore and Anne Rice, and that was about as exciting as my life ever got. The doll market crashed after 9/11 and I decided it was time to get serious about publishing a book. My first novel, Raising the Griffin, was published by Random House in 2004. Writing for teenagers appeals to me because being a teenager is all about change and choice and figuring out how you fit in the world, and those are great building blocks for stories. When I’m not writing, I’m hanging out with my two boys and my husband or indulging in embarrassingly old-lady-like hobbies like gardening, bird-watching, and old movies. (I haven’t yet taken up knitting, but there’s time.)

Reviews for Raising the Griffin

[herenya_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Raising the Griffin is about a teenage boy whose father decides to accept rulership in the (fictional) European country which evicted their family (who were the country's monarchs at the time) a couple of generations ago.It was a really gripping read because while sometimes Alex is a spoilt brat, he is treated like a child, and then berated for not responding like an adult, when the lack of choices and lack of warning he is given mean it is very difficult for him to do otherwise. He suddenly has no control of his own life, is told his thoughts, wishes and opinions do not matter, and has to deal the press, paparazzi and hordes of screaming faangirls. Not to mention members of the country who don't want the return to monarchy.There was an uncomfortable interlude where he was sort-of seduced by a pretty, older princess which I skimmed, but otherwise it was a surprisingly interesting story.