The Fairest Beauty
This well-crafted retelling of the Snow White story leaves out magic and potions, substituting instead, human emotions, faults and strengths, and romance in the post-medieval setting. Sophie, raised as a scullery maid in the residence of a power-hungry duchess, is rescued by Gabe, the brother of the man to whom she unknowingly was betrothed as an infant. Dickerson develops Sophie and Gabe carefully, skillfully showing how their relationship moves from shyness and distrust to guilt over their increasing devotion and the eventual release of Sophie from the early betrothal to Gabe’s brother. Especially imaginative is the rendering of the group familiarly known as the Seven Dwarfs, although here they are known as the Seven, and each has his own physical or intellectual challenge as well as skill. Solid storytelling, cleverly woven references to the folktale, and historical detail combine in a novel that is a likely popular choice for girls in search of gentle romance. Grades 5-8. --Francisca Goldsmith