The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler (Published by HarperCollins, February 2, 2010)Zita’s not just any servant girl: She's a princess—the thirteenth daughter of a king who wanted only sons and banished her to the servants' quarters to work in the castle's kitchen. Then, after Zita's twelfth birthday, her royal sisters all fall mysteriously ill. The only clue is their strangely worn and tattered shoes. With the help of her friends—Breckin the stable boy, Babette the witch, and Milek the soldier—Zita follows her bewitched sisters into a magical world of endless dancing and dreams. Something sinister is afoot—and Zita must find the source of the enchantment and break the curse or the twelve princesses will surely dance to their deaths.
With a mesmerizing voice and delightful imagination, Diane Zahler delivers a dazzling retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." Zita is the spunky and unforgettable heroine that young girls will love.
This was originally one of my Waiting on Wednesday books a few months back, it was supposed to come out this month but it got delayed. I decided to feature it again for that reason and also because they changed the cover and I *LOVE* the new cover. It really looks like a painting from a fairy tale. Really looking forward to reading it, hopefully it won't get delayed again! I am including the old cover as well at the bottom of the post, it's beautiful as well but I think the new one looks more like a fairy tale. Which cover does everyone prefer?
6 comments:
I think the bottom cover is more appealing but the top cover goes more with the story. This sounds good. Here's my WoW: http://theobsessivereader-rachel.blogspot.com/2009/08/wow-to-be-mona.html
I thought this one looked familiar! I had marked this on my wish list forever ago. I like the old cover-I think the new cover makes it look younger, but maybe it will appeal to a younger readership too. Looks like a good read.
I think the top cover appeals more to children, while the bottom cover would appeal more to teens.
I just read a different book, Princess at the Midnight Ball, that is also a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I like that there's a 13th princess in this version! The new cover is gorgeous.
- Alex
I infinitely prefer the newer version. It fits much better. The artwork reminds me of that of "The Legend of Holly Claus."
In general, I think book covers are getting better again, after decades of horrifying artwork that would have scared away anyone, much less trepidatious readers. Many of my favorite stories I would never have read by looking at the cover and I still cringe when I see them, wishing someone would print a decent version.
Many newer books have a spare, elegant style, featuring usually one item, esp. flowers, or a nature scene, or one person (tastefully done) and the fonts are way better. Now, if we could just get some of the older books reprinted...
I love the new cover! Very pretty, I'll have to read this, thanks for posting about it!
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