Entwined by Heather Dixon

Dixon, Heather, Entwined. Greenwillow Books, 2011. Pgs. 480. Language: G, Violence: PG, Sexual Content: G

On Christmas Day, Azalea’s mother passes away and the whole country begins a year of mourning. The 12 princesses’ father grows distant and ignores them. The kingdom enters a year period of mourning, in which time Azalea and her 11 sisters have to wear black, stay inside the castle, and aren’t able to do their favorite pastime, dancing. Desperate for some grasp of their former life, the girls begin dancing in secret throughout the castle. When they get caught by their father, however, the two search for another location. When they discover a magic passage to a place ran by Keeper, a man who is as mysterious as his land. When they get invited back to dance as much as they like every night, the girls are thrilled. After a while, however, Keeper starts stealing their stuff, becoming cruel and violent, and demanding Azalea find the magic object to free him. Azalea soon discovers that Keeper wishes harm on the Captain General, her father. Desperate to save her family, Azalea attempts to find the object and figure out a way to stop Keeper. Trapped by an oath she made not to reveal to her father anything about the magic passage and Keeper, Azalea finds herself unable to break the news to father. A glimmer of hope appears, however, when king finds out about their evening dancing and puts out an advertisement asking single, eligible males who thing they can solve the riddle of the princesses’ evening excursions to come and give it a shot. None of the men seem able to solve the riddle, though. Will Azalea find a way to stop Keeper and save her family?

A retelling of the fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, this touching, entertaining version will delight fans of Jessica Day George, Mettie Ivie Harrison, Gail Carson Levine, Cameron Dokey, and other fairy tale retellers for older readers. The characters are well-developed. The plot does a great job of holding the reader’s interest. Readers who like fantasy, adventure, romance, and comedy will enjoy reading this book. EL (4-6), MS. ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.