The Twelve Dancing Princesses

by Anne Fine, Debi Gliori (Illustrator)

Based on the original fairy tale, this is a revived version written especially for today's children. It is one of a number of stories within a series, that have been rewritten and re-illustrated by award-winning authors and illustrators to celebrate the 1998 National Year of Reading.

Genres: Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Short Stories, Picture Books

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1812

About the author

Though readers often find themselves inadvertently laughing aloud as they read Anne Fine's novels, as she herself admits, "a lot of my work, even for fairly young readers, raises serious social issues. Growing up is a long and confusing business. I try to show that the battle through the chaos is worthwhile and can, at times, be seen as very funny." In 1994, this unique combination of humour and realism inspired the hit movie MRS. DOUBTFIRE, based on Anne's novel MADAME DOUBTFIRE and starring the late comedic genius Robin Williams.

Anne is best known in her home country, England, as a writer principally for children, but over the years she has also written eight novels for adult readers. Seven of these she describes as black - or sour - comedies, and the first, THE KILLJOY, simply as "dead black". These novels have proved great favourites with reading groups, causing readers to squirm with mingled horror and delight as she peels away the layers in all too familiar family relationships, exposing the tangled threads and conflicts beneath. (It's perhaps not surprising that Anne has openly expressed astonishment at the fact that murder in the domestic setting is not even more common.)

Anne has written more than sixty books for children and young people. Amongst numerous other awards, she is twice winner of both the Carnegie Medal, Britain's most prestigious children's book award, and the Whitbread Award. Twice chosen as Children's Author of the Year in the British Book Awards, Anne Fine was also the first novelist to be honoured as Children's Laureate in the United Kingdom. In 2003, Anne became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was awarded an OBE. Her work has been translated into forty five languages.

Anne Fine lives in the north of England and has two grown up daughters.

Reviews

[Farjaneh_ · Rating 1 out of 5]

《هو الحق》
خیلی کوتاه و خیلی آبکی ، داستان باربی و دوازده پرنسس بر گرفته از این کتابه اما اون کجا و این کجا 😄
خوندن کتاب جالب بود اما واقعا حرف خاصی برای گفتن نداشت ،من داستان انیمیشن رو ترجیح میدم😁✌🏻

[Lunacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

داستانی کوتاه از جیکوب و ویلیام گریم که انیمیشن "باربی و دوازده پرنسس" ازش الهام گرفته شده.
داستان درباره دوازده پرنسسه که شبا از یک راه مخفی در کف اتاقشون به سرزمین پریان در زیر زمین می‌روند و تا صبح می‌رقصد اما هیچکس اینو نمی‌دونه! پادشاه هم شرط می‌گذاره که هرکی بتونه از راز این پرنسس ها سر در بیاره میتونه با یکی از دوازده خواهر ازدواج کنه و بعد از خود پادشاه به سلطنت برسه. و اگر نتونه پس از سه شب این راز رو پیدا کنه، گردن زده میشه. در این راه شاهزادگان و مردم بسیاری کشته میشن. در آخر هم یک کهنه سرباز از جنگ برگشته موفق میشه راز رو برملا کنه و به پادشاهی برسه.

[Mohsen M.B · Rating 3 out of 5]

جالب و دوست داشتنی بود، همون قدر که داستان های پریان کلاسیک میتونن باشن. کوتاه بودنش و سادگی بیش از حدش اجازه نداد تا به جذابیت قصه های پریان خودمون برسه

[Ikram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why was there always so much death in fairytales

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading a story that needed this one first.
It was, eh, most of Grimm's work is very bleak, violent, or depressing. This was rather tame.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

they are basically killer princesses damn

[Khore book · Rating 2 out of 5]

به نام خدا
دوازده تا دختر احمقِ خوش گذرون که اگه یه شب نمیرقصیدن می مردن احتمالا...
و از دیدن سلاخی شدن پسر های مملکت هم لذت می بردن.
خلاصه احتیاج به روانپزشک داشتن
ولی...
من عاشق کارتون باربی و دوازده پرنسس هستمممم😭😭😭😭
شکست روحی خوردم وقتی فهمیدم از روی این مزخرف ساخته شده.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This fairytale was really under-developed and way too short to get me invested.

[sarah سارة ꫂ᭪ · Rating 3 out of 5]

These princesses got was was coming for them🧐

[Ana Anliapas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que ganas de leer mil retellings de este cuento

[Anna Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit repetitive, but really good for children to learn how to read.

[امیرمحمد حیدری · Rating 1 out of 5]

حقیقتاً مسخره بود.

[Jinx:The:Poet {the LiteraryWanderer & WordRoamer} · Rating 2 out of 5]

THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES: Twelve princesses sneak out of their room at night and the King sends a soldier to spy on and figure out where they go. I was a not a huge fan of this one, and the ending was not fitting. This was child friendly, though honestly quite boring. It had so much potential too but just fell flat at the end. MORALS: If you obey the king you get a princess. [RATING: 1.5 STAR]

[Nhi Nguyễn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hình minh họa của Miss Clara trong cuốn này không khiến mình choáng ngợp như hai cuốn trước, nhưng vẫn cực kỳ đẹp, đủ để mình cho cuốn này 4 sao :)) Về câu chuyện thì đúng là có phần hơi đơn giản và thiếu ấn tượng một tí, nhưng xét tới thể loại của cuốn sách này là truyện tranh, phần tranh chiếm tỉ trọng nhiều hơn phần truyện nên thôi, có thể bỏ qua :D

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So thid one was a bit different to what I expected. I had never read this story or heard of it before but the title caught my attention. So in this one the princesses are cruel (seriously who lets someone die just so you can go dancing) in the end i was hoping that there wasn't a happily ever after

[Latoya Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is very interesting!

