Day 8: The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler

This story continues the trend of taking shorter folk and fairy tales and turning them into longer, more involved stories. The Thirteenth Princess is based on the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Twelve Dancing Princess.” Zita grows up in the kitchen of the palace as a servant. The palace is a sad place. The King has banished all magic believing it is the reason he has twelve daughters and no sons. Zita learns that there are in fact 13 princesses and she is the youngest daughter of the King. After her birth, the Queen died, the King was so heartbroken that he banished his last child to the kitchen to be raised there. Zita finds out that her sisters know about her and she begins sneaking up to their room to spend time with them. That is when she notices something is wrong. Her sisters are becoming sick and no one knows why. Every night their shoes are almost completely worn but they seem to never leave their bedroom. Zita realizes that she is the only one that can help them. With the assistance of an old witch, who stayed hidden in the kingdom, and Breckin, a stable boy, Zita sets out to find who is controlling her sisters and to save their lives. The story is a wonderful twist on the original tale, with suspense and adventure. I would recommend this to fourth and fifth grade readers who enjoy fairy tales and fantasy tales.