**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!
Since the release of the new, live-action ‘Beauty and the Beast’ movie, everyone is crazy for Belle and the new additions to her story line. Disney Books has released a new novel for the tween group, adding to Belle’s story. Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book offers a look at what happens when Belle finds an interesting book in Beast’s library and pulled into the pages like she has never been before!
- Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly
- Hardcover * 352 pages
- Age range: 9-12 years old
The NDK Review:
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly is an enchanting tale woven into the original fairy tale produced by Walt Disney Studios, Beauty and the Beast. But this book is mainly about Belle and Belle only. The book starts with Belle, a young French woman, taking the place of her father, who was being held captive by the Beast in his castle. As Belle was in the library of the castle, she found the book, Nevermore. Nevermore,an enchanted book sent by Death, whisks Belle into a whole new world, where she finally thinks she can grasp her dreams again. Little does Belle know about the rules in Nevermore. Belle must make a decision, to go back to the Beast’s castle, or stay in Nevermore forever. Stay tuned if you want to hear more about the story, the NDK way!
I really liked this book for many reasons. This book offers a different twist to one of my favorite stories. I love all of the details Jennifer Donnelly put in the book, because I sure got “lost in a book” with all those details! There was a lot of delicious food mentioned in this book. Belle was able to eat toasted cheese sandwiches, macarons and pears. Belle’s clothes in Nevermore were very fancy. Nevermore was a beautiful place with the enchantment that Death had placed on it. You might laugh at some of my favorite parts, but I really liked it! The book is truly enchanting itself, cover and all.
Now there are the not-so-favorite parts. I must say at the ending where Belle almost becomes part of Nevermore’s story almost made me lose hope all together that she wouldn’t make it. I was scared for Belle and it almost made me stop reading the book. The actual book is not scary, though.
There is a valuable lesson to be learned in this book. Sometimes, things are too good to be true. That means that if someone offers you everything you want, it’s not always a good thing to take it all at once.
I recommend this book to older kids (10 & up) who love Beauty and the Beast, but would like a little twist to the tale instead of the same story. I’m NDK and this is my review. 😉
Smart, bookish Belle, a captive in the Beast’s castle, has become accustomed to her new home and has befriended its inhabitants. When she comes upon Nevermore, an enchanted book unlike anything else she has seen in the castle, Belle finds herself pulled into its pages and transported to a world of glamour and intrigue. The adventures Belle has always imagined, the dreams she was forced to give up when she became a prisoner, seem within reach again.
The charming and mysterious characters Belle meets within the pages of Nevermore offer her glamorous conversation, a life of dazzling Parisian luxury, and even a reunion she never thought possible. Here Belle can have everything she ever wished for. But what about her friends in the Beast’s castle? Can Belle trust her new companions inside the pages of Nevermore? Is Nevermore’s world even real? Belle must uncover the truth about the book, before she loses herself in it forever.
A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin’ wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney 🙂 Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life – A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects – create~inspire~share.
