The Last Dragon

By Silvana De Mari
Rating: 4 1/4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

This Italian import is a great combination of fantasy, humor and adventure. Yorshkrunsquarkljolnerstri (called Yorsh for short) is an elf, one born lately, as he puts it, in a land where elves are hated and feared by humans for their magical powers, and are even placed in internment camps. But despite this, Yorsh is aided by two humans, Sajra and Monser, who come to love him. When the trio finds a prophecy, they believe it comes to be fulfilled when Yorsh discovers the last dragon and agrees to stay and care for it. But this, which seems to be the end of the story, is really the beginning. For the dragon will give birth to a baby dragon, and Yorsh will discover there is more to the prophecy than he realizes. His new adventure will involve the daughter of Sajra and Monser, the evil judge administrator of Daligar, the freeing of orphans, the once proud history of the elves, and of course, the last dragon and the last elf. This is an enjoyable read from start to finish, with adventure, magic, laughter, sorrow and love throughout. Thumbs up!

Fly By Night

By Frances Hardinge
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Mosca Mye is the daughter of Quillam Mye, a famed radical writer, but she doesn't know it. All Mosca knows is her father is dead and she is escaping the small, wet town of Chough with a very protective goose named Saracen and a small-time villain who could charm the skin off a snake named Eponymous Clent. In Mosca's world, all writings not approved by the guild of Stationers are banned. Many years ago, a group called the Birdcatchers had come to power and caused riots and war, book burnings and arrests. Now the different guilds maintain rule, watching each other warily, and keeping their leader, the Duke, under a close eye. With Clent, Mosca travels to the city of Mandelion and is instantly pulled into intrigue when she finds Clent is a spy for the Stationers and the Duke's sister, Lady Tamarind, recruits Mosca to spy for her. Someone in the city has an illegal printing press and is printing radical leaflets. The different guilds are all ready to blame each other, and Mandelion teeters on the brink of war. Mosca is soon surrounded by lies, betrayal, and murder, and must work out for herself who is really behind the troubled times in Mandelion. Is it Clent? The Stationers? The Locksmiths? Mr. Kohlrabi? Mr. Pertellis? Readers will get dizzy from the number of characters, gods, and plotlines to follow. While the density of the book and the number of new vocabulary words may put off quite a few readers, those who persevere will find a complex tale of adventure and intrigue. For the serious reader only!

Fairest

By Gail Carson Levine
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

The author of the excellent Ella Enchanted returns with another tale set in the same world but in the country of Ayortha instead of Kyrria. Aza was an abandoned child, adopted and raised lovingly by innkeepers. Ayorthians all sing as much as they speak--for games, healing rituals, weddings, conversation and more--and Aza has a singing voice beyond compare. She develops a skill no others can match--she can "illuse" when she sings, throwing her voice so it sounds like it is coming from other places. Unfortunately, Aza is also very large, awkward and unattractive, and this makes her miserable. Then a frequent guest at their inn, a duchess, invites Aza to go with her to the wedding of the king. Unbelievably, the new Queen Ivi seems taken with Aza, and asks her to become her lady-in-waiting. Aza is thrilled until she realizes the queen is using her, both for her ability to illuse and as a foil to her own beauty. When the king is felled by an accident and his recovery is uncertain, Ivi becomes a cruel ruler in his stead, and blackmails Aza into obedience. Aza longs to break free of Ivi, especially as she grows closer to Prince Ijori. But when Ivi accuses Aza of trying to use the queen for her own rise in power, things get out of hand. Aza is on the run--from prison and from Ivi's murderous intent. Will she be able to prove her innocence and stop Ivi before rebellion takes over the country? With a magic mirror, helpful gnomes, and a poison apple, readers may recognize allusions to Snow White, but this is certainly a more unique telling of the tale. While the narrative is not as perfectly wonderful as Ella Enchanted, this companion novel will still charm readers from start to finish.

