I am so in love with this book. I ordered it on the strength of E.D. Baker's other books, but because I hadn't read it by the time it came out, it sat (as hardcovers I haven't read tend to do). And sat. And sat. For months. Finally in late November I plucked it off the shelf on my way out the door one night and took it home to read. Which I did in two hours. Then I promptly kicked myself - hard, while wearing steel-toed boots - for waiting so long. Oh, the lost income. Oh, the girls who could have read it already. Oh, the time I spent reading things that weren't as good.
Our heroine: Annie, younger sister of Gwendolyn; Gwendolyn's the princess cursed at birth to prick her finger on a spindle and you know the rest. So when Annie's born, her parents are so paranoid that they ask a fairy to protect her. The fairy casts this charm: From this day on, no magic shall touch you or bring you to harm. You'll have to survive on your natural charm. Annie is now impervious to all magic, which is not exactly considered a blessing in a country where everything relies on spells and charms. Everyone uses magic to make themselves "beautiful and graceful and sweet," and most members of Annie's family had been given magical gifts at their births. However, being in Annie's presence makes those gifts fade, so Annie has spent much of her life being held at arm's length by her entire family.
Annie's gift comes in handy when a miniature spinning wheel is smuggled into the palace and Gwendolyn pricks her finger, causing herself and everyone else within the walls to fall asleep - everyone, that is, except for Annie. Because she is the only one untouched by the magic, it's up to her to save her family and her kingdom. With the help of Liam (a Royal Guard who'd gone on a mission to the town and thus missed the spell) and a series of haphazard princes, Annie will outsmart some well-known fairy tale characters, wake up her family and possibly even fall in love.
THE WIDE-AWAKE PRINCESS is FUNNY. What a great read-aloud this would make. I sold a bunch of copies as Christmas gifts and I am going to sell the absolute crap out of it in paperback; there won't be a girl who shops at our store who won't have this book. Annie is a fantastic character - I always need a great book with a self-rescuing princess. Baker weaves a bunch of bits of well-known fairy tales into the story and it's so much fun picking them out. This book is a total romp and I love it to pieces and I can't wait to read it to my daughter someday. Sometimes when I like a book I just keep the galley, but this one? I'm buying it in hardcover.
(Oh! And the cover! Thecoverthecoverthecover! I LOVE the cover. The galley had a photo cover and I am SO. OVER. photo covers and when the book came I was so happy to see they'd changed it! Yay!)
Thank you so much for this wonderful book review! I think I'm going to have to frame it! I've already read it to my two daughters, and now I'm going to send it to my aunt.
Of all the characters I've created, Annie is my favorite. She is so much fun to write! I am currently working on a sequel to the book.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. And once again, thank you!
Posted by: E. D. Baker | 02/09/2011 at 04:00 PM
Thank YOU! I'm so excited there will be a sequel!
Posted by: Melissa | 02/09/2011 at 04:00 PM
I'm over photograph covers too, except when they're truly remarkable -- there's a book coming out (or that is just out) which has a girl just below water level - can't remember the title, but I do like that. This cover is charming.
And it sounds like a great read! I'm going to seek it out!
Posted by: Francesca | 02/18/2011 at 04:00 PM
I am a middle-schooler looking for books and this is where I come for book recommendations. I am so happy that this author wrote another book! I have read her Frog Princess books and I am in LOVE with them!! I have to get this book!! Thanks Kidliterate for writing about so many good books!
Posted by: Libby | 05/21/2011 at 05:00 PM
The Big Sister and The Little Sister are Big, Huge, (Happy) Delighted FANS of E. D. Baker. The Big Sister finally got her copy of The Wide Awake Princess (there was a long wait at the Library!) Trouble is The Frog Princess (sound recording) was waiting at circulation as well.
They have listened to each book multiple times, The Big Sister read many including Wings, which I also read aloud to both. Together, these two little girls read, listen and play --thanks to these books that transport children into imagination. "Lil, No, it's me Bugsy" can be heard when they are playing. For a long time The Little Sister wanted to change her name to Song of the Glacier! For Halloween they were Emma and Eadric --you should SEE their costumes, The Big Sister made a DASHING Eadric and The Little Sister a courageous and beautiful Emma.
When I tell the girls that there will be a sequel to the Wide Awake Princess there will be squeals of joy, maybe even dancing. The BIG question they have is: Will there be a sequel to WINGS!?!?!?
Thank you kidliterate.com and E.D. Baker... what joy there is in the world of young readers (and old readers, like me that read children's and YA Lit!!)
Posted by: The Mom | 05/28/2011 at 05:00 PM
Even though I am at the middle of the story, it is awesome!!!
I love it and I can't wait until the sequel.
Other girls should read it.
Thank you for writing the book:)
Isabella
Posted by: Isabella | 08/23/2011 at 05:00 PM