Penelope

by Marilyn Kaye

Book Overview

A modern-day fairytale--a major motion picture starring Christina Ricci, Catherine O'Hara, James McAvoy, and Reese Witherspoon. Penelope Wilhern has everything a girl could want: A wealthy, socialite family, an enchanted bedroom and some of the coolest clothes around. There is only one problem: She was born into a cursed family and has the face of a pig. Hidden away from the world, Penelope now finds herself subjected to a string of snobby, blue-blooded...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031237559X
• ISBN13: 9780312375591
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 13 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

such a cute book!

Penelope is such a cute book! it was a fast read for me and i loved it alot. Penelope is a girl who was born with a pig noise and she needs to get married to a blue blooded man. but all the guys she meets are scared of her. Then she meets Max who is being paid to get a picture of her for a reporter... its worth the read.

Fantastic Read.

It's clear that the target age for this book is tweens/early teens, but I'm in my late teens and absolutely loved it. I read lots of really "deep" and detailed/intricate books, and this one was a welcome break from that. The story is very light hearted yet wonderful all the same. I LOVE this book! :D

Unusual and uplifting

Young girls seeking to define themselves should love reading this modern-day fairy tale. Penelope Wilhern is a wealthy 25-year-old with a curse: she was born with a pig's snout. The honker will magically turn into a normal nose when "someone of her own kind, a true blue blood, will accept her as she is." As her socialite mom attempts to find a willing beau, Penelope learns to love herself for reasons beyond beauty. My only qualm? The back story. Explaining why the curse exists, it describes Penelope's great-great-great grandfather Ralph's affair with a scullery maid, who engaged in "certain other activities that Ralph and Clara enjoyed immensely." Clara gets pregnant, with disastrous results. The book's target age range is 9 to 12 years old, and this seems a little mature for girls that age. In the introduction, actress Reese Witherspoon explains why she was inspired to develop the story into the new movie.

A fairytale for today

I absolutely loved this book! The characters are amazing and the story is like the perfect modern-day fairytale. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fairytales and anyone else who loves a good read.