 First edition, 2006 | |
| Author | Diane Stanley |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Bagram Ibatoulline (illustrator) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | March 28, 2006 |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 278 |
| ISBN | 0-06-077573-4 |
| OCLC | 58432209 |
| LC Class | PZ7.S7869 Bel 2006 |
Bella at Midnight is a fantasy novel for children by Diane Stanley. The story is based on the fairy tale Cinderella. It was first published in 2006.
Maud's sister Catherine has just married Sir Edward of Burning Wood when he forbids her to see her family again. Three years later, Maud receives an urgent summons from her brother-in-law to aid her sister in childbirth. The child is delivered safely, but Catherine falls ill and dies. Edward flies into a fury and orders Maud to get rid of the child.
Maud christens the child Isabel, after her late grandmother, and gives her to the family of a blacksmith named Martin. His wife, Beatrice, recently served as a wet nurse to the fourth son of the king, Prince Julian. The prince frequently returns to visit over the course of his childhood, and he and Isabel, or "Bella", become fast friends.
One day, when Julian is older, he is approached by Bella in front of his peers. But instead of acknowledging her as a friend, he pretends not to know her. Later, he is on his way to apologize to her when a messenger stops him to inform him that he is to be a hostage in a neighboring kingdom, Brutanna, with which they had been at war. The captivity is to enforce a peace treaty between the two kingdoms.
Some time later, Maud returns to Bella's village with a summons from her father, who has recently remarried. Bella sorrowfully leaves her family and journeys with her aunt to meet her father. Once there she finds him still cold and cruel, and her stepmother Matilda and stepsister Marianne unkind as well. Her other stepsister Alice has been silent ever since the death of her father.
Marianne becomes lady-in-waiting to the queen, and thus is privy to some royal secrets. When she comes home she gossips with her family about the plot to attack Brutanna at the expense of Julian's life. Bella cries out in protest and expresses her intent to save him, but her stepmother, trying to protect Marianne's place at court, locks her in the storeroom.
Alice sneaks to the storeroom and gives Bella a hairpin to pick the lock with. Once she is free, Alice gives her a ring that shows her the person she wants to see. Bella flees to Maud's house, and Maud gives her the means to save Julian, including a gown and glass slippers.
Bella rides to Brutanna as quickly as possible and warns Julian of the king's plot. Julian rides out to convince his brother to leave, but he is captured. A battle begins between the soldiers of the two kingdoms when the Worthy Knight appears, halting the battle and blinding King Gilbert.
Julian searches for Bella, but only finds her possessions. Sadly, he returns home to act as regent for his brother. He visits Sir Edward's family, where Alice shows him how to use the ring. He sees the Knight and asks Alice to accompany him to find the Knight.
They return to Brutanna to discover that the Worthy Knight is none other than Bella. She is heavily wounded but recovering in the care of a poor man and his son. Julian brings her back to Moranmoor and takes her to visit her adoptive family. He asks Martin for Bella's hand in marriage, and, having consulted Bella and receiving a positive answer, accepts.
Bella is the daughter of Catherine and Sir Edward of Burning Wood. Upon her mother's death, her father orders her aunt Maud to get rid of her. She is raised by Martin the blacksmith and his family and becomes close friends with Prince Julian. Then Prince Julian betrays her after they go to a fair with all the pages he lives with. After he is sent to Brutanna as a hostage, on his way to apologize to Bella. Quickly afterward, her father summons her. She returns to Burning Wood, where she meets her father and new stepfamily. One day her stepsister Marianne brings the news that the king plans to attack Brutanna, endangering Prince Julian. Bella declares her intentions of warning him and her stepmother locks her in the storeroom. That night her stepsister Alice helps her escape. Bella warns Julian in time to save him, but couldn't prevent the battle. Instead she plays the part of the Worthy Knight, stopping the war forever. She is gravely wounded, but rescued by Prince Julian, who takes her back to her adoptive family and asks for her hand in marriage. She accepts.
Prince Julian is the fourth son of King Raymond. He was given to Beatrice until he was three, when he went to live with his uncle, but frequently returns to visit. He is instantly taken with Bella when introduced, and the two become close friends, until he snubs her in front of his peers.
