Once Upon a Twilight!: Retellings

Showing posts with label Retellings. Show all posts

New Book Alert: Beau and Bett by Kathryn Berla - June 25th!

Coming this June, from Amberjack Publishing, award-winning author Kathryn Berla's BEAU & BETT. They are calling it a modern retelling of the classic Beauty and The Beast. OUaT will be posting a review closer to publication time. Here are more details on Berla's latest novel.

Beau & Bett

Author: Kathryn Berla

Release Date: June 25th 2019

Publisher: Amberjack Publishing

Level: Young Adult

After Beau LeFrancois's mother wrecks Bett Diaz’s luxury SUV, his family faces an impossibly large bill—with no car insurance to help pay it. To pay off the debt, Beau spends his weekends working at the Diaz Ranch.

Beau’s prepared to work, but he’s definitely not prepared for the infamous temper of Bett Diaz, also known as "The Beast" at school. As Beau learns the secrets behind Bett’s tough exterior, he finds himself falling for her . . . until he catches Bett in a lie.

A contemporary twist on a classic fairy tale, Beau and Bett is a timely story of family, friendship, and the power of speaking out and standing up for yourself.

Giveaway: Part of Your World #ATwistedTale #5 by Liz Braswell

Part of Your World (A Twisted Tale #5)

By Liz Braswell

In Stores Now, released September 4, 2018

Published by Disney Book Group

What if Ariel had never defeated Ursula?

It's been five years since the infamous sea witch defeated the little mermaid... and took King Triton's life in the process. Ariel is now the voiceless queen of Atlantica, while Ursula runs Prince Eric's kingdom on land. But when Ariel discovers that her father might still be alive, she finds herself returning to a world—and a prince—she never imagined she would see again.

Hashtag #ATwistedTale

Visit Books.Disney.com/book/part-of-your-world

Follow Disney Book Group on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

Disney Book Group, sent me a copy to check out, and is partnering with me for a giveaway.

I love all things Mermaids & Sirens. If you look up the meaning of my name, it's basically means Siren (water goddess) in Brazilian mythology.

Here is a sample, this is "A Pequena Yara" (The Little Yara), its inspired by The Little Mermaid, based in Brazilian mythology.

Read Every Twisted Tale!

One (1) winner receives:

Full set of all five A Twisted Tale books, including the newest release, Part of Your World.

Giveaway open to US addresses only.

Prizing and samples provided by Disney Book Group.

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Book Review: The Spring Girls by Anna Todd - #BookGiveaway

The Spring Girls
Author: Anna Todd
Reading Level: Adult Fiction
Genres: Chick Lit | Coming of Age
Released: January 2nd 2018
Review Source: Gallery Books

Four sisters desperately seeking the blueprints to life—the modern-day retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women like only Anna Todd (After, Imagines) could do.

The Spring Girls—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—are a force of nature on the New Orleans military base where they live. As different as they are, with their father on tour in Iraq and their mother hiding something, their fears are very much the same. Struggling to build lives they can be proud of and that will lift them out of their humble station in life, one year will determine all that their futures can become.

The oldest, Meg, will be an officer’s wife and enter military society like so many of the women she admires. If her passion—and her reputation—don’t derail her.

Beth, the workhorse of the family, is afraid to leave the house, is afraid she’ll never figure out who she really is.

Jo just wants out. Wishing she could skip to graduation, she dreams of a life in New York City and a career in journalism where she can impact the world. Nothing can stop her—not even love.

And Amy, the youngest, is watching all her sisters, learning from how they handle themselves. For better or worse.

With plenty of sass, romance, and drama, The Spring Girls revisits Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women, and brings its themes of love, war, class, adolescence, and family into the language of the twenty-first century.

The Spring Girls is said to be a modern retelling of Little Women, which I can't recall if I actually read the original. I know I have seen the movie version of Little Women, but can't say if I read the original story. So with that being said, I just had the knowledge of the movie version to compare to The Spring Girls. Which I could see how they could have similarities.

The Spring Girls is about Amy, Beth, Jo and Meg. They are military "brats" pretty much. The dad is overseas and they are home with mom only. So you can imagine the craziness. If you have this many sisters, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. The story is modern, so it's all about their life issues in 2017. Each sister is different from the next and as much as they love each other, they hate each other too. I wasn't bored by the sisters, but I also wasn't captured by any one in particular. During the book, I had moments that reminded me of my youth and then others were I caught myself rolling my eyes. What made me stick to the story were the moments that did uplift you.

The pace is slow and steady throughout the whole book. There are a handful of moments, that make you smile and then it's back to drama lama. The Spring Girls is an easy read. It's definitely different from Anna Todd's other novels.

We are able to give away a paperback copy of The Spring Girls to one lucky reader, thanks to Gallery Books. Please fill out the entry form below.

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#BeOurGuest - Beauty and the Beast's First Look!!!

The perfect start to a Monday should included the first glimpse at Beauty and the Beast live-action retelling of the Disney classic. Be prepared to be wowed!

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs.

Directed by Oscar® winner Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Parts 1 and 2), Beauty and the Beast stars Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, Josh Gad as Le Fou, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, Kevin Kline as Maurice, and Audra McDonald as Garderobe.

Official Socials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | IMDb

Beauty and the Beast hits theaters March 17th 2017!!!

