The combination of the Disney tie-in and the thoughtful, more folkloric elements, though, makes this an interesting choice for readers who've outgrown the pink-princess phase but are still captivated by fairy tales. Valentino is so successful at making the Prince unlikable that he seems nearly irredeemable, and a disjointed timeline makes it difficult to identify the chronology of the moral transformation that must precede his physical one. Her older sisters, a trio of magical witches, vengefully cast a spell on the Prince, and the spoiled, selfish man futilely tries to outrun his fate, losing his human form and almost his mind in the process.

It begins with the Prince's betrayal of Circe, a young maiden whom he initially woos for her beauty and then rejects when he discovers she is merely a pig farmer's daughter. The setting and the plot are far darker here, however, and musical numbers with dancing cutlery are replaced by the internal contemplations of an increasingly melancholic and occasionally violent Beast as he transforms from human to monster.

Valentino sets her version of the prince's perspective in the Disney world, with Cogsworth, Lumiere, and even Mrs. The tale of a beautiful girl transforming a beast to his original princely form is a familiar and often retold one, but the story of how exactly the prince initially came to be cursed and why is less well known. This volume will do well in middle school library collections, as well as medium-sized public libraries with solid tween collections.-Jane Murphy. The popularity of television series such as Once Upon a Time and Grimm make this book even more appealing to contemporary young readers. Readers learn how the Beast came to be cursed witness quite a bit of his backstory, as well as those of the other familiar faces, like Belle's father and feel satisfied by the conclusion and the hopeful message that beauty comes from within. The author knows the structure of fairy tales and enhances this one with some new characters who bring life to the 'tale as old as time.' She also weaves in a few threads from the old film version by Cocteau and hints at Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray. Valentino brings back the Macbethian 'Odd Sisters'-young witches with a definite nod to Shakespeare's Weird Sisters-who first appeared in her retelling of Snow White, Fairest of All (Disney, 2009), in which we can see the villain's point of view. The writing is polished and appealing to young teens, with just enough spin on the old tale to encourage young readers to stay with the story. 4Q 4P M This prequel to Beauty and the Beast is presented as a young adult title, yet its layout and format might attract a middle-grade population.

The Beast Within by Serena Valentino