He is on his way to apologize when a messenger stops him and informs him that he is to be a hostage to enforce a peace treaty Moranmoor and the neighboring kingdom Brutanna. He is living with the royal family when Bella comes to warn him of his brother's plot. He rides out to convince his brother to stop the attack, but the king accuses him of cowardice and takes him prisoner.
The battle begins, but is halted by the appearance of the Worthy Knight. Afterwards, unable to locate Bella, Julian sadly returns to Moranmoor to acts as regent for his brother, who was struck blind in the battle. He pays a visit to Burning Wood, where Alice shows him the Worthy Knight in her ring. They set off to find him and discover that "he" is actually Bella. They bring her back to reunite with her adoptive family, and Julian asks for her hand in marriage.
Maud is Bella's maternal aunt and godmother. She does everything in her power to help her goddaughter, including giving her supplies for her quest to rescue Prince Julian.
Matilda is Bella's stepmother. She has become bitter ever since the death of her husband and loss of their wealth. She takes her anger out on her new husband and stepdaughter.
Marianne is Bella's older stepsister. She is placed in court as the queen's lady-in-waiting by her aunt Basilia. She is very rude to Bella and discusses the plans of King Gilbert, which leads to Bella going to rescue Prince Julian.
Alice is Bella's younger stepsister. Before her father left on his final voyage, he gave her a ring that allows her to see the whereabouts of any person. After her father's death she rarely speaks. Bella, however, helps her heal from the pain and in return Alice gives her the ring.
Lord Percy is Basilia's husband. He is very wealthy, but reluctant to show charity to Matilda and her daughters, doing so only out of duty.
Basilia is Matilda's sister. The two had a falling out when they were each married, and Basilia enjoys gloating over her sister's misfortune. However, she helps Marianne find a place at court.
King Harry is the King of Brutanna, with which Moranmoor has been at war for over a hundred years. When the treaty for peace is signed and Prince Julian becomes a hostage, he treats the prince quite kindly. The King is attending his daughter Princess Marguerite's wedding when he is attacked by King Gilbert.
The adopted father of Bella who took care of Bella, Prince Julian, Will, and Margaret as babies.
The adopted mother of Bella who took care of Bella, Prince Julian, Will, and Margaret as babies.
The son and daughter of Beatrice and Martin. Bella thinks they are her siblings but soon finds out that they are not her family.
| Grandfather | Isabel (deceased) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Catherine (deceased) | Sir Edward of Burning Wood | Matilda | Maud "Mary" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Isabel "Bella" | Marianne | Alice | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reviewers have praised the story as being a new take on the classic fairytale and the character of Bella for being a strong, courageous young woman. [1] Some critics have criticized the use of alternating point of view, saying that it makes the story slow and confusing to follow. [1] [2] Others have claimed that some of the material, such as the details about birth, were inappropriate for the age level for which the book is written (34-34). [2]
Bella at Midnight has won the following awards: [3]
"Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world. The protagonist is a young girl living in forsaken circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune, with her ascension to the throne via marriage. The story of Rhodopis, recounted by the Greek geographer Strabo sometime between 7 BC and 23 AD, about a Greek slave girl who marries the king of Egypt, is usually considered to be the earliest known variant of the Cinderella story.
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La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera Cendrillon with music by Nicolas Isouard and by Francesco Fiorini for Agatina, o la virtù premiata with music by Stefano Pavesi. All these operas are versions of the fairy tale Cendrillon by Charles Perrault. Rossini's opera was first performed in Rome's Teatro Valle on 25 January 1817.
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Ranulf II, 4th Earl of Chester (1099–1153), was an Anglo-Norman baron who inherited the honour of the palatine county of Chester upon the death of his father Ranulf Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester. He was descended from the Counts of Bessin in Normandy.
The Glass Slipper (1955) is an American musical film adaptation of the fairy tale Cinderella, made by MGM, directed by Charles Walters and produced by Edwin H. Knopf from a screenplay by Helen Deutsch. The music score is by Bronislau Kaper, the cinematography by Arthur E. Arling, the art direction by Daniel B. Cathcart and Cedric Gibbons and costume design by Walter Plunkett and Helen Rose.