The Thief

By Megan Whalen Turner
Rating: 5 stars
Newbery Honor
Reviewed by Noelle

In this fabulous story set in a land like ancient Greece, Gen is a thief of some repute in prison in the country of Sounis. One day, he is liberated by the magus--the main scholarly advisor to the king--in return for a favor. The magus wants Gen to steal something that has been hidden for centuries and even thought lost--Hamiathes' Gift--a stone that was said to confer rulership in the country of Eddis. The magus wants the stone for his king so that the Queen of Eddis will feel she must marry him to maintain her authority and thus unite the 2 countries--as well as give Sounis access to the next country over, Attolia. Gen, along with the magus, his 2 apprentices, and a solider named Pol, make a secret journey to a location where a hidden temple awaits the thief who can unlock its mysteries. Gen is a (mostly) willing participant on the journey because he has his own goal--to become famous far and wide as the thief who stole Hamiathes' Gift. The plot of this adventure seems fairly straightforward, but our cast of characters have different agendas and tricks hidden up their sleeves, and if you can figure out all of the plot twists, you are wiser than I am. A great story that bears careful reading (and re-reading) and will make you quickly grab the sequels, the Queen of Attolia and the King of Attolia (see reviews for both books).

Peter Pan in Scarlet

By Geraldine McCaughrean
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Kudos to author Geraldine McCaughren for winning the right to put out the first authorized Peter Pan sequel. She does Peter Pan justice here, writing in a style similar to the original story, so pure Peter Pan fans will be thrilled. Wendy, John and all of the other Lost Boys from the first story have been living the last 20 years back in London, having families and living grown up lives. But when they all begin having vivid nightmares about things gone wrong in Neverland, they decide to find a way back to find out what is wrong. When they do, the gang finds Peter Pan living on his own, and Neverland is no longer the summery place where Time stands still. Neverland is colder, the fairies are at war, the mermaids are gone. And they run across Ravello, the traveling, ravelling man, who starts to exert a powerful influence over Peter Pan, especially when Peter is wearing Captain Hook's second best scarlet coat they found on the Jolly Roger. And as the Explorers go on a quest to find Hook's treasure on top of Neverpeak, some dark secrets of Neverland are revealed, and Ravello's true nature comes to the surface. Can Peter Pan and Neverland be saved? Readers of fantasy, and especially those familiar with Neverland, will thoroughly enjoy this story. Fun!

Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg

By Gail Carson Levine
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

This novel is set in Never Land and instead of focusing on Peter Pan, Levine tells her story about Tinkerbell and the other Never Land fairies, especially the brand new fairy, Prilla. Prilla seems to have been born without a talent. This is disconcerting news for all the fairies have talents, be it for flying or cooking or water magic or pots and pans. But those concerns are put aside when a hurricane hits Never Land, and it injures Mother Dove and breaks her egg--the magic egg that keeps everyone and everything from aging on the island. Mother Dove also supplies the fairies with the fairy dust they need to do everything from fly to bake, and with her life in danger, the fairies face a horrible future. Mother Dove sends Rani, Prilla and Vidia on an impossible quest--to get 3 precious objects (a mermaid's comb, a feather from the golden hawk, and Captain Hook's cigar holder) and offer them to the evil dragon Kyto for his hoard if he will repair the egg. Can these 3 fairies succeed in time to save Mother Dove and Never Land? And will Prilla be able to find her talent in time to help? A quick, light fantasy read, with color illustrations strewn throughout the pages to add to the fun. Fans of Never Land or readers looking for an enjoyable, easy-to-digest book will like this one.

Flyte

By Angie Sage
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

This is book 2 in the Septimus Heap series. Flyte begins with Septimus happily being the apprentice of Marcia, the ExtraOrdinary Wizard. But things quickly take a nasty turn when Jenna, the Queen-to-be, is kidnapped by Simon Heap, the eldest of the Heap clan. Unbeknownst to the others, Simon helped resurrect DomDaniel, the evil Darke wizard of the last book, Magyk, and has become his apprentice out of jealousy of Septimus. No one but Septimus and his brother Nicko initially believe Simon is capable of actually kidnapping Jenna, and the pair set off to rescue her. The threesome do manage to find each other after many adventures on both sides. But kidnapping Jenna was just the beginning of the evil bid by DomDaniel to take over the Wizard Tower again, and the whole Heap family, Marcia, the Dragon Boat, and Aunt Zelda will all have to help each other to overcome the threat. There are quite a few surprises in store for the reader, including the Flyte charm, the discovery of Grandfather Heap, and the fate of the green stone that Jenna gave Septimus. While the story does meander quite a bit in places, the characters and important parts of the plot manage to keep readers engaged, and most will be anticipating the next book in the series, Physik, due out in 2007.

