Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George

Princess Petunia has been kidnapped!  Sort of . . .by accident.

Oliver, the leader of the Wolves of Westfalian Woods didn't mean to take her prisoner.  But she had seen his face.  He determines to make it right by delivering her safely to the estate of the Grand Duchess.

But is she really safe there?

It's been ten years since Princess Petunia and her sisters were cursed to dance away the night at the underground balls of the King Under the Stone.  Ten years of peace and tranquility.  But now the sisters are having horrible dreams of the "princes" and the ball once more.

Oliver will have to work together with the princesses, their husbands, and some powerful magicians to save the princesses from the King Under the Stone forever.


This was a great ending to the Princess Trilogy by Jessica Day George.  While it it not necessary to read the previous books before starting this one, it will greatly enhance the reading of the story.  The first book Princess of the Midnight Ball, a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses", tells the story of the oldest princess Rose.  The second book Princess of Glass, a retelling of "Cinderella", tells of the story of the middle princess Poppy.  The third book Princess of the Silver Woods, a retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood", tells the story of the youngest princess Petunia.  Together, they are a wonderfully interwoven story with each book building upon the previous book.  These books would be great for teens who love fairy tales and romance with a touch of creepy evil.

Fairy Tales Retold

"Once upon a time . . . "
These is one of my favorite ways for a book to start.  I love fairy tales -- whether the original Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen or new tales.  Today I thought I would share some great retellings of fairy tales for kids . . .

The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler
Zita, cast aside by her father and raised as a kitchen maid, learns when she is nearly twelve that she is a princess and that her twelve sisters love her, and so when she discovers they are victims of an evil enchantment, she desperately tries to save them. A retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses".

I Was a Rat! by Philip Pullman
A little boy turns life in London upside down when he appears at the house of a lonely old couple and insists he was a rat.  A retelling of "Cinderella".

The Brixen Witch by Stacy DeKeyser
Twelve-year-old Rudi stumbles upon a witch's lair while out hunting, takes a gold coin he finds there but loses it again, then must deal with the witch's servant who promises to end the town's rat infestation only if he receives that gold coin.  A retelling of "The Pied Piper".

Ugly by Donna Jo Napoli
When the rest of the ducks turn on her little duckling, Ugly, because he isn't like them, Mother Duck sadly leaves him behind in order to protect her other children. With the help of some new friends, Ugly makes his way alone, but he doesn't know where he's going or what he's looking for.  A retelling of "The Ugly Duckling".

More Fairy Tale Retellings --
Beauty and the Beast: The One Who Didn't Run Away by Wendy Mass
Fairest by Gail Carson Levin (Snow White)
The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker (The Frog Prince)
Spinners by Donna Jo Napoli (Rumpelstiltskin)
Straw Into Gold by Gary D. Schmidt (Rumpelstiltskin)
A True Princess by Diane Zahler (The Princess and the Pea)