SLEEPING UGLY

Yolen's light, bright twist on the romantic tale brings together a beautiful but mean princess, an ugly old woman who is really a fairy godmother in disguise, and a kind but Plain Jane who wastes two of her three wishes helping the ungrateful princess. An accident with the witch fairy's wand puts all three to sleep in Plain Jane's woodland shack. "It was one of those famous hundred-year-naps that need a prince and a kiss to end them," and so they sleep and sleep until the arrival of Prince Jojo, "who was the youngest son of a youngest son and so had no gold or jewels or property to speak of." Well, when the prince kisses Plain lane he's really just practicing up to awaken the princess. But just as we knew they would, things work out so that the prince settles down with Jane, the old fairy has her own little house next door, and the princess, sleeping still, is sometimes used as a coat and hat stand. Though Yolen's revision doesn't touch the non-feminist heart of this out-of-favor tale, her spoofy tone and mildly acidic asides on the princess make sprightly reading.