Valley of the Wolves

By Laura Gallego Garcia
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Dana lives the normal life of a farm girl, working hard in a large family. She has no friends except for a boy just her age named Kai, but he comes to be with her every day. Then one day, she learns that no one can see and hear Kai but her. Kai eventually explains that he exists on another plane and cannot be touched, but that he will always be her friend. Then the Maestro, a powerful magician, finds Dana and takes her away to the Tower in the Valley of the Wolves to train her to become a sorceress. Kai comes with her, but even the Maestro cannot see him. As Dana trains, she finds that she loves learning magic, and she is driven in her studies. But she is frustrated by her growing feelings for the insubstantial Kai. Dana also begins to have visions of a beautiful lady who insists she search for a unicorn in the forest. Then it is revealed to her by Fenris, the elf who is also a magical apprentice, that she is Kin-Shannay--one who is able to bridge the spirit world and our world, and Kai and the lady she has seen are actually ghosts. The plot becomes more sinister, as it is revealed that the Maestro has a hidden agenda, Fenris has a secret that could destroy the others, Kai may not be able to keep his word, and the quest for the unicorn results in Dana making a terrible choice. This is an exciting and quick fantasy story that readers of the genre will thoroughly enjoy. For a more mythological type of story, you can try this author's The Legend of the Wandering King.

The Problem Child

By Michael Buckley
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

This is the 3rd book in the Sisters Grimm series. In the end of the last story, Sabrina had finally found her parents--under a sleep spell and watched over by the very deranged Red Riding Hood and her "kitty," a murderous Jabberwocky. Sabrina is rescued from certain death by Puck, and her parents are again lost to her. But a new character shows up--the girls' Uncle Jake who was responsible for grandfather Grimm's death and also for the release of Red Riding Hood and the Jabberwocky from the asylum. Uncle Jake is determined to help rescue his brother to atone for his past mistakes. But Uncle Jake has an addiction to magic, and soon Sabrina's own frustrations lead her to the same addiction to the power of magic. When Daphne and Sabrina embark on a quest with Uncle Jake to find the pieces of the Vorpal blade to both kill the Jabberwocky and save Puck from some serious wounds, that addiction is nearly their undoing. Fans of the previous stories will be happy to see some old characters like Snow White, Mayor Charming and Mr. Canis, and delighted to meet some new ones like the Little Mermaid, Baba Yaga and the Blue Fairy. As always, Buckley mixes humor and a few life lessons to go with the nonstop action. Readers will be pleased with the continuing storyline and be looking forward to the next installment.

The Blue Sword

By Robin McKinley
Newbery Honor 1983
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Harry Crewe is on her way to Daria to live with her soldier brother Richard after the death of her father. She finds herself falling in love with the desert country occupied by the Homelanders and intrigued by the mysterious Hillfolk who are its natives. She lives her life idly until the day Corlath, king of the Hillfolk, appears to ask the Homelanders for help against the threat of the Northmen. Corlath's magical kelar, or Gift, makes it clear to him that Harry will be important in the upcoming struggle, so he kidnaps her. Soon Harry becomes aware that she also possesses this magical Gift and the Damarians plunge her into training. She learns their language but also she learns to become a warrior, for she will become Dalamur-Sol, the Lady Hero, who will carry the ancient blue sword Gonturan into battle. This is fantasy storytelling at its best. There are fully realized characters, a well built fantasy world, and battles, friendships, and a bit of romance. For those who love cats and horses, there is an added bonus of meeting the great warhorses and the foltza, the large hunting cats. Readers will be swept up in this compelling story. For those who want more, they can read the prequel, The Hero and the Crown, which won the Newbery Medal in 1985.

