Need an escape from endless homework, wintery weather, and whatever’s weighing on your mind? Same. It’s pretty much a tale as old as time to dream of being whisked away into an imaginative fictional world, and there are few things more comforting than escaping far, far away into a fairy tale universe filled with princesses and happily ever afters. But what if we told you that your favorite fairy tales have been flipped around and that Cinderella and Belle have swapped lives? That’s exactly what happens in the charming new The Princess Swap series by Kim Bussing!
In Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper), Ella and Belle’s stories are swapped, leaving Ella trapped in a castle with a dangerous beast and Belle stuck with a wicked stepfamily. Ending up somewhere unexpected might end up being exactly where they need to be, and their quests to fix their fates and find their happily ever afters could be precisely what they both needed. We heart this empowering story about friendship, trust, and forgiveness with twists and surprises that keep you guessing as these girls chase their happily ever afters.
The second book in the series, Snow White and the Dragon (or, Sleeping Beauty and the Seven Dwarves), hits shelves on March 4th, and we’re already eager to see what’s in store for Snow and Rose!
What would happen if Cinderella found herself in the beast’s castle, and Beauty woke up in some evil stepmother’s home? Fairy tales meet Freaky Friday in this series, where there’s a magical mix-up for every princess!
The magical first edition paperback of Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper) will feature dual-toned sprayed edges!
Ella’s spent her life dreaming about adventure, but it’s hard to have adventures when you’re stuck with a stepfamily who treat you like a servant. When she unexpectedly wakes up in a land far, far away, she’s thrilled at the chance to embark on an epic quest. That is, until she finds herself trapped once more—this time in the castle of a dangerous beast.
Belle, meanwhile, has plans. Her family’s trading company is on the brink of ruin, and to save it, she’s going to enter—and win—a royal competition in the prince’s honor. But when she unexpectedly winds up in a cellar with a wicked stepfamily who have their own plans to keep her from the competition . . . things get complicated.
Happily-ever-after couldn’t feel farther away. Can Ella escape the beast’s clutches? And can Belle get rid of this stepfamily in time for the competition?
For other Princess Swaps, don’t miss Snow White and the Dragon (or, Sleeping Beauty and the Seven Dwarfs)!
The Princess Swap: Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper)
AUTHOR: Kim Bussing
PUBLISHER: Aladdin
DATE: January 7, 2025
Whether it’s Freaky Friday-style life swaps like the ones found in The Princess Swap or fairy tale retellings that switch up the setting or bend the rules to make the villains the heroes, without the original source material, authors wouldn’t be able to reimagine the classics into something totally new.
Want a closer look at this charming read? Author Kim Bussing was kind enough to share a few enchanting secrets about The Princess Swap: Cinderella and the Beast, as well as a few other fairy tale facts about the classic stories that inspired her!
Enchanting Secrets About The Princess Swap: Cinderella and the Beast (and other Fairy Tale Facts):
KIM BUSSING: Once upon a time, in a land called Reverie, there were plenty of secrets that you weren’t supposed to know. These secrets in particular are kept carefully guarded, and they can only be stumbled upon when the fairies are in a playful and giving mood. You’re lucky to be here to read them right now. Hurry — you may not be so lucky again.
Two girls happen to be in the middle of all those secrets: Ella and Belle. Maybe you’ve heard of them? One is trapped in the castle of a beast, the other is locked up by a stepmother who’s just as terrifying, and both are discovering how to find their own magic.
But there’s still plenty you won’t learn about them in just one story. Let’s step a little deeper into the Dreamwood together…
Fairy tales weren’t originally meant for children:
That’s right. It wasn’t until people like the Grimms Brothers collected fairy tales and packaged them into children’s books that they were seen as something you told kids. Before that, adults swapped these stories, changing this and that over time, so there are countless different versions. Which is why…
…Cinderella didn’t always have a glass slipper:
You can find versions of Cinderella’s stories across cultures and centuries. Sometimes, she has a gold slipper. Other times, she has a clog or a squirrel fur slipper. Of course, our Ella doesn’t get quite the same help from glass slippers as you might expect, but that’s what happens when you find yourself in the wrong story.
In this version, Belle and the Beast had once been secret pen pals:
Or mirror pals might be more accurate. The version of Cinderella and the Beast on your bookshelf looks a teensy bit different than the first draft. In those pages, Belle and the Beast developed a friendship by communicating via magic mirrors.
But, honestly, that would be a boring book. If the Beast had Belle to help out with all this? They would have broken the curse ages ago.
The Perrault siblings are named after Charles Perrault, a famous French author:
He was also the one to publish the version of Cinderella you’re most familiar with — glass slipper, pumpkin, and all. Before that, Cinderella never rode in a magic squash to a ball. And Belle’s last name has significance, too. Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve published a version of Beauty and the Beast in the 1700s.
There are plenty of hidden details for the biggest fairy tale fans:
Did you get to the part about Belle and the Manacle of Obedience? That’s paying tribute to another famous version of Cinderella: Ella Enchanted. And in Chapter 1, when Ella’s thinking about all the things she’d like to be? That’s inspired by a song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella musical. There are plenty of little nuggets to discover.
But the most magical secret of all is that every fairy tale wants you to reimagine it.
It’s your turn. Write down “Once upon a time…” and see what happens next!
📚MORE MUST-READS: Escape into a fictional world with our February YAYBOOKS! Roundup, featuring 40 brand-new books releasing this month!
