A spiteful fairy. A beautiful princess. An outstretched finger. A spindle. A hundred-year snooze. A charming prince. A kiss. All the familiar ingredients. But wait! Where did that extra prince come from? And those fairy gifts that were never there before? And what does a flock of balding sheep have to do with anything? Gail Carson Levine has waved her magic wand over the old standby of "Sleeping Beauty" and presto! It reappears, transformed, sparkling and hilarious. Chuckles and giggles are guaranteed. Grade 3-6-This installment in the series features Princess Sonora as Sleeping Beauty. The fairies in this fractured tale endow the princess with a few too many gifts at her naming ceremony; not only is she "the smartest human in the world," but she is also "ten times as smart as any human in the world." As a result, Sonora crawls only in perfectly straight lines and perfectly round circles, reminds the Royal Nursemaids to wash behind her ears, and diagnoses her own illnesses. She also refuses to sleep, preferring to spend her evenings reading, or thinking up questions and then answering them-she knows she'll get plenty of sleep during the 100 years promised by the spiteful fairy Belladonna. The more-than-a-little precocious princess decides that she will choose the most opportune moment to prick her finger, thereby putting the castle grounds to sleep. However, things don't go exactly as planned. Levine's witty takeoff is clever and humorous, but without the depth or thorough character development that so distinguished Ella Enchanted (HarperCollins, 1997). This amusing, light read will stir children's imaginations and encourage them to explore further the richness of fairy tales. Robin L. Gibson, Muskingum County Library System, Zanesville, OH Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. A spiteful fairy. A beautiful princess. An outstretched finger.A spindle. A hundred-year snooze. A charming prince. A kiss. All the familiar ingredients. But wait! Where did that extra prince come from? And those fairy gifts that have never been before? And what does a flock of blading sheep have to do with anything? Gail Carson Levine has waved her magic wand over this old standby, and presto! It reappears, transformed -- new sparkling, and funny! Hoots and guffaws are likely, chuckles and giggles are guaranteed. Gail Carson Levine is the author of ELLA ENCHANTED, a spirited retelling of "Cinderella" and a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. In this third of her Princess Tales, Levine shows a precocious but lovable girl taking control of a destiny she never asked for, with hilarious and happy-ever-after results. A spiteful fairy. A beautiful princess. An outstretched finger. A spindle. A hundred-year snooze. A charming prince. A kiss. All the familiar ingredients. But wait! Where did that extra prince come from? And those fairy gifts that were never there before? And what does a flock of balding sheep have to do with anything? Gail Carson Levine has waved her magic wand over the old standby of "Sleeping Beauty" and presto! It reappears, transformed, sparkling and hilarious. Chuckles and giggles are guaranteed. Gail Carson Levine 's first book for children, Ella Enchanted , was a Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Ever , a New York Times bestseller; Fairest , a Best Book of the Year for Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal and a New York Times bestseller; Dave at Night , an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish ; The Two Princesses of Bamarre ; A Tale of Two Castles ; Stolen Magic ; The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre ; Ogre Enchanted ; and the six Princess Tales books. She is also the author of the nonfiction books Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly and Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink , as well as the picture books Betsy Who Cried Wolf and Betsy Red Hoodie . Gail Carson Levine and her husband, David, live in a two-centuries-old farmhouse in the Hudson Valley of New York State. Mark Elliott is the illustrator of many picture books and novels for young readers, including Gail Carson Levine's ever-popular Princess Tales series. He lives in New York State's Hudson River Valley.