Synopsis
In this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie—blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic—can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen's true love to kiss her awake.
But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn't possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father's guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own.
School Library Journal
Gr 5–8—When Annie is born, fairy Moonbeam passes a magic wand over her and proclaims that magic will have no effect on her. (This could be a curse or a blessing.) A spell was cast on her older sister, Princess Gwendolyn, at birth and now, for fear that she will prick her finger, all spinning wheels have been banned from the land. On her 16th birthday, one is secretly delivered, and the inevitable happens. The entire castle falls asleep except for Annie. It is up to her to find Prince Charming to awaken the sleeping beauty. Along the way she meets Hansel and Gretel, dancing fairies, Rapunzel, and a lumpy mattress. Each one of these embedded fairy tales has an enjoyable twist. Eventually she finds all the available princes in the land and sends them to the castle for the big event. Annie is a down-to-earth character who eventually learns that there was a plot to take over the kingdom. Readers will like this wrinkle in the action as well as the surprise kiss that eventually wakes Princess Gwendolyn. Humorous at times, this fractured fairy tale will be enjoyed by readers who like adventure with a touch of romance.—Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI