Barbie in the Nutcracker

German writer, composer, and painter ErnstTheodor Amadeus Hoffman was born in Konigsberg, Prussia in 1776. After beginning a career in the law, Hoffman turned to music, working as a conductor, music director, and critic, and later composing a ballet, an opera, and other works. He established himself as a writer with the four-volume story collection Phatasiestucke in Callier Manier (Fantasy Stories in the Manner of Callot), which was published in 1814-1815.

Even though he published several novels and story collections, including Nachtstucke (Hoffman's Strange Stories, 1817) and Die Serapionsbruder (The Serapion Brethren, 1819-1821), Hoffman continued to support himself as a legal official in Berlin. This struggle between artistry and bureaucracy is played out in many of his works.

Hoffman died of progressive paralysis in 1822.

(Bowker Author Biography)

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Publisher's Weekly Review

Let's just say that liberties have been taken with this retelling. Barbie stars as Clara, of course dolled up in pink flounces and lace, and coifed within an inch of her blonde Malibu life. Hoffman's holiday tale is almost unrecognizable, with Clara/Barbie and the Nutcracker setting off on a quest to reverse a shrinking spell cast by the Mouse King. Along the way they meet such creatures as Major Mint, Colonel Candy and Marzipan (a purple horse with Barbie-like tresses). When Clara/Barbie's new friends are kidnapped by the Mouse King, she rescues them in one anticlimactic sentence ("When Clara reached the castle, she sneaked inside and saved her friends"). The chirpy text depends as heavily on exclamation marks to generate excitement as Sauber's overwrought illustrations do on shades of pink and purple. Given the merchandising power behind the star, this saccharine performance may be the only exposure many children will have to a tale whose timeless magic deserves better. Ages 4-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review