Princess of Glass [Hardcover]

Jessica Day George (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2010

Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other's countries in the name of better political alliances—and potential marriages. It's got the makings of a fairy tale—until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-8–George continues with her novelization of fairy tales by placing Princess Poppy, one of three surviving sisters from Princess of the Midnight Ball (Bloomsbury, 2009) at the center of a Cinderella plot that includes a bewitchingly evil premise. The magic that forced all 12 princesses to dance incessantly is reversed, and Poppy is sent for a respite to Seadown House, where the last thing she wishes to do is attend parties to dance. It is there that she encounters a maid whose misfortune has landed her in her present state of servitude after losing her family, inheritance, and stature as the daughter of an Earl. Ellen is not the best maid–she's resentful, clumsy, awkward, inept, and quite useless, often causing accidents and irreparable damage. She misses her upper-class socializing, so when an important invitation to a ball arrives at Seadown, Ellen is determined to go with the aid of a nefarious godmother, “the Corley,” who is also responsible for the wickedly construed misfortunes in Princess Poppy's family. George weaves in elements from the first novel in a somewhat convoluted and drawn-out narrative in which the evil magic is finally conquered through Poppy's knowledge and previous experience. This Cinderella story serves more as a subplot to the action surrounding the principal character and pales in comparison to Diane Stanley's Bella at Midnight (HarperCollins, 2006), Donna Jo Napoli's Bound (S & S, 2004), or Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted (HarperCollins, 1997).Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MI
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

On the heels of the success of Princess of the Midnight Ball (2009), George's sequel follows one sister, Poppy, to Breton. While staying with her Seadown cousins, Poppy's eye is caught by Christian, the Crowne Prince of Danelaw, and a romance begins to bud. But a maid in the Seadowns' home, Eleanora, somehow manages to get a gown and attend the ball, appearing to cast a spell over the men in attendance. In a clever reworking of the Cinderella story, George once again proves adept at spinning her own magical tale. Fans of Donna Jo Napoli's retellings will cheer loudly as George proves her own mettle. Grades 6-10. --Melissa Moore

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; 1 edition (May 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599904780
• ISBN-13: 978-1599904788
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #520,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

It's all about the books. Friends, family, school, "real jobs", they were just obstacles to be tackled so that I could return to my true love: books. All I have ever wanted in this world is to read and write books. My criteria for choosing a purse is that it must be able to fit a paperback book inside. I took books on my honeymoon, and bought more while we were there. I picked my major because it looked like I would get to read a lot of books, and also I thought it would provide me with interesting background information for my own books (which it did). From the time I was twelve on up, I told people that I wanted to be a writer. When they said, "So, you'll teach and then maybe try to write a book?" I would just shake my head. No, I was a writer, and that was all I wanted to do. So over the years until I got published, I lived in Idaho, in New Jersey and Delaware, and in Utah, because it didn't matter. I could read and write anywhere. I've worked at a wedding invitation factory (Bet you didn't know they made them in big scary factories, did you?), at a video store (back at the birth of DVD), at libraries and bookstores, and even been an office lady at a school while I waited to get published. I knew that I would be published eventually, because . . . well, I just had to be.

Now, don't get me wrong, I have other interests. I took eight years of German, four of Norwegian, and even studied Old Norse so that I could read the great Viking sagas in the original language. I knit like a maniac: hats, scarves, sweaters, dog sweaters, socks, felted purses, you name it. I play the piano and viola, love to travel and to watch movies.

But mostly, it's about the books.

Visit Jessica at http://www.JessicaDayGeorge.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smashing Sequal to "Princess of the Midnight Ball", June 1, 2010

By 

Graysky "Power is neither good nor bad but it... (Somewhere in the Continental US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princess of Glass (Hardcover)

After all the nights she has spent dancing for the wicked King of Under Stone, Princess Poppy refuses to dance. She has plenty else to do: knitting, gambling, and participating in an exchange program concocted by her father and the rulers of Ionia. Enter a miserable servant named Ellen, a former lady who is desperate to reagain her wealth, no matter what. Add a vengeful fairy godmother, glass slippers, and spells, and you got a huge enchantment.

As a supporting character, Poppy gave off a determined and fiesty air. As a main character, you can't help but like her. She's got a mind of her own and is intelligent, but at the same time, she's haunted by nightmares of the King of Under Stone and his court. I'm glad she gets her own story.

Christian was a real person. He was neither the classic "perfect prince", or the selfish spoiled brat. He clearly knows his duty is to his country, yet at the same time, he feels the need to escape it all. Christian shows clear intelligence, loyalty, and courage. The only part of the book where he annoyed me was when he was mooning over "Lady Ella".

At first, Ellen seemed like a selfish brat. She can't do anything right, and she's rude to the people who have taken her in. But as the story progressed, you couldn't help but sympathise for her misfortune.