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is a 1999 fantasy novel by American writer Gregory Maguire, retelling the tale of Cinderella through the eyes of one of her "ugly stepsisters." In 2002, the book was adapted into a TV movie of the same name directed by Gavin Millar.
Just Ella is a novel written by Margaret Peterson Haddix and published in 1999 by Simon & Schuster. The story is a retelling of Cinderella with a feminist twist and a different version of the happily-ever-after ending. The plot revolves around Ella, a beautiful girl struggling to find the true meaning of happiness. A companion novel, Palace of Mirrors, was released in 2008.
Cinderella is an Italian-Japanese 1996 anime television series based on the fairytale of the same name by Charles Perrault and The Brothers Grimm. It was produced by Tatsunoko Productions and Mondo TV. The series originally aired from April 4 to October 3, 1996, comprising 26 episodes.
Hey, Cinderella! is a 1969 television special adaptation of the fairy tale Cinderella, produced by Muppets, Inc. in the United States and Robert Lawrence Productions in Canada, and featuring The Muppets created by Jim Henson, who also directed the special. It was written by Jon Stone and Tom Whedon, and scored by the music composer of Sesame Street, Joe Raposo. It featured Kermit in his first appearance as a frog, as well as Goshposh and Rufus and Splurge.
I, Coriander is a 2005 young adult novel by Sally Gardner, a historical fantasy set in London at the time of the Puritan Commonwealth. The novel traces the time period of the beheading of Charles the 1st through the Restoration of Charles the 2nd. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award. It was also shortlisted for the British Children's Book of the Year and the Stockton Children's Book of the Year, as well as longlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
Maud de Braose, Lady of Bramber was an English noble, the spouse of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, a powerful marcher baron and court favourite of King John of England. She would later incur the wrath and enmity of the king, who had her starved to death in the dungeon of Corfe Castle along with her eldest son. In contemporary records, she was described as beautiful, very wise, doughty, and vigorous. She kept up the war against the Welsh and conquered much from them.
Cinderella is a 1914 silent film starring Mary Pickford, directed by James Kirkwood Sr., produced by Daniel Frohman, and released by Famous Players Film Company. The film is based upon the fairy tale Cinderella. The film was released on Blu-ray & DVD as a bonus feature from the DVD of Through the Back Door (1921). It was previously released on DVD by Alpha Video.
Matilda of England was an English princess of the House of Plantagenet and by marriage Duchess consort of Saxony and Bavaria from 1168 until her husband's deposition in 1180.
Matilda of Chester, Countess of Huntingdon was an Anglo-Norman noblewoman, sometimes known as Maud and sometimes known with the surname de Kevelioc. She was a daughter of Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester, and the wife of David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon.
Cinderella is a 1977 American erotic musical comedy film directed by Michael Pataki and starring Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith, Brett Smiley, and Sy Richardson.
Ash is a young adult fantasy children's novel by Malinda Lo first published in 2009. It is a reworking of the Cinderella fairy tale that reimagines the title character, Ash, as a lesbian teenager. The novel centers around the familiar story of Cinderella, her father recently remarried, and lamenting the misery of her new life with stepsisters and a stepmother. The twist arrives when Ash falls in love with the King's respected huntress Kaisa, after she has made a commitment to dark fairy prince Sidhean.
Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella is a musical in two acts with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Douglas Carter Beane based partly on Hammerstein's 1957 book. The story is derived from the fairy tale Cinderella, particularly the French version Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre, by Charles Perrault. The story concerns a young woman forced into a life of servitude by her cruel stepmother. She dreams of a better life, and with the help of her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella is transformed into an elegant young lady and is able to attend the ball to meet her Prince. In this version, however, she opens the Prince's eyes to the injustice in his kingdom.
A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits is a 2016 American teen comedy musical film directed by Michelle Johnston and starring Sofia Carson, Thomas Law and Jennifer Tilly. It is the fourth installment in the A Cinderella Story series. The film was released digitally on August 2, 2016, and on DVD on August 16, 2016. It premiered on Freeform on November 27, 2016 with 1.11 million viewers tuning in. It also aired on Disney Channel on January 16, 2017 and was watched by 2.13 million viewers.
"The Other Shoe" is the third episode of the sixth season of the American fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time, which aired on October 9, 2016.
