Beast (by Donna Jo Napoli)

Donna Jo Napoli, who has made something of a specialty of reinterpreting traditional fairy tales in the form of young-adult novels, here tackles a story that seems to fascinate YA authors: Beauty and the Beast. As Napoli explains in a note, her story is based on an 1811 poem by Charles Lamb, which specifies that the Beast was originally a Persian prince. This gives her the opportunity to weave satisfying doses of Persian culture and religious practices into the story, and to contrast them with the practices he finds in France.

The slow pace will not be to the taste of all teens, especially during the prince's wanderings in the first half of the novel. Once he is in France the pace quickens, but even with the inclusion of some bestial violence and sex, this is still more a thoughtful mood piece than an action-adventure, as befits the original story. But for those with patience, this is a beautifully told tale that brings new understanding to the original.