The Restless Girls

Grades 3-6. Twelve sisters escape their oppressive lives in this feminist retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses. King Alberto, mad with grief after the death of his wife, takes away his 12 daughters’ books, typewriters, telescopes, and, finally—by locking them all in a room where they’ll be “safe”—their freedom. Luckily, Frida, the oldest sister, discovers a secret door that leads to a tree palace rife with jazzy music, delicious food, and animal hosts, where the sisters can dance and be free. But the girls’ haven is threatened when King Alberto promises his kingdom and one of his daughters to whichever man can solve the mystery of where the princesses go every night. Burton’s adaptation is populated with strong, smart sisters whose interests range from mathematics to singing to botany. The injustices the girls suffer while being imprisoned and treated like they aren’t full humans with brains and desires are keenly described. Barrett’s lush, detailed illustrations (final art not seen) depict the brown-skinned sisters in 1920s-style clothing. Occasional narrative asides preserve the fairy tale feel. An empowering retelling.

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Gr 4-6--The traditional tale of 12 princesses who secretly dance each night until their shoes are ruined is retold and fleshed out as an illustrated short novel. Each girl has a special talent ranging from artistic and agricultural to mechanical and botanical skills. After their fiercely supportive, sage mother's death, the girls are locked away by their father, the king; "not a bad man, but a lost one." Soon they discover a portal to a world behind a portrait of their mother, and they bravely going deeper into the magical realm headed by a wise lioness. In this version, it is the eldest sister, Frida, who proves that intellect and wisdom are enough to succeed. She leaves but returns to the kingdom in an airplane to assume leadership. This retelling includes more contemporary elements, while still offering a classic fairy-tale sensibility. The princesses are given names and particular skills though the only truly distinctive character is Frida. The richly described settings, however, make this a fine read aloud. VERDICT A pleasant addition where contemporary fairy-tale retellings are in demand, especially those with a feminist viewpoint.--Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library

In Burton's debut, a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," the sisters carry on after the death of their mother, "a woman of many words and driver of a racing car." Blaming his wife's death on her curiosity and sense of adventure, King Alberto secures his daughters in a windowless room with only a portrait of their mother, "as if to remind the girls what might happen if they ever tried to go faster than was appropriate." But a door behind it leads to a joyous celebration where the siblings dance until dawn. Discovering that his daughters' slippers are ruined each night, as if from dancing, the King demands their secret be revealed. Burton offers a richly imagined feminist fairy tale, laden with allusions to contemporary concerns about autonomy, gender roles, and power dynamics, that is extended in Barrett's lush scenes of the clever sisters and their revels. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)