**Disclosure – I received these books for review purposes from the Disney Book Group. All opinions are my own.

Story time is always a favorite in this Neurotic Disney home. NDK (Neurotic Disney Kid) is old enough to read, but not too old to still be read to! Books are wonderful on so many levels. We keep them everywhere – even in the car! Disney Books are a great way to keep Disney at home. Disney Book Group was kind enough to send these books for NDK approval – be sure to look for the NDK Review after the description of each book!

Once Upon A Dream: A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell is another book in the Twisted Tale series. NDK is reading at a higher level now, and gave her this story as a challenge. Sleeping Beauty is her favorite of all the Disney tales, so I felt it could be good. She’s not a fan of any kind of violence or sadness, but she is getting through it. She is definitely learning to appreciate a good book and looking past the parts that bother her. Read on and see what she thinks!

  • Once Upon A Dream A Twisted TaleOnce Upon A Dream: A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell
  • Price: $ 17.99 * Hardcover
  • Ages: 12 and up * 440 pages

From the publisher:

What if the sleeping beauty never woke up? Once Upon a Dream marks the second book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways.

It should be simple–a dragon defeated, a slumbering princess in a castle, a prince poised to wake her. But when the prince falls asleep as his lips touch the fair maiden’s, it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over.

With a desperate fairy’s last curse controlling her mind, Princess Aurora must escape from a different castle of thorns and navigate a dangerously magical landscape–created from her very own dreams. Aurora isn’t alone–a charming prince is eager to join her quest, and old friends offer their help. But as Maleficent’s agents follow her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are and, moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?

The NDK Review:

Sleeping Beauty is my most favorite fairy tale of all. I love the story of Princess Aurora. My favorite part of that story is how Flora, Fauna and Merryweather have to keep her hidden away until her birthday. It is mysterious. When my mom gave me Once Upon A Dream: A Twisted Tale, I was sort of excited. I wasn’t sure how I would like a different version of my very favorite story.

Once Upon a Dream: A Twisted Tale is very different from the original story. This story starts off after Prince Philip defeats Maleficent and heads into the castle to find Princess Aurora. He finds the princess, but this is where the story gets twisted! Prince Philip falls asleep! How is Princess Aurora supposed to be woken up now? Aurora has to wake herself and save the kingdom.

My favorite part of this story is how Aurora has to wake herself. It kind of makes her like a super hero! I also like the twisted tale because it is a different story with my favorite characters in an adventure I wouldn’t have thought of. It’s exciting to have a new Sleeping Beauty story.

My least favorite part of this story would be the violence. There is violence in the movie, but it isn’t a lot. In the book, the author used many describing words so you could imagine what was really happening. There were parts that scared me because I do not like that stuff, but this is not a scary book. A few people die, and that’s not my favorite thing to read. I haven’t finished this book yet, because it is a big book and there are parts that make me have to stop reading. But I want to get to the end to see what happens.

I did learn that you should stay away from strange, green glowing lights. Just kidding. This book is teaching me to use more descriptive words when I tell a story. The author really helps me “see” what is going on in this book when I read it. I want to use more descriptive words when I tell stories now. A Twisted Tale also teaches that the same stories can be completely different if you use your imagination!

I recommend this book for older kids. The book is a longer book (a novel – 440 pages to be exact). The words are not hard, and I understand them. A parent could read this book with someone my age (I’m 8) if they like this sort of story, but there were a few bad words in the book. You can always just not read those words. I think that those words are unnecessary, but they are there. I’m looking forward to reading more Twisted Tale versions.

Have you read the other Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell, A Whole New World: A Twisted Tale? I think I might read that after I finish this one!

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.