Diane Stanley’s 2006 novel Bella at Midnight is a magical fairy tale. Bella is a peasant girl, raised in a small Medieval village by a blacksmith, his wet-nurse wife, and their 2 other children. She’s kind, imaginative, and happy. Her best friend is her mother’s former charge, Julian, a prince of the realm. Alice is a thoughtful, somewhat overdramatic merchant’s daughter, who dreams of adventures at sea and visiting exotic lands with her father. But soon both girls’ lives are irrevocably changed: Bella learns that she’s really the daughter of a knight who sent her away when her mother died in childbirth and now she must return to his cold, unwelcoming home; Alice’s father is lost at sea, her family’s fortune is lost, and her heart is broken. Out of desperation, Alice’s mother marries Bella’s father, and both girls find themselves living unhappily in a loveless, miserable house.
But there’s a dangerous plot brewing at court that threatens Bella’s beloved Prince Julian. When Bella learns of it, she is determined to set off on a quest to save Julian, and the kingdom’s hard-won peace, if she can. Her only hope of escape from her dismal home is with the help of Alice and three magical gifts. Something about Bella’s plight awakens hope in Alice, and she takes a risk to help Bella embark on her quest. Once Bella leaves, she journeys across the kingdom in disguise and her adventures lead her to a destiny no one could have imagined.
Bella is a wonderful heroine in this enchanting story: she’s smart, brave, and her kindness and loyalty endear her to everyone she meets, including the reader. Girls who like a little romance, adventure, and fairy tale stories will certainly enjoy every word of Bella at Midnight.
- Posted by Cori