Palace of Mirrors

November 1, 2008
Gr 5-8-A lively companion to "Just Ella" (S & S, 1999). Cecilia, 14, has a secret. Despite her peasant appearance, she is the true princess of Suala, hidden from birth to protect her from the conspirators who murdered her parents. To evade capture, she leaves her village with her friend Harper and heads for the capital city to claim her throne. Imagine her surprise when Desmia, the figure-head princess, reveals 11 other "true princesses" locked in the palace dungeons. Visiting from Fridesia, Ella turns up to help Desmia, Cecilia, and Harper unravel this political intrigue. "Palace of Mirrors" sits nicely alongside Gail Carson Levine's "Ella Enchanted" (HarperCollins, 2007) and Shannon Hale's "Princess Academy" (Bloomsbury, 2005). Much of the humor stems from Cecilia's misconceptions, and from the wit of her friend-turned-beau, Harper. The plot will be a familiar one to genre readers, but they will happily travel it again to see Cecilia's identity unfold. The suspense builds to a well-paced climax and conclusion with few pauses in an action-packed story. While the setting is less defined than the characters and plot, readers will be too focused on the protagonist's many concerns to notice."Caitlin Augusta, The Darien Library, CT"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2008
In this companion novel to Just Ella (1999), 14-year-old Cecilia is a princess disguised as a villager as she anxiously awaits the day that she can claim her inheritance. Spirited away after her royal parents murder, Cecilia has been raised by a peasant woman and tutored by one of her late fathers knights. When it seems that the secret of her identity has been leaked, she travels to the palace to confront Desmia, the plebian who has ruled in her place. Unsurprisingly, Desmia is not pleased to make Cecilias acquaintance. What follows is a humorous, romantic riff on The Prince and the Pauper involving a corrupt advisor, a dying wish, and no less than 12 other secret princesses, all of whom claim to be the real royal. No-nonsense Ella Brown from Just Ella lends a helping hand, and it all ends happily ever after, albeit not necessarily the way that Cecilia imagined. Middle-grade aficionados of Gail Carson Levine and Shannon Hale will find much to like in this welcome addition to the ever-growing canon of smart-princess stories.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)