Sleeping Beauty's Daughters

June 15, 2013
Two sisters quest to break a spell, even as one of them succumbs to the same curse that kept their mother asleep for 100 years. Demure Princess Aurora and reckless Princess Luna are shocked to discover that their fragile mother is the Sleeping Beauty of fairy-tale fame. They are even more surprised to learn the reason for their sheltered upbringing is that 11-year-old Aurora has also been sentenced to sleep 100 years by the same vengeful fairy who cursed their mother. The girls hope they'll have time to undo the spell, but Aurora pricks her finger and is soon fighting the pull of enchanted slumber. Thus the sisters embark on a choppily paced sea journey to find the long-lost fairy godmother they hope can lift the curse. Along the way, they make new friends, encounter a disembodied spirit, man-eating beasts and a sea monster, among other dangers. Aurora narrates the story--even through her inevitable sleep--and though the conclusion seems sudden and a bit too easy, Aurora's and Luna's growth is satisfying and real. The problems--including awkward references to stories from our world--distract, but fantasy readers should be willing to overlook the flaws for the satisfaction of reading a story about girls with agency who, though aided by others, find the solutions to their own problems. A refreshing fairy tale that breaks the passive-heroine mold. (Fantasy. 9-13)

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September 1, 2013

Gr 4-7-This intricately plotted, appealing continuation of the classic tale combines magic, realism, and some modern attitudes. Queen Rosamond and her husband have lived with the terror of a curse put upon her as an infant and on her future firstborn child. The original curse foretold the queen's death at the age of 16, but Emmeline, her father's godmother, lessened it. Instead, Rosamond slept for a century after pricking her finger. The same curse is now on Princess Aurora, so her parents have sheltered their daughters from the outside world. Twelve-year-old Aurora is obedient and proper, whereas her younger sister, Luna, is far more curious and independent. The girls have no knowledge of the curse until Luna cuts her finger on a piece of glass. When the queen sees this she faints, and it is then that the girls must be told the truth. Though all sharp objects have been removed from the palace, a quill pen finds its way there in the bag of the girls' new tutor, and Aurora pricks her finger. Almost immediately sleepiness overwhelms her, and Luna devotes herself to keeping Aurora awake. Now they must survive horrendous obstacles as they search for Emmeline in the hope that she can undo or alter the curse. The girls are aided on their harrowing adventures by Symon, a young courageous fisherman, and eventually by their uncle, who has become a lutin, another creature with magical powers. Zahler's fans and those who enjoyed Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted (HarperCollins, 1997) or Robin McKinley's Beauty (HarperCollins, 1978) will love this story.-Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Grades 4-7 Although Sleeping Beauty has awakened from her 100-year sleep and is happily married with two lovely daughters, she is still under the spell of the evil fairy Manon. The second part of Manon's curse is that 12-year-old daughter Aurora will also prick her finger, thus falling into a sleep herself. More terrifying, however, is that she will awaken knowing no oneher family, friends, and servants all long dead. When Aurora and younger sister Luna learn of the curse, they run away in search of the good fairy Emmeline in hopes that she can reverse it. Their journey is fraught with periland just the slightest hint of romanceas Symon the fisherman steers them from one adventure to another in his rickety bateau. Zahler has written a fractured fairy tale, an extension of the traditional Perrault version. Fortunately, she retains the lush descriptions, the somewhat archaic language, and the hanging chapters that make all fairy tales such enjoyable read-alouds. Readers will identify with Luna's spunkiness, Aurora's fight to stay awake and alive, and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) lessons learned through each of the sisters' trials.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)