From my 9 yr old daughter:
This story is very cool. It has something that I believe could happen in real life but it's just a fairytale. It's a story little kids can enjoy reading.

[Stephani Blanding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Traditional Literature: A retelling of a classic fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses tells the story of a young man who decides to discover the answer to the mystery of why the King's daughters' always have holes in their brand new satin slippers every morning.

[Kristelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The retelling of this story that everyone would be likely to know, is Barbie and the 12 dancing princesses. Like all traditional fairy tales, it is not always a happy ending for all characters involved, especially the princes.

[Angelica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actual score: 1.5

This is not how I remembered it but okay. What even happened.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining and interesting Grimm Brothers fairy tale.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

در دوران های پیش از این دخترکی قشنگ و ظریف زندگی می کرد. او در تابستان ها مجبور بود که با پاهای برهنه به همه جا برود زیرا از یک خانوادۀ فقیر و مسکین بود. دخترک در زمستان ها نیز کفش های بزرگ چوبی بپا می کرد آنچنانکه پُشت پاهایش از سوز سرما کاملاً قرمز می گشتند.

در وسط دهکده یک پیرزن کفش فروش زندگی می کرد. او از دیدن این احوالات دلش به درد آمد و مدتی از اوقات بیکاری خود را صرف دوختن یک جفت کفش از تکه های یک لباس کهنه قرمز رنگ نمود. این قطعات خیلی بد ترکیب و زمُخت بودند امّا پیرزن کفاش آنها را با دقّت و مهارت به همدیگر می دوخت. او قصد داشت تا این کفش را به دخترک فقیر که نامش "کارین" بود، ببخشد.

"کارین" کفش ها را دریافت نمود و آنها را در اولین فرصت که مصادف با مراسم کفن و دفن مادرش بود، بپا نمود. آنها یقیناً برای مراسم سوگواری مناسب نبودند امّا دخترک هیچ کفش دیگری نداشت. "کارین" بناچار پاهای برهنه اش را در درون کفش های قرمز جا داد و متواضعانه به دنبال تابوت مادر رنج کشیده اش به راه افتاد.

در این موقع یک کالسکۀ بزرگ و قدیمی به کنارش آمد که در داخلش بانوی سالخورده ای نشسته بود. بانو نگاهی به دخترک مفلوک انداخت و از روی ترّحم به کشیش گفت:

لطفاً به من توجه نمائید. اگر شما آن دخترک را به من بسپارید، من بخوبی می توانم از او مراقبت نمایم.

[Divia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of this story was quite good.

I just felt bad for the eldest princess in particular as she ended up having to marry the soldier who she probably did not particularly care for. She and the other princesses must have had more affection for the princes they danced with rather than another man. Also, why keep it a secret? The king did not seem upset. Was he angry with his daughters? Did he punish them? If he would have no problem, why did they hide it? Most likely he did have a problem and it just was not mentioned.

Also, I feel bad for those poor souls who lost their lives trying to find out this secret. That was rather harsh.

Then again, this is a Grimm fairy tale. They tend to be harsh.

[Damian · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have the re-occurring number of twelve right in the title. Obviously we have a King and Queen. The hero, the soldier, is helped by an old woman who is not said to be a witch. It is an interesting tale of a soldier watching princesses sneak out at night and matching their cleverness. We have an invisible cloak, now a famous item, used by the soldier.

It has what you're looking for in old Grimm tales. Lots of death, no real logic for why characters do the things they do.

It's unfortunate that the princes in the underground castle just stay there. The King wasn't too concerned with the truth once it was revealed.

[Sukriti · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Twelve Dancing Princesses," illustrated by Jacob Grimm, is a captivating fairy tale that enchants readers with its mystery and magic. The story follows twelve princesses whose shoes are mysteriously worn out every morning, despite being locked in their room every night. A brave soldier discovers their secret: they escape to a magical land where they dance the night away. The illustrations beautifully complement the narrative, bringing the magical world to life with vivid colors and intricate details. This book is perfect for young readers who love fairy tales, offering a blend of adventure, mystery, and fantasy that stimulates the imagination.

[Amelia Bujar · Rating 3 out of 5]

FULL REVIEW ON MY WEBSITE
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...

The original tale is much better but also darker then the version kids see.

It is different but not that different from what you might remember from first hearing this tale as a kid.

The plot here are very good but also dark which is the mix which I personally like a lot.

The writing style here was very old and you could feel the vibe of old the Europe which was amazing for me.

[Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story usually goes over supposedly important details. For example, the meeting between the soldier and the elderly woman who guided him through the task, the magical underground, and the princes with whom the twelve princesses dance. The ending is also somewhat disappointing, as the king made the old soldier his heir to the throne and allowed him to marry his oldest daughter as if she were nothing more than a prize to be won.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listening Time : 9 min

Not sure about the moral of this one.
This seems to be a common favorite, but I was not enthralled. Perhaps, I should look at a picture book or experience a retelling.
The youngest princess was the most observant and intuited the soldier's presence, but he chose the eldest princess instead. So the moral is that men want unobservant wives ??

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging story right up until the silly ending. Or, to be more precise, the ending of the ending. I would not be marrying any of these murderous, conniving women, thank you very much. Not that I ever would have had such privileged opportunity in the first place, but that’s neither here nor there.

[Mike Lisanke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good story but I missed the moral. Just luck/skill through age?
And what's up with the princesses keeping secret princes in a secret garden/knoll/castle beneath the King's castle... and who gave the princesses the doctored wine and why were they happy their suiters were being put to death... and many more Qs.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, I've read this before, so I knew what would happen.
Had to LOL at the soldier tying a sponge under his chin to fool them into thinking he drank the wine. Also what terrible quality shoes these princesses must have for them to fall apart after one night.
Wasn't very fond of the ending.