1 of 1 copy available
Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s talents for storytelling and creating strong female characters take a fresh turn in this spirited and sophisticated fairy tale.
Benevolence is not your typical princess. With her parents lost to assassins, Princess Ben ends up under the thumb of the conniving Queen Sophia. Starved and miserable, locked in the castle’s highest tower, Ben stumbles upon a mysterious enchanted room. So begins her secret education in the magical arts: mastering an obstinate flying broomstick, furtively emptying the castle pantries, setting her hair on fire . . . But Ben’s private adventures are soon overwhelmed by a mortal threat to her kingdom. Can Ben save the country and herself from foul tyranny?
“Murdock spins a rip-roaring yarn that borrows fairy-tale conventions (particularly from “Sleeping Beauty”) and reverses them to suit her strong, resourceful heroine. The wild adventure, intricately imagined setting, memorable characters, and romance will charm readers, especially fans of Gail Carson Levine’s Fairest.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Murdock’s first venture into fantasy offers a fairy tale with several twists and surprises, and readers will be drawn into the world and moods that she creates.”—School Library Journal
“Readers will love every minute they spend with [Princess Ben].”—Teensreadtoo.com
This ebook includes a sample chapter of Wisdom’s Kiss.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 11, 2020 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780547349473
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780547349473
- File size: 2806 KB
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 7.9
- Lexile® Measure: 1090
- Interest Level: 6-12(MG+)
- Text Difficulty: 6-9
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Reviews
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April 7, 2008
Murdock (Dairy Queen
) reworks now standard elements of the modern fairy tale—reluctant princess, haughty prince, evil queen, portentous prophesies—for this frothy coming-of-age story. Princess Ben (short for Benevolence) is effectively orphaned after assassins kill her uncle the king and her mother, and her father disappears. Now heiress to Montagne's throne, Ben is forced into the tutelage of her aunt, Queen Sophia, with a regimen of dance lessons, embroidery and dieting, all in order to be married off to Florian, crown prince of menacing Drachensbett. After their umpteenth clash, the queen locks Ben in a tower, where Ben discovers a hidden portal, a wizarding room and a book of spells. Through her forays in magic, Ben learns that if Drachensbett's leaders can't marry their way into controlling Montagne, they will take it by force, and she will have to use her smarts to save her country. There's no new ground broken—the sardonic, witty repartee between Ben and Florian would fit right into a Shrek
sequel—but the story (think poor man's Gail Carson Levine) is thoroughly entertaining. Ages 12-up.
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