Author: Elizabeth Rudnick
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Ages 8 to 12
The Curse of Maleficent: The Tale of a Sleeping Beauty is based on the Maleficent film. The overall plot is pretty much the same as Maleficent by Elizabeth Rudnick, but instead of being mostly from Maleficent's perspective it is more from Princess Aurora's perspective. Thus, it ends up being somewhat less detailed, but it also ends up being better for a slightly younger audience.
This book has a similar focus on Sleeping Beauty as the original Disney movie based on the fairy tale. However, it is different and is the Maleficent version of the story, which focuses on how Maleficent came to curse Aurora and ends up providing a different perspective on who the villain of the story really is.
Since it is mostly told from Aurora's perspective, though, there is not as much insight into Maleficent as the other book. There is enough background still provided, though, to understand Maleficent. It's just not as detailed, which to some extent may make it a less mature version because the end battle gives less detail of the violence. However, it does provide a little more detail on Aurora's perspective than the other book, so you get more of an understanding of her and it is also somewhat different than her experience shown in the classic animated version of Sleeping Beauty.
Overall The Curse of Maleficent: The Tale of a Sleeping Beauty is an entertaining read for fantasy lovers, especially those interested in the Maleficent movie. The colorful full page illustrations that are every other chapter or so also sets it apart from the other book and helps further provide a reading experience that while less detailed is more visually appealing.
Types of Readers Book Might Appeal To & Multiple Intelligence Categories
- Fans of Maleficent and/or Sleeping Beauty
- Fantasy lovers
- The illustrations can make this more appealing for visual learners compared to the other book based on the movie. (Spatial-Visual)
- The book touches a little on the fairie world and Aurora's shared views on valuing and protecting nature. (Naturalistic)
- The struggles Aurora and to a lesser extent Maleficent have with understanding their feelings provides interesting insight into being aware of inner feelings and intentions. (Intrapersonal)
- The end battle shows understanding each other and working together. (Interpersonal)
Related Books I've Reviewed
- Maleficent by Elizabeth Rudnick - The same overall story, but more from Maleficent's perspective.
- Disney Fairies: The Pirate Fairy - The Chapter Book by Stacia Deutsch - Provides some back story on Captain Hook.
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