#BeOurGuest

#Houston Enter To Win Family 4-Pack To #ChristmasCarolHOU at the Alley Theatre!

A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas

Alley Theatre presents the 28th production of A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas, by Charles Dickens, adapted and originally directed by Michael Wilson and directed by James Black. Michael Wilson’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol is a re-telling of Charles Dickens’ classic story, which follows Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey with the three ghostly spirits that visit him on Christmas Eve. A Christmas Carol instills a powerful message about redemption and the spirit of the holiday season. Family audiences can enjoy this colorful, comical, and music-filled production. Magical and heartwarming, this unforgettable theatrical production of A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas instills a powerful message about redemption and the true spirit of the holiday season.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/alleytheatre
Twitter: @alleytheatre #ChristmasCarolHOU
For more information: https://www.alleytheatre.org/plays/production-detail/a-christmas-carol
*recommended for general audiences; ages 6+

You can purchase tickets HERE to see A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas

Don’t be a Scrooge this holiday! Enter for a chance to win a family four pack of tickets to see #ChristmasCarolHOU at the Alley Theatre

Giveaway Info:
One winner will receive a certificate valid for four complimentary tickets to one of the performances times listed for A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Winner must choose from the dates listed and call the box office two days in advance of their selected performance date. Tickets are subject to availability. Winner will be mailed the certificate and must present the original certificate in person at the box office.

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Book Review: Dead Upon a Time by Elizabeth Paulson

Dead Upon a Time
Author: Elizabeth Paulson
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genres: Retellings | Fantasy | Fairy Tales
Release Date: August 25th 2015
Review Source: Scholastic Press

It's a fairy-tale nightmare . . .

One girl is kept in a room where every day the only food she's given is a poisoned apple. Another is kept in a room covered in needles -- and if she pricks her finger, she'll die. Then there are the brother and sister kept in a cell that keeps getting hotter and hotter. . .

A sinister kidnapper is on the loose in Kate's world. She's not involved until one day she heads to her grandmother's house in the woods -- and finds her grandmother has also been taken. Already an outcast, Kate can't get any help from the villagers who hate her. Only Jack, another outsider, will listen to what's happened.

Then a princess is taken, and suddenly the king is paying attention -- even though the girl's stepmother would rather he didn't. It's up to Kate and Jack to track down the victims before an ever after arrives that's far from happy.

In Dead Upon a Time you start off a bit confused because the characters you grew up knowing as the "good guys" are disliked and ostracized from society. So you have too train yourself to understand and separate the fairy tales you would associate to this story. The author took this story to a dark place.

If you are looking for a quick read, then this will work for you. The book itself is very slim and you can probably get done reading it within a day or two the most. The retelling is simple and dark and easy to follow along. You might have different ideas or conclusions as to why certain events happen, this is where the twist part comes in. It is definitely a unique book.

The story follow Kate, who has a grandmother that lives in the woods away from everyone. Kate knows they are not normal and her grandmother separated herself from her so that they wouldn't associate Kate to her. That hasn't worked out quiet like the grandmother planned. Kate is not normal and her visions would be the reason why. Then one day Kate finds that her grandmother has been taken and its no coincidence that the town's children have gone missing too. She meets another outcast like herself named Jack (yup, the beanstalk Jack) and they set off together to rescue these children and hopefully Kate's grandmother too. Plus the King gave Kate an offer she really can't refuse. So this is where the journey begins with the dark take on the classic fairy tales.

Book News: Iconic Little Golden Books Line Retells Star Wars

ICONIC LITTLE GOLDEN BOOKS LINE RETELLS STAR WARS™ FILMS FOR THE FIRST TIME

Random House Children’s Books publishing plan set to begin releasing on July 28, 2015, and includes one title for each film in the saga

New York, NY, July 9, 2015—The iconic Little Golden Book format will extend its collection of titles to include retellings of the epic Star Wars movies for the first time ever, as announced today by Barbara Marcus, President and Publisher, Random House Children’s Books. On July 28, 2015, the first six Star Wars Little Golden Books will be released, including illustrated retellings of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Chris Angelilli, Vice President, Editor-in-Chief, Director of License Publishing, Random House Children’s Books, will oversee the publication of these six titles.

All Star Wars Little Golden Books will feature a custom gold spine that includes popular characters from the Star Wars universe.

These books will introduce young readers to the iconic film series that ranks among the top five highest-grossing film franchises of all time, and will be welcome additions for adult collectors and fans.

“We are thrilled to contribute to the Star Wars galaxy with these Little Golden Book retellings,” said Marcus. “Bringing together these two beloved and popular brands is a significant moment, and we look forward to sharing these epic stories in classic Little Golden Book form.”

Launched in 1942, Little Golden Books revolutionized children’s book publishing by making high-quality picture books available at affordable prices. More than 60 years later, many of the original Golden Book titles are still wildly popular.

“The Star Wars franchise has woven itself into the hearts and minds of generations of fans, many of whom read Little Golden Books as children,” said Jeanne Mosure, Senior Vice President, Group Publisher, Disney Publishing Worldwide. “We’re very excited to be incorporating Little Golden Books into our overarching strategy so parents can now introduce their own children to the wonders of the galaxy through this classic format.”

On September 1, 2015, Random House will release a boxed set of the six initial Star Wars Little Golden Books titles.