The Trolls
Written by Polly Horvath in 1999, The Trolls is a child's novel based in the present time with stories told by Aunt Sally dating back twenty or so years ago. The Trolls was a National Book Award finalist, and is a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor book.
The books starts out with Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, parents of Melissa, Amanda and Pee Wee, having planned a trip to Paris, but the babysitter cancels last minute due to a development of bubonic plague requiring them to resort to the only available person left: Aunt Sally. Once Aunt Sally arrives and the children’s parents leave they are treated to many of Aunt Sally’s stories revolving around her life in Vancouver with her eccentric family.
Tropes used in The Trolls include:
- An Aesop: While little ones crop up here and there in Aunt Sally's stories, perhaps the biggest message is also, interestingly, the stealthiest one: be nice to your siblings.
- Author Appeal: Polly Horvath lives in Vancouver and milks it for all it's worth.
- Black Magic: Subverted Trope. The Wiccan's only preform 'friendly' spells.
- Canada, Eh?: Aunt Sally both pokes fun at and provides true facts about Vancouver.
- Cool Aunt: Aunt Sally is for the kids.
- Great-Uncle Louis thinks he's a Cool Uncle, but only Robbie really thinks he is.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Mad Maud.
- Dysfunctional Family: Aunt Sally's generation has become very dysfunctional after she and her siblings ditch Robbie on the beach with 'the trolls'
- Eccentric Mentor: Aunt Sally, under the guise of telling the kids interesting stories, is definitely still teaching the children a thing or two.
- Eccentric Townsfolk: The residence of Aunt Sally's hometown in Vancouver.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Fat-Little-Mean-Girl is in fact a fat, little, mean girl.
- Excited Episode Title: All the chapters of the book end with an exclaimation point!
- Formally-Named Pet: Mrs. Gunderson.
- And the new Mrs. Gunderson.
- Large Ham: Definitely Great-Uncle Louis, who came for two weeks and stayed for six years.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Did the potion the Wiccans gave Aunt Sally and her sibling really work, or did Fat-Little-Mean-Girl just react to drinking something... weird.
- Were there really Trolls that lived out in the caves on the beach?
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Fat-little-Mean-Girl.
- Overused Running Gag: Great-Uncle Louis, who came for two weeks and stayed for six years.
- Reformed but Rejected: Aunt Sally to her brother (and the kids' dad) Robbie.
- The Thing That Would Not Leave: Great-Uncle Louis, who came for two weeks and stayed for six years.
- What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?: In-Universe, Great-Uncle Louis and his State of the Union speeches.