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The Thirteenth Princess Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,644 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Zita is not an ordinary servant girl—she's the thirteenth daughter of a king who wanted only sons. When she was born, Zita's father banished her to the servants' quarters to work in the kitchens, where she can only communicate with her royal sisters in secret.
Then, after Zita's twelfth birthday, the princesses all fall mysteriously ill. The only clue is their strangely worn and tattered shoes. With the help of her friends—Breckin the stable boy, Babette the witch, and Milek the soldier—Zita follows her bewitched sisters into a magical world of endless dancing and dreams. But something more sinister is afoot—and unless Zita and her friends can break the curse, the twelve princesses will surely dance to their deaths.
A classic fairy tale with a bold twist, The Thirteenth Princess tells the unforgettable story of a magical castle, true love, spellbound princesses—and the young girl determined to save them all.
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"Creative and sweet retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, but this time the heroine is their thirteenth sister, who had been "banished" by a heartbroken father. Fairly predictable, (of course it's based on a well known fairytale, but still,) but then it had it's surprises."
— Susan (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“The Thirteenth Princess is a lucky find, a wheeling gavotte of a novel that refreshes an old fairy tale with new enchantment.”
— Gregory Maguire, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked and A Lion among Men -
“Zahler takes a light story and gives it gratifying depth, rounding out the characters and their motivations without betraying the source material and wrapping it all together in a graceful and cohesive romantic drama.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“[A] lively reworking.”
— Booklist -
“Just the right combination of magic, adventure, and romance.”
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
The Thirteenth Princess Listener Reviews
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" A very cute retelling of the 12 dancing princesses. I enjoyed it. It was refreshing and clever. "
— Hannah*Inky*, 1/27/2014 -
" This was actually a rather enjoyable twist on the classic 12 Dancing Princesses. However, I never could quite get on board with understanding the relationship between the father and the 13th daughter who is the main character. Still I would probably read it again. "
— Nicol, 1/25/2014 -
" great it is about a servant who is actually a princess dethroned because she was a girl (her father wanted a boy A.K.A heir to the throne)and her birth killed her mother. in the end she lives happily ever after as always "
— Nina, 1/23/2014 -
" Very enjoyable. I enjoyed the very couragous main character. I would like to own this one. My girls loved it too. They could not put it down. "
— Ami, 1/10/2014 -
" Another favorite princess book! "
— Becky, 1/1/2014 -
" It was a pretty good, quick read. It elaborates on the fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. "
— Ursula, 12/27/2013 -
" This is an incredible book for girls (even grownup ones) based on the story of the 12 dancing princesses. I loved it!! "
— Holly, 12/25/2013 -
" I liked this retelling of 12 dancing princesses with a little sister. I generally have enjoyed the concept of retelling fairy tales and this is just a sweet one. I liked Zita and would like to read more about her but the book works as a stand alone. "
— Jean, 12/25/2013 -
" A 4 or 5 star book for young readers. "
— Amanda, 12/20/2013 -
" i love how many versions there are of these stories. "
— Krystal, 12/7/2013 -
" A fun retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, told from the point of view of the youngest ... thirteenth princess. I thought it was creatively done and a very fast read. "
— Christine, 12/5/2013 -
" A nice retelling of the classic Twelve Dancing Princesses with the addition of a thirteenth princess heroine. Nice twists and some very good insights about human nature and family. "
— Angela, 9/28/2013 -
" Fun spin on the 12 Dancing Princesses. "
— Jen, 9/9/2013 -
" i absolutely loved this boook it was an amazing loving happy ending "
— Cheyanne, 6/11/2013 -
" I read this to my girls. Meh. "
— Katie, 3/5/2013 -
" Re-telling of the 12 dancing princesses, with the twist that the 13th daughter helped save the day. An enjoyable, light read. "
— Jessica, 2/12/2013 -
" A lovely adaptation of the Twelve Dancing Princesses! "
— Lee, 8/8/2012 -
" A cute take on the 12 princess story. "
— Laura, 7/5/2012 -
" I bought this book several months ago and finally got around to reading it. It was a lot of fun. I think a young girl would really enjoy it. It is another take of the story of 12 dancing princesses. "
— Melissa, 2/23/2012 -
" Rounded up from somewhere above 3-1/2 stars. "
— Inoli, 12/3/2011 -
" I loved it. very too and magical! =) "
— Sabrina, 10/1/2011 -
" An interesting re-telling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I've always enjoyed takes on that story - this one, along with the Robin McKinley short store (in The Door in the Hedge), and Princess of the Midnight Ball have been interesting takes. "
— Jenna, 5/24/2011 -
" What a fun book! You've heard of the 12 dancing princesses...but this is the story of their youngest sister! The Thirteenth princess! With the help of her friends they solve the mystery of where the 12 sisters go at night. "
— Stephanie, 3/31/2011 -
" I love retellings of fairy tales. This one was very well done. "
— Michelle, 3/25/2011 -
" Kendra read this book and loved it so she passed it on to me. It was a cute little remake of the 12 dancing princess story. "
— Justina, 3/21/2011 -
" Very cute twist on the "12 Dancing Princesses." "
— Shiralea, 3/5/2011 -
" This book is pretty good for anybody who wants to read about a special twist to a fairy tale of the twelve princesses. It is great for a read aloud or for curling up and reading. Anyway, it is good for reading. Read, reread, and enjoy. ? "
— Sarah, 2/26/2011 -
" This book was amazing!!!! It is such a interesting book. I never wanted to put it down!! You probably wouldn't think so but there is quite a bit of adventure in this book. I highly recommend this book, especially for 4th or5th graders. Again, this is a wonderful book!!! "
— NewFranklin, 2/18/2011 -
" This was an interesting retelling of, "The Twelve Dancing Princesses". I liked the way that this story was written. You didn't know who the bad person was until the end of the book. "
— Debbie, 2/5/2011 -
" I bought this book for Eden for Christmas. Definitely above her listening level. Fairly cute retelling of the 12 dancing princesses. My only problem with this book is that the thirteenth princess is 12 and has a boyfriend throughout the book.... Ugh. "
— Cesily, 2/4/2011 -
" A debut writer to watch, Diane Zahler delivers a delightful story with a charming heroine in Zita, the thirteenth princess. "
— Barbara, 1/12/2011 -
" i really liked it! it got slow at times but i couldn't put it down!<br/> "
— Ali, 12/23/2010
About Diane Zahler
Diane Zahler is the author of The Thirteenth Princess and A True Princess. Her books have been praised for their “delicious descriptions” (Kirkus Reviews) and their “gratifying depth” (Publishers Weekly). Diane lives with her husband and dog in New York’s Harlem Valley, in an old farmhouse held together by magic spells and duct tape.
About Jenna Lamia
Jenna Lamia is an actress and award-winning audiobook narrator. She has won the prestigious Audie Award, as well as more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her narration of The Book of Polly was named a 2018 Outstanding Audiobook Narration by RUSA. She narrated Mary E. Pearson’s The Adoration of Jenna Fox, which won a YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults award, and Carol Lynch Williams’ The Chosen One, for which she received the 2010 Audie Award for Best Female Solo Narration. She has appeared on and off-Broadway, and her acting credits include appearances on Oz, Law & Order: SVU, and NYPD Blue. She has attended Amherst College, New York University, and the Sorbonne in Paris.