Baker, E. D. (2010). The wide-awake princess. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-1-59990-487-0
Interest Level: Ages 10 and 14
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Magic, Medieval Worlds, Princesses/Princes,
Plot: Annie is the younger daughter of the King and Queen of Treecrest and blessed by a fairy to never be affected by magic. Unfortunately she also neutralizes any magic she touches which causes most people to avoid Annie in case she makes the magic that keeps them beautiful or lucky to fade. Their older daughter, Princess Gwen, was blessed with beauty but cursed to sleep 100 years after touching a spinning wheel. Gwen finally touches one on her 16th birthday and everyone in the castle but Annie ends up falling asleep. Worried about invaders taking over the kingdom while her family sleeps, Annie goes in search of a prince to kiss Gwen awake early. Annie starts searching the nearby kingdoms to round up all the princes she can find in order to increase the odds of one being Gwen's true love and break the curse.
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Magic, Medieval Worlds, Princesses/Princes,
Plot: Annie is the younger daughter of the King and Queen of Treecrest and blessed by a fairy to never be affected by magic. Unfortunately she also neutralizes any magic she touches which causes most people to avoid Annie in case she makes the magic that keeps them beautiful or lucky to fade. Their older daughter, Princess Gwen, was blessed with beauty but cursed to sleep 100 years after touching a spinning wheel. Gwen finally touches one on her 16th birthday and everyone in the castle but Annie ends up falling asleep. Worried about invaders taking over the kingdom while her family sleeps, Annie goes in search of a prince to kiss Gwen awake early. Annie starts searching the nearby kingdoms to round up all the princes she can find in order to increase the odds of one being Gwen's true love and break the curse.
Personal Thoughts: Baker is a great author, mostly specializing in fairytale remakes. The Wide-Awake Princess is mostly a spin-off of the sleeping beauty tale but it also has touches from the princess and the pea tale, the Rapunzel tale, and the Hansel and Gretel tale. Annie is a strong female character who uses her brain and due to her lack of magic is pretty self-sufficient compared to other characters in the book. Liam, Annie's companion on her quest, is a prince in disguise and also quite resourceful. The characters and their relationships with one another are realistic. Annie's relationship with her family is strained because they fear her draining their magic. Liam also has problems with his family. The other characters that Annie meets in her travels are all different types of kind, mean, greedy, selfish, fake, depressed and excited. A Must Read for fantasy and fairytale fans.
Other Books by the Author: The Frog Princess (2002); Once Upon A Curse (2004); Wings: A Fairy Tale (2008)
Author's Website: E.D. Baker's Book Website
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