A Kiss in Time

May 4, 2009
In the same vein as Flinn's Beastly, this clever and humorous retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" follows an aimless American boy who awakens a princess who has been slumbering for 300 years. Jack is on a European tour mandated by his parents ("What they don't tell you about Europe is how completely lame it is") when he breaks an ancient curse by kissing the slumbering Princess Talia. Instead of rejoicing, she and other awakened members of their magical kingdom are confused and perturbed to find themselves in the 21st century. In order to escape the wrath of her father, who blames her for causing the curse, Talia flees with Jack to his home in Florida. While acclimating to the modern world-cell phones, television, Jell-o shots-the princess manages to charm everyone she meets and help Jack sort out his life. Alternating between the teenagers' distinctive points of view, Flinn skillfully delineates how their upbringings set them apart while drawing parallels between their family conflicts. Fans of happily-ever-after endings will delight in the upbeat resolution, which confirms the notion that "love conquers all." Ages 12-up.

August 1, 2009
Gr 5-8-An agreeable, fluffy expansion of "Sleeping Beauty," this novel conflates the traditional story with that of an American teenage boy. Talia (the princess) has the world's most overprotective parentsnot without reason, of course. Seventeen-year-old Jack's parents think about him only when they are criticizing him. When he awakens Talia with a kiss, she is thrust more than 300 years into a future in the 21st century. The learning curve is steep (and not entirely consistent) but readers will laugh at the pair's escapades as they depart Europe for Florida, try to pass Talia off as a modern Belgian girl, and come to new understandings with their respective parents. No more than fun, but plenty of that."Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2009
Just before her sixteenth birthday, beautiful, headstrong Princess Talia of Euphrasia pricks her finger on a spindle; according to the causative curse, the entire kingdom will sleep until Talia's true love awakens her with a kiss. Flash forward three hundred years and Jack, a Florida teen on an educational tour of Europe, enters the scene. One fateful kiss later, Talia is helping Jack escape the castle dungeon -- on the condition that he take her home with him. This frothy, fun-filled update of "Sleeping Beauty" is essentially a comedy of manners, as Talia, with her formal comportment, stylized notions of love, and old-fashioned but effective people skills, navigates the anachronisms of the modern world and turns Jack's family and social life upside down. Flinn plays the culture clash for laughs ("I am stuck in a thicket with a boy...who is wearing a costume suspiciously resembling brightly colored undergarments") rather than lessons -- at least until the end, which falters under the weight of too many touchy-feely truces. Nevertheless, Flinn builds a credible romance around two vastly different (and highly entertaining) characters, injects a little magic and chivalry into the modern world, and lightly explores concepts of love and fate -- all on the road to a satisfying "happily ever after."

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2009
In this frothy, fun-filled update of "Sleeping Beauty," Princess Talia is awakened by Jack, a Florida teen--then demands he take her home with him. While navigating the modern world, Talia turns Jack's life upside down. Flinn builds a credible romance around two vastly different (and highly entertaining) characters, injecting a little magic and chivalry into her light exploration of love and fate.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 15, 2009
Grades 7-10 Princess Talia Aurora Ludwiga Wilhelmina Agnes Marie Rose of Euphrasia (aka Sleeping Beauty) has been snoozing for over 300 years after pricking her finger on a cursed spindle. Miami native Jack stumbles upon Her Majesty after giving his boring European tour group the slip. After impulsively kissing the sleeping hottie, Jack is unprepared for the chaos that ensues as an entire medieval kingdom wakes up and demands an explanation.Fleeing the scene, theunlikely lovebirds fence the royal jewels and hop a plane to America. There, Talia learns the wonders of the twenty-first century, while Jack learns to appreciate the chaste charms of an old-fashioned girl. But their happily-ever-after is threatened by evil fairy Malvolia, who remains unconvinced that Jack is Talias true love. You can never have too many princess stories, as Flinn proves with this fractured fairy tale whose sweetly snarky tone is just different enough to stand out from the rest of the tiara throng. Fans of Meg Cabots Princess Diaries and Gail Carson Levines Ella Enchanted (1997) will embrace this charming, lightweight fantasy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)