In “Part One: In Which Fate Deals Me a Savage Blow, Leaving Me to My Own Pitiably Meager Devices,” Princess Ben (short for Benevolence) recounts the tragedy of losing her royal parents and the suffering she endures when moving from her modest abode to formal life inside the castle of her stern aunt, the queen. Grieving, Princess Ben turns to food for comfort and is soon criticized by the court for her slovenly appearance. Unfit, in more ways than one, to undertake the responsibilities of the title she’s acquired, Ben is forced to complete hours of training and lessons by day while at night she is banished to a tower chamber far from the castle pantry. It is at her precise hour of need that Ben finds a magical doorway into a room furnished with an ancient spell book intended for her discovery. Suddenly, Ben’s life takes on new meaning as she gains powerful skills and knowledge. She gains the confidence and insight to see herself and those around her in a different light, including the aunt whose actions she understood only as torment. Just as startling, Ben realizes the fate of her beloved kingdom is in her hands. Through masterful and humorous storytelling, author Catherine Gilbert Murdock weaves a fresh yet old-fashioned fairy tale full of multilayered characters, with sly references to familiar tales sprinkled in. (Age 12 and older)