Beauty

Beauty

Robin McKinley

Harper Collins, 1978

Pages:256

Reading Level: 9-12

Genre: Fantasy

This book is a retelling of the classic story The Beauty and the Beast. In this story, Beauty is not beautiful at all. In fact her real name is Honour, but she doesn't like it. She tells her father one day that she would rather be called Beauty, so from then on she was. She grew up to be a rather plain girl. She was small with big hands and feet, and a splotchy face and dull hair. One day, her father's ships came upon a terrible accident, and Beauty and her family were forced to leave their beautiful mansion and live in the country. The adjusted well. One day they got word that one of Father's ships may have returned. Father went to find out, and on the way back he got lost in the "enchanted" forest. He came upon the Beast's castle. He was well fed, his horse groomed, and sent on his way by invisible servants. On his way out, he decided to pick a rose for Beauty. It is then that the Beast showed himself. He was furious that Father stole a rose. He told him that in one months time, if either Father or one of his daughters didn't come to live with the Beast, that the Beast would come find him. Father told his daughters this, and Beauty volunteered. She went to live with the Beast. At first she thought he was terrible, and was disturbed by his continuous asking of her to marry him. But eventually she comes to enjoy his company, and starts to think of him as a good friend. One day she discovers that her sister's lost fiance, presumed to be dead, is alive. She begs the Beast to let her go tell her sister. The beast allows it, but tells her that if she isn't back in one week, that he will die. She goes, and is almost too late in coming back. The Beast appears to be dead. He starts to come back to life, and Beauty tells him that she will marry him. Then the beast transforms into a handsome prince. Beauty now thinks that he is to handsome for her, a plain girl. But the beast shows her that she too has changed over time, and that she is now beautiful. The get married and live happily ever after.

I would recommend this book to young girls. It teaches them to not worry if they aren't beautiful.

This book could cause children to believe that there is always going to be a happy ending in life. But this isn't always true.

My reaction: This has been my favorite required book so far. I think it was beautifully written, and tells a wonderful story.

My rating: *****