Beastly by Alex Flinn

Flinn, A. (2007). Beastly. (p. 304). HarperTeen.

ISBN:0060874171

Classification:book, fiction

Genre: fantasy

Age Level: 9th-10th grade

Subjects: fantasy, friends, identity, love story, magic, prejudice

Reader's Annotation: Kyle is cursed by a witch and transformed from a gorgeous high schooler to a hideous beast until he can win true love in his beastly form.

Summary: The Beast starts the story as the gorgeous, has-it-all, neglected Kyle Kingsly. He's mean to the wrong girl though. He's rude to a witch, who turns him into a beast. His father won't see him and sets him up with a kind housekeeper and a blind tutor in a house he's not allowed to leave. He ensnares one of his former classmates, and tries to win her love to break the curse.

Reviews / Awards:

YA, YA, YA's Review

Author Info:
Alex Flinn's Website

Potential Hotspots:

teens treating each other badly, unkind parenting

Readalikes:

• Beauty by Robin McKinley
  
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire
  

Why it belongs in a YA collection:
This modern fairy tale retelling will be familiar in the general plot, which makes it a good choice for reluctant readers. The desire to see the transformation of the overly gorgeous Kyle will also keep teens turning the pages. Mostly though, the humor and romance of the tale will be the selling point for this book.

Other: Alex Flinn is also the author of "Breathing Underwater" an ALA notable book.

Evaluation:

3.5 stars