The Unusual Suspects

By Michael Buckley
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

This story is book 2 in The Sisters Grimm series. Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are currently living in Ferryport Landing with their grandmother after the disappearance of their parents. Ferryport Landing is no ordinary town--its people are Everafters, the characters in all the fairy tales you've ever read, alive and well but caged by a spell thought up by the original brothers Grimm and Baba Yaga to stay forever inside the town's borders and not able to wreak havoc in the rest of the world. The Everafters are all disguised as humans and have ordinary jobs, like Prince Charming is the mayor, Snow White is a teacher, the three little pigs are policemen. Taking up where book 1 left off, Sabrina and Daphne are finally starting school, but they are immediately thrown into a mystery when Sabrina's teacher is killed by a monster. As more people in the school fall victim to various creatures, the Sisters Grimm, Puck, Granny Relda and Mr. Canis attempt to find the culprits. Sabrina is sure Everafters are at the bottom of it and her prejuidice and anger against them grow. But the plot runs deeper than they know, and it will become a race against time to save the day before Ferryport Landing is changed forever. There are many chases, getaways, and big cliffhanger to end the book. You might want to brush up on your fairy tales and magical objects to get the full flavor of these stories, but they are definitely page turners and chock-full of fun all the way through. Readers will be panting for the next book, The Problem Child, to find out what happens next!

The Burning Bridge

By John Flanagan
Rating: 4 1/4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

This is book 2 in the Australian series, The Ranger's Apprentice. Will lives in the land Aruluen and last year was apprenticed to become a Ranger, basically a cross between a spy and a scout, to the famous Halt. Will, his friend Horace (apprenticed to become a knight), and another Ranger, Gilan, set out together to travel to the next country of Celtica to ask for aid in the upcoming battle against the evil Morgarath. But when they get there, they find the towns abandoned hurriedly. They run across a girl who tells them that Wargals, nasty creatures who answer to Morgarath, have invaded Celtica and have been rounding up miners and other workmen for some kind of project. Gilan quickly rides ahead to tell the king this news, leaving the others to trail them. But after hiding from a passing group of Wargals with prisoners, Will decides to trail them to see what they are up to. He finds they have built a bridge across the giant Fissure which will allow Morgarath to send a large number of troops against the king's forces in a surprise attack. Will, Horace and the girl Evalyn realize that there is no time to warn the army--they need to burn the bridge to save Arulen. Can they do it and escape in time? Can they get word to the king? Much like the first book, The Ruins of Gorlan, this is a well-plotted adventure, full of surprises, bravery, battles, and likeable characters. Fans of fantasy and adventure will find much to like here.

Gregor and the Marks of Secret

By Suzanne Collins
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

In this fourth installment, Collins continues the story of Gregor the Overlander (see review). Gregor's mother is still in the Underland, recovering slowly from her bout with the plague in the previous adventure, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods. Gregor is freely coming and going between their New York City apartment and the Underland visiting his mother and working on echolocution lessons with Ripred, the outcast rat. Then Ripred tells Gregor that the Bane, the white rat Gregor had spared from death, has become a violent danger to them all and needs to be killed. Gregor reluctantly agrees to help, but then Ripred vanishes. At the same time, Luxa, the young queen of Regalia, receives a message that the nibblers (mice) who saved her in the jungle are in grave danger. Luxa, Gregor, 3 year old Boots, 6 year old Hazard, Temp the cockroach, cousin Howard, and the bats Ares, Nike, Aurora and Thalia all set off secretly on a long journey to save the nibblers, only to end up finding the Bane instead and hearing his plans to rule the Underland. By the novel's end, war has been declared and Gregor leaves some of his friends behind to race back to Regalia to learn about the Prophecy of Time and to take up the sword that was left for him by Sandwich, the founder. This is a great action-packed fantasy series. Gregor continues to grow as a character as he tries to reconcile his abilities as a rager and warrior with his desires to be nonviolent. There is also a hint of romantic interest between him and Luxa and a cliffhanger of an ending as war is imminent. Who will survive? What will the Prophecy of Time say? Readers won't be able to wait for the next installment, Gregor and the Code of Claw (to be published in 2007).

