The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Bobbi's Comments: After several rounds of the flu, viruses and Spring energized children I went to the library totally drained last night. Much to my delight, two of my favorite librarians were there and allowed me for a time to forget the little crazy people waiting for me at home. I was needing new reading material...and although they know me to not be a real lover of fantasy...The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale was recommended. It was a perfect fit for my frazzled mind! It's a wonderful retelling of Grimm's fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen. Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, is unusual from birth...she can talk to animals and has deep feelings not embraced by her family or people. When her father dies, the queen (her mother) announces that Ani's younger brother, not the crown princess, will succeed her on the throne. The queen has made a secret alliance with their neighboring kingdom, Bayern. The crushed teen is sent with a guard over the mountains to Bayem but there is a horrible mutiny, led by her wicked lady in waiting, Selia. Ani escapes, and hides in the foreign kingdom, becoming a goose caretaker and watching as her enemy attempts to destroy her name and her family. Ani meets and falls in love with Geric, who is, conveniently, the prince she is to marry. Through a series of twist and turns, she is able to convince him and the king of her identity and stop a war between the kingdoms. My favorite part is that this retelling stays close to the original tale, including the gruesome punishment for treason. Evidently, this is the first in a trilogy and you can be sure that I'll be at the library very soon to check out the others! Check Status at GPL