The Wide-Awake Princess

E.D Baker (author)

Bloomsbury, UK: 2010, Australian release May 2011; 261pp

ISBN: 9781408807576

Genres: adventure, fairytale, fantasy

Issues: character, friendship, identity, values

Princess Annabelle, younger sister to Gwendolyn (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty), has a unique gift: she is impervious to magic. So when the beautiful Gwennie finally pricks her finger on a maliciously concealed spindle, it's up to Annie to find the appropriate prince to kiss her sister awake.

As practical as she is 'ordinary' (by princess standards), Annie soon finds that the available princes might be blessed with good looks but arrogance, conceitedness and, at times, sheer stupidity seem to have crept in as well. It seems as if a small amount of cunning and a great deal of common sense are going to be required if she's to save her family. Will Annie ever find the right prince for her sister? Or for herself, for that matter? And how can she possibly convince the wicked fairy who cast the spell to allow Gwendolyn to skip the 'hundred years' sleep' part of the curse? Annabelle might find her family rather difficult to get on with at times but she doesn't want to grow old without them.

This is definitely a story that celebrates independent, strong-minded, 'different' girls who learn to look past the superficial things valued by the majority of their community. Annabelle, who is convinced she is plain simply because she has not been blessed with magically imposed beauty, can do many things that her over-protected sister cannot: she can ride bareback, dance like a gypsy, shoot with a bow and arrow, and dress herself without assistance. Most importantly she can use her brain and she values people for who they are, not what they look like. Not one to wait around to be rescued by others, Annabelle makes sure that nobody has fallen asleep in danger (like the serving maid with her sleeve in the fire) and sets off to save her country.

Writers who play with traditional tales often see the holes in them and E.D. Baker is no different. As she makes clear, Annabelle is not simply saving her sister. She quickly realises that as soon as surrounding nations realise that her country's head of state is permanently asleep, her country will be vulnerable to attack; that her parents may well wake up and find themselves without a crown – or even their heads. By introducing some fairly basic politics, a bit of sibling rivalry, and questioning the motivations of the more saccharine characters of some very well known princess-related fairytales, E.D. Baker has crafted a much more interesting narrative. Young gifted readers will enjoy the slightly satirical edge to the story and if they're well-read in their fairytales may recognise a number of intertextual references.

Great fun.

Try also: The Ordinary Princess