This title caught my eye when me and my fellow librarians were reorganizing our fairy tales section in the children's room. It's about a princess named Miserella who is very beautiful on the outside but rotten on the inside. She gets lost in the woods and comes upon an old woman (a fairy in disguise) and brings her to the cottage of Plain Jane who is Miserella's opposite, not so good-looking on the outside but kind on the inside. For her kindness, the fairy grants Plain Jane three wishes but ends up wasting two of them when Miserella intervenes and meets the business end of the fairy's wand. It's basically a subversion of the familiar Sleeping Beauty fairy tale and that's what drew me to it. There are tropes that many will recognize like the fairy in disguise, the princess caught in a hundred year sleep, the reviving kiss, etc. However, it surprises you at the end with a valuable moral lesson on inner and outer beauty. I would recommend this for readers age 4 and up, especially if the reader happens to be a little princess crazy. Definitely a perfect story for them to read with their parents or teachers. This book could also be part of a great discussion if they would choose inner beauty over outer beauty and what the reader would consider to be the most important. ( )

This is a book about a princess who is beautiful on the outside but terribly ugly on the inside. She treats everyone like they are below her. She goes into the forest and gets lost then find an old fairy, and an orphan named Plain Jane who she is mean to, even when Jane gives up two of her wishes to help the Pretty Princess. The rest you will have to read to find out!

Thus far, of all the books I've read by Yolen, I'm not disappointed. This is a quick, lively banter- filled tale of the beautiful princess Miserella who remains beautiful despite the ugliness inside, a magical fairy, and a not-too beautiful Plain Jane who has a loving nature, but a very plain countenance.

When Miseralla's terrible ugly actions upset the fairy, mistakenly the three are all thrown into a deep, deep sleep. Along comes a handsome prince who must choose to kiss the right lady.

The illustrations are lovely. I enjoyed the humorous rendition of this fairytale. ( )

Princess Miserella was a beautiful princess but on the inside wasn't so beautiful. Plain Jane was a simple personality that was delightful, but wasn't so beautiful. A meeting with a fairy changes their lives forever. This is a good story because it teaches a good lesson and moral which is that to not judge someone from their looks. This book would be for upper elementary.

A rather amusing retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story, in which the Beauty learns a lesson about the proper way to treat people. Or, would learn a less if she ever woke up.... ( )