Promchanted

Gr 9 Up–Stella and her best friend Nisha made a promise when they were children: they were going to pre-prom at Disneyland. Now that day is here. They were supposed to go as a foursome: Nisha and her girlfriend Allyson, and Stella and her boyfriend Cooper. Then Cooper broke up with Stella. Stella’s not thrilled when a stranger crashes her pre-prom experience, but at least it means she’s not the third wheel in her best friend’s date. Unfortunately, she’s met Reece before, and he witnessed her break-up humiliation. Stella does not believe in fairy tales or true love. While Stella and Reece are in Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, they’re transported back in time to the story. They arrive a week before Rose (Princess Aurora) turns 16. Reece is familiar with the story, thanks to his little sister; he’s adamant they watch the story unfold without interfering. As Stella and Reece grow close to Rose, Phil, and Rose’s three aunts (the good fairies), it becomes harder to stay impartial. The fairy-tale setting sets up the lesson for the main character: Stella needs to learn how to unplug and learn to live in the moment. Time-traveling to the 14th century allows her to disconnect from the world. This cozy read features a strong female friendship and an enemies-to-loves trope, shares a love of boy bands, and includes one nasty villain. Stella and Allyson are white, Reece is Latinx, and Nisha is South Asian.