Rowena, the youngest of twelve sisters, loves to slip out of the castle at night and dance in a magical forest. Soon she convinces her sisters to join her. When Sir Ethan notices that his daughters' slippers look tattered every morning, he is certain they've been sneaking out. So he posts a challenge to all the suitors in the kingdom: The first man to discover where his daughters have been is free to marry the one he chooses.

Meanwhile a handsome young knight named Bedivere is involved in a challenge of his own: to return the powerful sword, Excalibur, to a mysterious lake. While looking for the lake, Bedivere meets the beautiful Rowena and falls for her. Bedivere knows that accepting Sir Ethan's challenge is the only opportunity for him to be with Rowena forever. But this puts both Bedivere and Rowena in a dangerous situation...one in which they risk their lives for a chance at love.

The Night Dance

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Rowena, the youngest of twelve sisters, loves to slip out of the castle at night and dance in a magical forest. Soon she convinces her sisters to join her. When Sir Ethan notices that his daughters' slippers look tattered every morning, he is certain they've been sneaking out. So he posts a challenge to all the suitors in the kingdom: The first man to discover where his daughters have been is free to marry the one he chooses.

Meanwhile a handsome young knight named Bedivere is involved in a challenge of his own: to return the powerful sword, Excalibur, to a mysterious lake. While looking for the lake, Bedivere meets the beautiful Rowena and falls for her. Bedivere knows that accepting Sir Ethan's challenge is the only opportunity for him to be with Rowena forever. But this puts both Bedivere and Rowena in a dangerous situation... one in which they risk their lives for a chance at love.

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA - Jonatha Masters

For as long as Rowena can remember, she and her sisters have lived in a beautiful castle surrounded by an almost impenetrable brick wall. Rowena's father says that it is for their protection, but Rowena believes differently. Rowena does not realize that her mother left the confines of the castle shortly after she was born and never returned. Rowena decides to break through the wall to explore the forest beyond; however, she is caught returning to the castle by her father. Rowena's father orders the sisters to be locked in their rooms every evening before nightfall. A hidden passage within the room allows the sisters to sneak out night after night, returning with their precious satin slippers in tatters. Rowena's father elicits a challenge to all eligible bachelors to discover where his daughters are spending their evenings. Weyn takes The Twelve Dancing Princesses and intertwines the story with the legend of King Arthur and one of his most trusted knights, Sir Bedivere. Weyn does a fairly decent job of bringing readers up to speed on how Bedivere discovers Rowena's castle and how he is to return Excalibur to its rightful owner, The Lady of the Lake. It might be difficult for some readers to follow the story if they have no previous knowledge of King Arthur and his knights. Readers who enjoy fairy tales with a twist will definitely want to pick up this book. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P J S (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2005, Simon Pulse/S & S, 208p., Trade pb. Ages 12 to 18.

KLIATT - Deirdre Root

In a fortified castle in the woods live a knight and his 12 redheaded daughters, locked away from harm and from the real world. But the girls have a secret, and every morning their slippers are worn and dirty as if they had been out all night. Where are they going, and what are they doing? It takes King Arthur's trusted knight Sir Bedivere, on a quest to find the Lady of the Lake, to solve the mystery. This slight novel based on "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" works the story into the Arthurian cycle with reasonable success. A bit talky, but it should appeal to fans of the retold-fairy-tale genre. KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2005, Simon & Schuster, 193p., Ages 12 to 18.

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-This light, entertaining tale combines the Arthurian legend of the Lady of the Lake, Grimm's "Twelve Dancing Princesses," and elements of romance novels. After Sir Ethan's wife, Vivienne, disappears, he vows that no one shall leave him again. He builds an enormous manor that keeps his 12 daughters from the outside world. A crack in a wall is discovered by the youngest, Rowena, and provides a long-desired escape route. At the battle of Camlan, King Arthur is mortally wounded and his knight Bedivere swears that he will honor his sovereign's final request to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake (Vivienne). On his journey, he battles the evil Morgan le Fey to protect the sword and meets a monk who sends him in Rowena's direction. They meet in the woods as the young woman discovers her power of second sight when she finds Vivienne's scrying bowl with a woman trapped in it, pleading for help. While searching for answers, Rowena and her sisters discover underground tunnels filled with music. Each night they go there to explore but the sorceress le Fey follows them and casts a spell to make sure they do not find their mother. What follows is fairly predictable and everyone lives happily ever after. Though not as substantive as Robin McKinley's Beauty (HarperCollins, 1978) or Donna Jo Napoli's The Magic Circle (Dutton, 1993), this story will be enjoyed by readers who like romance novels and fairy-tale retellings.-Cheri Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Weak writing ruins a nicely structured integration of Arthurian legend with a Grimm's fairy tale. Rowena's locked up with her 11 sisters because her father's afraid that they'll disappear like their mother, Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake. Each night they disappear underground, where dancing destroys their elegant slippers. Elsewhere, Sir Bedivere promises a dying King Arthur to return Excalibur to Vivienne. Bedivere and Rowena share reciprocal mystical visions in which they fall in love. The sisters' nightly dancing, as well as their goal of finding their lost mother, leads to the same enchanted underground lake as Bedivere's task of honor. Details of "Twelve Dancing Princesses" are skillfully woven in with the Camelot plot; however, the text is cluttered with modifiers, the narration is unsubtle and trite and the workings of magic are shallow. Instead, see Vivian Vande Velde's Book of Mordred (July 2005) and Dia Calhoun's Phoenix Dance (October 2005). (Fantasy. 10-12)