The Door Within

By Wayne Thomas Batson
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Aidan is angry. His parents unexpectedly uprooted the family to move across the country to live with his ailing grandfather ("Grampin") and Aidan is separated from everything he knows as well as his one friend, Robby. Then he discovers a set of old scrolls in the basement which chronicle the story of The Realm. The Realm holds the kingdom of Alleble, ruled by King Eliam, which tries to spread peace to all the other kingdoms who pledge allegiance to Alleble. The king chooses a knight, Paragal, to be his special Sentinel. But Paragal eventually is seduced by the power and riches of the dark side, and chooses to betray his king and set himself up as a "Prince" who is endlessly attempting to destroy Alleble. The scrolls end with a poem exhorting the reader to believe if he wishes to enter the Realm. Aidan immediately believes in the Story, but his parents are dismissive of it. But when Grampin tells Aidan he believes and encourages Aidan to as well, Aidan manages to enter this magical Realm. Aidan soon finds himself in training as a knight for King Eliam and embarking on a mission to try and convince another kingdom to join the true King and enjoy peace before Paragor and his minions convince them otherwise. Aidan experiences many adventures and quite a bit of personal growth during the telling of the story. This book mixes many elements found in the Chronicles of Narnia with a more medieval flair, at times even delving into Lord of the Rings and Paradise Lost. Although some issues remain unexplained, like Aidan's rather sudden and amazing athletic prowess or what Aidan's dreams mean or even why the moonrascals decide to help him, and the message can be rather heavy-handed at times, fantasy readers will still find plenty to like in the action sequences and the familiar ground. There are 2 more books in this trilogy: The Rise of the Wyrm Lord and The Final Storm.

Howl's Moving Castle

By Diana Wynne Jones
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Sophie is stuck. She's the eldest of 3 sisters and works in her father's hat shop in the town of Market Chipping, and every day she feels more and more like a mousy, boring young woman with no future. Then one day, into the shop sweeps the Witch of the Waste, who tells her she doesn't like the competition and turns Sophie into an old woman. Sophie can't even get up the energy to be properly horrified. So she stumps off by herself and manages to wind up in Howl's floating, moving castle. The Wizard Howl has an evil reputation of being a powerful magician and a bit of rake who eats young girls' hearts. Sophie soon discovers Calcifer, the fire demon that works for Howl, who makes a bargain with Sophie: he'll try to break her spell if she can help break his contract with Howl. So Sophie sets herself up as the cleaning woman of the rather small castle, while poking her nose into the business of the apprentice Michael, Howl and the doors that open onto different places in both Sophie's world as well as other ones. This is an excellent fantasy involving magic, quests, an enchanted scarecrow, more than one witch, curses and more! Readers will enjoy the multiple plotlines and might even figure out what is really going on before Sophie does! Thoroughly good from beginning to end. Readers can take another adventure with Sophie and Howl in Castle in the Air. Howl's Moving Castle was also recently made into an animated movie. Check it out (but the book is better)!

Dreamhunter

By Elizabeth Knox
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

In a world much like our own around the turn of the 19th to 20th century, there are people called dreamhunters. They are able to go into an invisible land called "The Place" and catch specific dreams at specific spots on the map and then come back into our world and when they fall asleep, their dream is shared by everyone near them (depending on their range of projection). So people can share dreams that are fun or healing or soothing or exhilirating--for a fee, that is. Laura Hame and Rose Tiebold are cousins and are also the daughters of two extremely famous and powerful dreamhunters. At the age of 15, the cousins go to "Try" to see if they can enter the Place, but only shy Laura is able to. At the same time Laura is finding out she is a dreamhunter, her father Tziga disappears. But he left behind for her a sandman, much like the golems of Hebrew lore, created with magic and song, that will be her servant. He also leaves behind a request for Laura to complete a terrible mission. While Laura labors in secret at her father's task, the rest of her family tries to find out what happened to Tziga, for it seems many factions--the government, the Church--are trying very hard to cover up whatever did occur. These is an extremely interesting and inventive fantasy which also highlights family ties along with its fascinating premise of dreamhunting. Readers who love stories by people like Philip Pullman or Madeline L'Engle or Ursula K. LeGuin will find much to delve into here. An original and compelling story. Big thumbs up! This is billed as Book One of the Dreamhunter Duet, and readers will be clamoring for Book Two.

