Author: Robin McKinley
Publisher: Turtleback
Copyright: 2000
ISBN: 9780613734776
Reading Level: Grades 7-12
Interest Age: Grade 5 to adult
Genre: Fantasy--Fairy Tales
Reader’s Annotation: In this Sleeping Beauty retelling the lost princess can talk to animals
Plot Summary
Katriona, an apprentice fairy from a far-flung corner of the kingdom, goes to the name-day celebration of the baby princess as the representative from her town. When the evil fairy Pernicia shows up and curses the baby to die on her 21st birthday, Katriona suddenly finds herself standing by the cradle, giving the baby her gift—the ability to speak with animals—in the midst of all the confusion. With the knowledge of no one but the queen’s fairy adviser, Katriona takes the baby back to her home to be kept hidden. Along the way, wild animals feed the baby and help Katriona escape undetected. Katriona and Aunt (also a fairy) raise the girl as Rosie, an ordinary village girl. Though blessed by her good fairy godmothers with characteristics like golden ringlets and long eyelashes, Rosie isn’t actually very pretty. She’s unprincesslike in other ways, too—she prefers the society of animals to that of most humans, likes whittling instead of sewing, and habitually wears breeches. Her best friend, Peony, looks and acts much more like a princess than Rosie does.
In the lead-up to the big birthday, Rosie finally learns her true parentage, and a plan is devised to try to circumvent the curse. Peony is publicly identified as the princess, with Rosie posing as a lady-in-waiting. Though a huge celebration is planned for the birthday, everyone still fears that Pernicia will come to make sure her curse is fulfilled.
Critical Evaluation
In Spindle’s End McKinley brilliantly updates and expands the Sleeping Beauty tale, taking a story that can be told in two minutes and turning it into a 400-page novel that never feels slow or thin. She accomplishes this by developing characters, the magical world they inhabit, and several subplots in rich, often humorous detail. Rosie, for example, is about as different from the helpless, passive heroine of the original as it is possible to be. She hates her distinctive princess features, and (already pugnacious at the age of four) tells her admirers, “ ‘I am not pretty. I am intelligent. And brave.’ ” Her ability to speak to animals contributes both a wealth of amusing characters in her animal friends and an important element in the fight against Pernicia. Details of the setting, such as the carved spindle ends that give the book its title (developed in response to the curse, so that pricking a finger on a spindle is impossible), also contribute to the plot in clever ways.
McKinley alternately pokes fun at the fairy tale genre (as with the princess’s full name, Casta Albinia Allegra Dove Minerva Fidelia Aletta Blythe Domnia Delicia Aurelia Grace Isabel Griselda Gwyneth Pearl Ruby Coral Lily Iris Briar-Rose) and embraces it (everybody gets his or her true love). Most importantly, she gives Rosie an active role in saving herself and her kingdom, making Spindle’s End an excellent girl power choice for fairy tale fans and detractors alike.
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Booktalking Ideas
Read the name-day ceremony scene.
Describe the Gig (the part of the kingdom where Rosie grows up) and the kind of magic that exists there.
Challenge Issues: N/A
About the Author
Robin McKinley is an American writer who has won many awards in the US, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown, a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword, and the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature for Sunshine.
She lives in Hampshire, England with her husband, author Peter Dickinson, two hellhounds nicknamed Chaos and Darkness, an 1897 Steinway upright named Rhodanthe, and increasing numbers of rose bushes wedged into three [sic] tiny gardens. The view out her office window is her change-ringing bell tower and in the next village over is a paragon among horses whom Robin is so fortunate as to have permission to ride. Check out her blog at robinmckinleysblog.com.
http://www.robinmckinley.com/bio.php
Why is this title included?
Robin McKinley has long been one of my favorite authors. Though many of her books, including Spindle's End, can be enjoyed by younger readers, they are so rich in detail and character that they reward rereading and improve with age.