Twice Upon a Time, No. 2: Sleeping Beauty, the One Who Took the Really Long Nap (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

It's not easy being Princess Rose. Especially when a fairy curses you and you find yourself avoiding all sharp objects . . . and then end up pricking your finger anyway, causing you to slumber for a hundred years or so. And it's not easy being The Prince. Especially when your mother has some ogre blood and tends to chow down at the most unfortunate moments. A walk in the woods would help, you think. Until you find a certain hidden castle . . . and a certain sleeping princess.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439796571
• ISBN-13: 978-0439796576
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #366,182 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, October 16, 2006

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

"I already know the story of Sleeping Beauty." you say to yourself. "Do I really need to read it again?" you ask. Well, let me help you out a little bit.

First, talking to yourself is a completely normal activity; you're not crazy. (Actually, I can't say that for sure, since I don't know you. That, however, is beside the point. Let's just say that talking to yourself is not the deciding factor in determining insanity.) Second, I'm willing to bet you only know half of the story at best.

Did you know that the Prince doesn't have an actual name? Nope, he's just "Prince." Did you know that his mother is part ogre? Not much, not even half, really. It's not her fault. It's not even that big of a deal. Except for two Thursdays a month. Did you know that Princess Rose feels bad about being good at everything? Except maybe cooking--that one she has problems with. Did you know that her parents live in constant fear of pointy objects? Talk about being overprotective...

If the answer to any of these questions is "No", then you should definitely read this book. You'll find that there's an awful lot more to this story than you ever imagined. Plus, it made me laugh out loud, which I think is a pretty good thing!

This book is perfect for a younger reader who can deal with bigger words, a pre-teen/teenager who doesn't like to read much, or anyone with a good sense of humor. It's told from both the Prince's perspective as well as the Princess', in alternating chapters. I admit that was a bit confusing for me, at first. By the third chapter or so I got into the rhythm of it, and it wasn't an issue.

"That's great and all," you say "but will I like it?"

Yes! Now stop talking to yourself and go read already!

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

4.0 out of 5 stars KCS Twice Upon A Time, December 6, 2007

A Kid's Review

"I gazed down at her, asleep on her bed of feather pillows. Never before have I seen beauty like this. Even if mother had not long ago banned from the castle anything that might be pleasing to the eye, I would never have been prepared for this. Little did mother know that tucked away on the grounds of our very own castle lay such loveliness."

The Prince is a confused character who finds a building in the back of their family's castle while he ran away from home for the first time. Princess Rose is a very smart, elegant, and musical character. That is, because her seven fairy godmothers cast their gifts upon her when she was a new born baby, but when an unexpected visitor arrives which is the eighth fairy who everyone thinks is dead she is very angry that she didn't get invited so she casts a spell on her which will make her drop dead when she is poked by a needle at the age of sixteen. One of the younger fairies saves the day because she didn't give her gift before, so she can weaken the curse by just making her drop into a sleep for one hundred years. On the other hand the Prince is a boy that has issues of his own because his mother is part ogre she has a craving for human flesh every first and second Thursday of the month, also he doesn't have a name everyone just calls him the Prince. One day Prince is in the forest and he discovers a large building in the middle of his back yard and tries day and night to pry the door of the building open but it wont budge. If you want to know what he finds in the castle you would have to read the book to find out. The theme of this book is that you should be ready for what life throws at you because in this book the Prince has to bring Sleeping Beauty home to his mother which is a problem because she is very beautiful. The meaning of the title "Sleeping Beauty the One Who Took the Really Long Nap" is its name because it is about a girl who went to sleep for one hundred years, she is beautiful, and she took a really long nap.

The pacing of this book is a very slow but detailed and it explains everything so well that you have a picture in your head of what the characters in the book are doing. The authors craft is a happy, feel good mood. It does not say anything about what religion it they are either. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to 6th and 7th graders.

4.0 out of 5 stars Better the Second Time, January 18, 2007

By	Joyce M. Taron (Everson, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I enjoyed this retelling of the classic fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, more than the original. The story is simply told (from two points of view, the Prince's and Rose's). The story is engaging, yet at the same time explores ideas such as: What is the nature of true beauty? What is nobility? I recommend this book, especially to fairy tale and fantasy afficianados.