Beauty and the Beast

   

Hook:

Beast: “I shake my head. I am glad that my face won’t make girls scream for me on the streets. Alexander can have that particular blessing. I know he finds it difficult to believe, but I honestly do not care what stares back at me from the mirror. Especially since I almost never gaze into one.

    ‘ I told you,’ Alexander says, grinning. ‘He enjoys being beastly!’

    She laughs in response, and we keep dancing. ‘Riley is not beastly,’ she says. ‘A real beast would have nails as sharp as an eagle’s talons!’

    ‘And tufts of fur all over his body!’ Alexander calls out.

    ‘And a nose the size of…well, the size of his nose now!’ Father shouts.

    We all laugh, even Mother.

    ‘Only pointed, like a hawk’s !’ Alexander adds.

    Mother joins in. ‘With hair like a lion’s mane!’ She says. ‘So even if he combed it, it wouldn’t matter!’

    More laughter. It is at my expense, but I do not care. I am having too much fun. ‘As broad as two men, and a strong as an ox!’

‘ Is that all?’ she teases as we begin our third time around the clearing.

‘ Well, I would not mind being taller,’ I admit. ‘That way I would be closer to the stars.’

    ‘As tall as a giraffe!’ Alexander calls out. ‘Then you could pick our morning oranges straight from the branches!’

    ‘Done,’ the girl says, her voice clear and strong. I assume she means we are done dancing, so I stop. But, suddenly, I feel strange. Heavy and hot. The ground seems farther away somehow. The girl’s eyes are closed. Her lips are moving, but I hear no words coming from her mouth.

Then Mother’s screams echo through the woods and do not stop until she falls from her horse.”    (Pages 73 and 74)

 Beauty:  "Papa jumps up from the front step when he sees us. His face is completely devoid of color, his eyes wild withe fear or pain, I cannot tell. He has twisted his hat so many times it hangs in shreds in his hands. Yet he still twists it.

‘Papa!’ I run to him. ‘What is it? What happened?’

He stumbles over to the chair and nearly falls into it.’ The Beast! I took a mere flower from his garden and now I must return to his castle forever.’ He buries his head in his hands and begins to sob. Clarissa and I look at each other, stricken. Has Papa eaten some bad berries? Has he gone mad?

‘What are you talking about Papa?’ I ask, kneeling beside him. ‘How can an animal have a castle?’

He shakes his head. ‘This was no animal. He was huge, taller than the tallest man and wide as two men!’

‘Not every large man is a beast,’ I tell him, thinking of Flavian. ‘He might appear a bear on the outside but be a kitten within.’

‘He was no kitten, nor bear either.’Twas a talking beast I tell you. With long fur and nails as sharp as knives!’ It takes him a while-with many interruptions for clarity from me and Clarissa-but he finally gets through the entire story. After a moment of stunned silence, we follow him to his bedroom behind the kitchen.

He takes a deep breath and pushes open the door. Our mouths drop in unison. Treasure-for what it must be called-covers the room nearly from the floor to the ceiling. Jewel-covered books and bracelets and rings and golden figurines. Fine robes and shoes and headpieces. And on top of it all, a crumpled red rose.”  
(pages 203 and 204)

 

Recommendation:

Have you ever thought your life would never be the same again? Well, in this classic tale of “Beauty and the Beast,” you will find this fresh spin on an old tale! With a name like Beauty, people expect a lot of grace and prettiness from you. But what if all you like to do is read and explore the outside world? Oh, and you have a perfect older sister who is more lady-like than you’ll ever be. And if you’re a prince, people expect you to be handsome and commanding and tall. But what if all you like to do is gaze at the stars and try to figure out how to make worms live forever? Oh, and you have a perfect older brother who is a lot princely than you’ll ever be. When Riley becomes the victim of a curse, he has to find a girl to fall in love with in just three months and Beauty’s family has turned from riches to rags. Will things ever work out? Read and enjoy “Beauty and the Beast” like you have never heard it before!

Title: Beauty and the Beast

Author: Wendy Mass

Genre: Fantasy

Blog by: Michelle D.