Briar Rose
by Jane Yolen
Becca’s grandmother, “Gemma”, has always told the story of Sleeping Beauty (or Briar Rose). It’s her story. While Becca’s sisters, twins Sylvia and Shana, tire of the story, Becca never does.
On her deathbed, Gemma makes Becca promise to seek out her castle. Among the things Gemma kept at the nursing home was a wooden box with papers and photos that none of the family knew existed. These provide the clues for Becca to track down her Gemma’s past. It leads her to New York State and eventually Poland. There she finds a man who knew her Gemma during the war. And he knows why Gemma calls herself sleeping beauty.
This book was very engaging. At no point did Becca’s search become tedious, and I found myself getting quite excited when she finally finds out her Gemma’s true story (I was annoyed that my Mom wanted us to leave for lunch just as I got to that part).