The Restless Girls

About the book

"A riveting feminist retelling, filled with excitement, imagination, magic, and just the right touch of darkness." -Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe

From acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Jessie Burton comes her debut middle-grade--a girl-forward fairy tale retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" about sisterhood, imagination, and bravery, lushly packaged and with beautiful full-color illustrations.

For the twelve daughters of King Alberto, Queen Laurelia's death is a disaster beyond losing a mother. The king decides his daughters must be kept safe at all costs, and for the girls, those costs include their lessons, their possessions, and most importantly, their freedom.

But the sisters, especially the eldest, Princess Frida, will not bend to this fate. She still has one possession her father cannot take: the power of her imagination. And so, with little but wits and ingenuity to rely on, Frida and her sisters begin their fight to be allowed to live on their own terms.

The Restless Girls is a sparkling whirl of a fairy tale--one that doesn't need a prince to save the day, and instead is full of brave, resourceful, clever young women.

Praise for this book:

"A beautifully realised, whirling adventure full of the dark glitter of growing up, The Restless Girls is a fierce fairytale for the rebel girl - and boy - generation." - Kiran Millwood Hargrave

"The Restless Girls is wild, wise, generous, ferocious kind of story. It's a tale to read to your children (of both genders) over and over, and for them to read to theirs. It's a book that glows." - Katherine Rundell

"A magical modern retelling of an old fairytale - the exquisite text and illustrations work in perfect harmony." - Jacqueline Wilson