ARC Review: Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer

Author: Maureen McGowan

Genre: Fiction, YA, Fairy Tales, Paranormal, MG, Choose Your Own Adventure

Release: April, 2011

Source: Netgalley

Rating: 4/5

Description: In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read! Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is an entirely new type of fairy tale–one that will keep today's kids guessing and offer them hours of magical fun.

Review:

What I Didn't Like

• It's marketed as a book for young adults, but I think the language is more on the middle grade level. Just my opinion.
• It got silly at times throughout the novel.
• The "choose your own adventure" part of the book has you thinking for Lucette rather than Lucette thinking for herself.

What I Liked

• Ms. McGowan gives an interesting twist to a classic fairy tale. I love the "fractured" fairy tale...some more so than the classics.
• What I liked about the "choose your own adventure" bit was the fact that it made you a part of the story, despite the fact that you did the thinking rather than Lucette. Kids would love to be able to make the decisions, so it works for them.
• Princess Lucette is your regular damsel in distress. Instead of a helpless princess waiting on her prince to rescue her, she's a brave, strong princess who does the saving along with her prince. She's also more of a tomboy than a pampered, spoiled princess.
• I liked the twisted curse: During the day, while the everyone in the kingdom was awake, Lucette slept. During the night, when the vampires roamed, Lucette was awake while the kingdom slept.

Overall, Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer was a pretty good book. I enjoyed the twist and loved the fact that Lucette was an awesomely brave heroine. If you love fairy tales with a twist, this book is definitely for you.

Book Review: Snoring Beauty

Author: Bruce Hale (author); Howard Fine (illustrator)
Genre: Fiction, Fairy Tales, Picture Book
Release: May, 2008
Source: Library
Rating: 5/5

Description: A furious fairy. A cruel curse. A princess enchanted by a spell.

Think you know the story of Sleeping Beauty? Better think again. This fractured fairy tale tells the real story of Sleeping Beauty - warts, scales, and all.

And guess what? She snores.

Review: King Gluteus and Queen Esophagus throws a christening party for their new baby girl, Princess Drachmina Lofresca Malvolio Margarine (Marge for short). In the same tradition as the original Sleeping Beauty, the fairies in attendance bless Marge with wonderful gifts. Then, a garlic-smelling fairy named Beebo, comes and puts a curse on her: on her 16th birthday, she'll die under the wheels of a pie wagon. The king begs the last fairy, a hard-of-hearing fairy named Tintinnitus, to undo the curse. So, instead of dying under the wheels of a pie wagon, Marge will turn into a sleeping dragon who only can be awakened by a quince. When the time comes, Marge turns into a beautiful, hot pink and purple dragon who wears red lipstick and nail polish. The kingdom can breathe easy because she doesn't die, only she not only sleeps, she snores. Horribly. The king issues an edict: whoever can wake Marge up will marry her. What follows is a hilarious journey until Prince Quince comes along. Will his kiss be just what the snoring dragon needs?

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

• There's absolutely nothing I didn't like about this book. Nothing.

WHAT I LIKED

• Everything! It was a wonderfully funny take on a classic fairy tale. The pics were awesome, but I expected that from Howard Fine. The cover is what attracted me, but the whole book did not disappoint.

This book is definitely perfect for read-alouds. And kids aren't the only ones who'll fall in love with Snoring Beauty. It has just enough sarcasm (it's narrated by a sarcastic frog) and laughs that the whole family will enjoy it. I LOVED this book!

Writing Wednesday

I love writing and reading fractured fairy tales. Fractured fairy tales are made when the author takes fairy tales we know and change them up. Some people start their stories where the fairy tales left off (like what really happened to Cinderella and her evil steps after she married the prince) or they write an updated version of an old tale (change the prince into the popular guy at school or something like that).

A few years ago, I took Little Red Riding Hood and change it up a bit. I had so much fun doing it! So, today, I'm sharing it with you.

Little Redd

Seriously, you’re not going to believe what happened to me the other day!

Mom tells me to deliver some homemade soup to my grandmother, who's supposed to be sick. I don't want to go cos a) my show is on and b) Nana lives too far away.

Okay, so she only lives a block away, but I so don't feel like walking. Mom isn’t hearing any of my excuses, though, so I still have to go. Once again, she gives me her speech about the dangers of talking to strangers, blah, blah, blah. “Things are a lot different now than when I was a girl," she says.

Well duh. That was like, a gazillion years ago! I start to tell her that, at 15, I’m not a little girl anymore, but I know she won’t listen. Why waste my breath?

Of course I’m upset so, instead of rushing, I take my sweet little time. I'm in my own little world, dreaming of all the ways Chris Wolfe will profess his undying love for me. I mean, sure he still sees me as his best friend's little sister, but a girl can dream can't she?

A horn blast jolts me out of my daydream. I turn around and see Wolfe, sitting in his brand new, royal blue Mustang. Smooth, chocolately skin, deep dimples, eyes that stare into your soul...*sigh* He looks so good.

He pulls up right next to me. “What up Little Redd? Where you going?”

By now, my heart is beating so fast, I’m sure it’s about to explode.
“
Uh, hey Wolfe. Um, I’m just going to my Nana’s house to, uh, drop this off. You driving now?” Duh! I can’t believe I sound dumb and babyish at the same time. At this rate, I’ll never get Wolfe to profess his love for me.

“Yeah, you like my ride?”

Uh huh, but not as much as I like you. Of course, I don’t tell him this. Instead, I say, “Um, yeah, it’s cool.”

“Get in. I’ll give you a ride.”

Now, I know Mom would kill me if I got in the car with him - she has this rule against my being in a car with anyone under 21 - but whatever. It'll get the soup to Nana faster, right? So, I get in.
Hallelujah, I’m in heaven now!

Wolfe drops me off in front of Nana’s house and pulls off. He says he has to pick his girlfriend up from work. Ouch!

My poor heart is breaking, so the fact that Nana’s door is unlocked doesn’t register in my mind. I open the door and say, “Nana, I’ve got some soup.” There is no answer, so I go to the family room. I see Nana lying on her couch, completely under the covers.

I’m about to hug her when I notice her feet. Man, those dogs are big!

Nana moves and I see her ears. Man, those ears are huge.

Then I see the arms. Ewww, they’re so hairy!

This is definitely not my Nana. I grab a broomstick and strike the figure over and over again. It growls and jumps up. I scream. It’s a big hairy beast! Gross!

“What are you doing in Nana’s house? What have you done to her?” I chase the beast around.

“Ashlee Nicole Redd, you better stop it right now!”

Uh oh.

I turn around to see Nana glaring at me, standing with a hand on her hip. “Why are you beating Mr. Wolfe like that?”

I gulp, look from Mr. Hairy Man to Nana, and say, “Mr. Wolfe?”

Oh man! Please do not tell me that this man is related to my one true love! It’s just a coincidence, isn’t it?

Anyway, it’s been three weeks and I’m still in a lot of trouble. I practically beat up Nana’s new boyfriend, who happens to be Wolfe’s grandfather. I’m now grounded until further notice, Wolfe laughs at me every time he sees me, and, to top it all off, I won’t be able to watch my show for a long time.

So, that’s it. That's my story. Of course, I’m clearly the victim here. I totally blame Mom. If she hadn’t sent me, none of this would have ever happened!