A KISS IN TIME

A KISS IN TIME, by Alex Flinn (HarperTeen 2009)(ages 12+). Three hundred years ago, the Princess Talia and the entire kingdom of Euphrasia fall into a cursed sleep, and the kingdom disappears from the map (somewhere near Belgium).

Now, in 2009, a pair of teen-age boys from Miami on a month-long European tour stumble across it. Then one, Jack, wakes the princess (and the kingdom) with a kiss...

But when Jack is thrown into the dungeon for "defiling" the princess, Talia helps him escape and flees with him (because her father is not happy with her, either -- he blames her for pricking herself on the prophesied spindle). Together, they travel to Jack's home in Miami, where Talia's perspective on modern times opens Jack's eyes as well.

But the evil witch Malvolia, who placed the curse, is still around, too, and she insists the curse is still valid, since Jack isn't Talia's "true love." Is this true? And can Talia and Jack defeat Malvolia so Euphrasia isn't doomed for another three hundred years of sleep?

A KISS IN TIME is a fun, new take on Sleeping Beauty. Told in alternating viewpoints, the voices are fresh and textured, with both Talia and Jack having satisfying arcs showing growth and change.