This is the most original "Cinderella" retelling that I've read. I enjoyed how Ms.George kept key points in the story (the glass slippers, fairy godmother), yet was able to write a whole new take on a popular tale. I would recomend this book to anyone who enjoys unique fairy tale retellings.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 31, 2010

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princess of Glass (Hardcover)

Gold Star Award Winner!

Poppy from PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL returns and, along with her unmarried sisters, is currently helping her father regain political alliances by participating in a royal exchange. Now she's living with her cousins, Lord and Lady Seadown, and their daughter, Marianne.

She turns down invitations to balls because she refuses to dance after surviving the curse from her mother. Society soon frowns upon her absence, thus forcing Poppy to attend the balls. Instead of dancing, she joins the gentlemen and plays cards. She and Marianne become friends with the young royal prince staying with the King.

When Prince Christian notices how different Poppy is from other girls, he's intrigued and happy to spend time with her. Some assume a marriage isn't far behind, but before anything transpires, a young, mysterious, beautiful woman enters the picture.

Before long, all the men are falling in love with her and making absolute fools of themselves, while the women detest her. Poppy notices that something's not right. Could the magical protection she's wearing stop her from seeing an enchantment?

Seeing clearly, she recognizes the mystery girl as a previously wealthy young lady fallen on hard times. Instead of dancing and enjoying frivolity, Ellen's now forced to become a maid. Can Poppy stop Ellen from making a terrible bargain with a creature who will demand something horrible in return?

Just when Poppy thought she'd finished with evil, she must battle the Corley to save the lives of those she loves dearly.

One can only hope that Jessica Day George will continue to write more about these charming sisters and their battles with magical, evil creatures. The friendship, sense of self, evil beings, drama, and romance make PRINCESS OF GLASS a must-read for lovers of fairytales and fantasy stories.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fluffy fun!, September 2, 2010

By 

small review - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princess of Glass (Hardcover)

Picking up where Princess of the Midnight Ball (George's excellent retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses) left off, Princess of Glass follows charismatic middle sister Poppy. After the events of the previous book strained the alliances of the neighboring kingdoms, the king of Breton concocts a princess/prince exchange to help smooth tensions and strengthen alliances through marriage. Poppy finds herself in Breton, mingling with the aristocrats and awkwardly trying to tactfully decline dance partners without going into the details of her family's former curse. Accompanying her is the warm and welcoming Seadown family and the charming and attractive prince Christian of Danelaw.

Though it is immensely fun to read about the gorgeous dresses, courtly juggling, and budding romance between Poppy and Christian, George also expertly weaves in a fresh reworking of the Cinderella story. Waiting on Poppy and the Seadowns is Ellen, a clumsy maid formerly of aristocratic status but recently fallen from grace after the death of her secretly destitute father. Ellen doesn't seem capable or motivated to do anything right, burning and wrinkling the clothing she is supposed to be ironing, dropping dishes, and losing garments.

Frustrated with her fallen status, Ellen eagerly accepts the patronage of a mysterious woman who refers to herself as the Corley and insists Ellen call her godmother. Bolstered by the support and gifts from her newfound godmother, Ellen attends ball after ball as the beautiful and mysterious Lady Ella. Enchanting all of the men in attendance, Ellen delights in her new life as Lady Ella, but she soon learns that her godmother's gifts come at a high price.

While not quite as good as Princess of the Midnight Ball, this sequel is still an enjoyable read and classic light and sweet JDG. The compulsively likable and plucky characters and beautiful imagery I've come to expect from JDG were both present. Poppy was just as delightful as she was in the first book, and the Seadowns made for a wonderfully warm and happy supporting cast. I liked how Poppy rose to the occasion, but I also like how she did still have realistic fears left over from her ordeal in the first book. The dresses described were so beautiful and really fun to read about.

As in PotMB, the villain's otherworld was gorgeously and vividly described, though unlike the previous book, the Corely was not as scary as King Understone, nor was her back story as satisfying.

Minor spoilers:



I also had a much harder time sympathizing with Ellen than I did with Rose and her sisters in the previous book. I spent so much time disliking Ellen, that it was difficult to switch gears toward the end and feel sorry for her. Similarly, while I liked Christian and thought he and Poppy made a good couple, he also spent so much time mooning over Lady Ella that it was a little difficult to get comfortable with the idea of his romance with Poppy. Granted, he was under enchantment, but he made such a fool out of himself falling all over Ella and completely neglecting Poppy. It was a little irritating to read about after a while. I wish the counter-charms Poppy made had worked more on him, though I understand why they couldn't.


End of spoilers.

While it isn't absolutely necessary to read Princess of the Midnight Ball before reading Princess of Glass, it would help the reader understand a lot of references a lot better. Also, if the second book is read before the first, then the first book is completely spoiled. Comparisons between the two are inevitable, and while PoG wasn't quite as good as PotMB, it was still a very enjoyable story and a fresh take on the Cinderella tale. Definitely recommended to JDG fans and fans of fantasy and fairy tale retellings.