Over Sea, Under Stone

By Susan Cooper
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

In this first book of The Dark is Rising Sequence, Barney, Simon and Jane are in Cornwall near the seaside for a month-long holiday, staying with their Great-Uncle Merry at Grey House. It is while they are exploring the attic of the house that they find the map--a map so old it seems to refer to King Arthur and his knight, Mark, and some kind of treasure hidden nearby. As the children begin to try and decipher the map, they soon find that many other people around them are interested in Grey House and what might be inside. Soon the children learn that the map leads to an amazing treasure, lost for centuries, and that some very evil people, the Dark, are desperate to get their hands on it first--desperate enough to try just about anything. Simon, Barney and Jane, along with Great-Uncle Merry, soon find themselves flung headlong into the adventure of a lifetime, with the Dark right on their heels. This is the kind of fantasy that combines myth, adventure and mystery together into a heady mix that makes you keep turning the pages to the very end and leaves you breathless to read the next installment. Fabulous! Readers will be happy to read the other 4 books in the series. Check out The Dark is Rising Sequence on the web.

Beauty: a Retelling of Beauty and the Beast

By Robin McKinley
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

"Beauty" is the nickname of the youngest daughter of a succesful merchant. Unlike her beautiful sisters, Beauty is more plain and tomboyish, perferring to spend time around horses and books. Life is good until her father loses all his money when his ships are lost at sea. Her sister's beau appears and offers the family a life together out in the country, where he can make a living as a blacksmith. The family accepts, and slowly settle into their new, harsher life. But on his trip back from the city, Beauty's father is lost in the woods during a snowstorm and ends up being waited upon by invisible servants in a mysterious castle. On his way out the next day, he plucks a single rose from a hedge and immediately a Beast appears. The Beast tells the father that he must return with one of his daughters in one month or suffer the consequences. Once he arrives home, the father confesses what happened and Beauty is moved to offer herself up as the Beast's captive. Those familiar with the fairy tale know the basics of what is going to happen in this version of the story, but it is pure pleasure to read about Beauty's struggles with her new life and with learning to love the Beast. The author does a great job filling in the web of magic that surrounds the castle and its Beast, and Beauty is a worthy heroine for this tale. If you like Beauty, you may also enjoy many of Robin McKinley's other books. Check out this website for more on her books.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

By J. K. Rowling
Rating: 4 3/4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

In this 6th book in the Harry Potter series, Harry finds himself once again at Hogwarts, reeling from the death of his foster father Sirius. Professor Snape continues to act in the role of double agent to both the Death Eaters and to the Order of the Phoenix. We see him make an unbreakable vow with Draco's mother to aid Draco in the task set to him by Voldemort himself--a task that remains a mystery to us. Harry, however, knows Draco is up to something, and spends time tailing him around the castle to no avail. Of course, he still refuses to give Snape any kind of benefit of the doubt. Dumbledore is highly interested this year in bringing Harry with him as he travels back to past scenes of Voldemort's life when he was Tom Riddle. Dumbledore feels that understanding Voldemort's past will help give them the key to defeating him now. Careful readers will see the clues that Harry seems to not absorb quite so readily. When Muggles would be taking driving tests, the rest of the Hogwarts crew are busy preparing for their Disapparation tests which they are allowed to sit for when they reach the age of 17. There is also quite a bit of kissing amongst various couples, which may, perhaps, be a necessary plot point to attend to. But all other things are thrown aside when the last 100 pages of the book are begun and no one will want to put the book down. There will be a quest, a stand off, a battle, a horrible deed done, and the scene set for the final book in the series. Happily, this tome weighs in lighter in pages but is no less impactful than the previous books. Despite a few flaws, readers will devour this entry into the series and wait impatiently to get their hands on Book 7.

Bella at Midnight

By Diane Stanley
Rating: 3 3/4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

In this interesting remake of Cinderella, Bella (Isabel) is the child of a knight and a merchant's daughter. Her mother dies and her father is disinterested, so Bella is placed in a village with a wet nurse who is but a peasant. Until she turns 13, she is never told that she is anything else but a member of her peasant family. During her childhood, she is a close friend to Prince Julian, who also happened to have been nursed by the same woman as Bella and remains attached to her. But when she turns 13, her real father sends for her, and Bella joins his household. As we know, he has remarried, and Bella meets her stepmother and 2 stepsisters, one of whom is a lady-in-waiting to the queen. Bella is more or less ignored by her new family until the day her stepsister tells of a plot she overheard to end the truce with a neighboring country--a plot that would mean certain death to Prince Julian. Can Bella save her prince? The story is told from many points of view, including Bella, the prince, her stepmother and stepsisters as well as a few other characters. An original take on an old story, which makes it fresh and interesting. Thoroughly enjoyable.