Monday, May 19, 2014

Maleficent by Elizabeth Rudnick

Title: Maleficent
Author: Elizabeth Rudnick
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Ages 10 to 14

Maleficent is a novelization of the Disney movie of the same name.  To some extent it is the villain's point of view of the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty, but it is not quite the same exact story.  For the most part, it gives the back story of how Maleficent became evil, but there are also unexpected twists that show the good side of her while also ultimately changing the story a lot at the end.

Overall this is an entertaining read that provides an interesting take on the classic story.  Some things make sense as being different, as the story is being told more from Maleficent's perspective and from a lesser extent Aurora's father.  However, there are some odd aspects that are changed, though, such as the names of the faeries that raise Aurora.  What seems an unnecessary and disappointing change, though, is how Maleficent never becomes the dragon, yet there still is a dragon in the end.  The ending is still a full of action and great twists leading to a new perspective on who really was the evil one, but

Types of Readers Book Might Appeal To & Multiple Intelligence Categories
  • Fans of Sleeping Beauty and/or Maleficent
  • Those interested in understanding the motives behind actions will enjoy how the book provides insight into how Maleficent also has a good side and how/why she changes her ways of thinking over time. (Intrapersonal)
  • Those interested in protecting nature may be interested in the aspect of the how the fairies are mostly portrayed protecting nature and to some extent the humans are shown to not appreciate it. (Naturalistic)
Activities for Further Learning and Fun
Related Books I've Reviewed


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