Beastkeeper

Gr 7–10—This tangled tale of jealousy and revenge retells the classic "Beauty and the Beast" story, but with a twist. Thirteen-year-old Sarah lies awake, listening to an argument between her parents; an argument that ends with her mother's departure. Time passes and Sarah's father becomes stranger and stranger, eventually insisting that Sarah go live with grandparents she has never known. Sarah soon learns the story behind her mother's disappearance and the odd history of her estranged family. Sarah's grandmothers are sisters and witches, one by birth and one by fostering. In times past when a handsome prince came knocking, curses began to fly between the sisters, resulting in an unfortunate legacy that has carried down to the current generation: the first time Sarah falls in love, she will transform into a beast. Sarah is determined to end the curse, overcoming the vengeful spirit who started it all, but the price she must pay is almost as painful as the curse itself. With lush, descriptive language and complicated familial relationships, this complex story line challenges readers to pay close attention the the details. Hand this middle grade/YA crossover to tweens and teens who enjoy dark fairy-tale retellings.—Susan Harris, Ridgeway High School, TN