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The Sleeper and the Spindle: WINNER OF THE CILIP KATE GREENAWAY MEDAL 2016 Hardcover – 1 November 2014

by Neil Gaiman (Author), Chris Riddell (Illustrator)

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WINNER of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016

A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell - weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish.

On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future - and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.

Lavishly produced, packed with glorious Chris Riddell illustrations enhanced with metallic ink, this is a spectacular and magical gift.

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Reading age

9 years and up
Print length

72 pages
Language

English
Dimensions

11 x 0.8 x 20.8 cm
Publisher

Bloomsbury Children's Books
Publication date

1 November 2014
ISBN-10

1408859645
ISBN-13

978-1408859643
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Product description

Review

Spellbindingly illustrated -- Gaby Wood ― Saturday Telegraph

Suffused with joy and melancholy and underpinned by the knowledge of where it comes from and where it wants to go. It is absolutely a retelling for our age, but also for ages still to come -- Lucy Mangan ― The Guardian

Magical, sumptuous, transporting ― The Big Issue

Unforgettable, unpredictable and utterly enchanting for anyone between the ages of seven and seventy -- Amanda Craig ― The New Statesman

Will hold the reader spellbound from start to finish ― The Guardian

A richly nuanced tale with a contemporary slant that will fire your imagination - and haunt your dreams ― Times Educational Supplement

Book Description

The bestselling, award-bedecked Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell are reunited in this irresistibly twisty fairy-tale reboot, with glorious gold ink adding lustre to an amazingly beautiful book. Winner of The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Children's Books; 1st edition (1 November 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 72 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1408859645
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1408859643
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 years and up
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11 x 0.8 x 20.8 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 255,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 3,753 in Classics for Children
- 4,898 in Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths for Children (Books)
- 9,144 in Fantasy & Magic for Children

Customer Reviews:
2,996

About the author

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Neil Gaiman

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Neil Gaiman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Norse Mythology, Neverwhere, and The Graveyard Book. Among his numerous literary awards are the Newbery and Carnegie medals, and the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner awards. He is a Professor in the Arts at Bard College.

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NicShef❤️Reading

So much more than a fairytale mash-up!

Reviewed in Australia on 7 January 2016

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The Sleeper and the Spindle is a dark and twisted fairytale that takes components of Sleeping Beauty and mixes in Snow White and three of the dwarves. It is truly beautiful, largely due to the illustrations which My children and I devour frequently. I think this is what makes this so special, not only is it a unique take on a traditional fairytale (in fact fairytale feels too small a word for what this book is) but it allows you to reminisce when looking over the illustrations once you've finished. A sleeping enchantment has been spreading across the neighbouring kingdom and it won't be long until it starts effecting Snow White's people too. As the queen it is up to her to put a stop to it so Snow happily puts her wedding plans on hold, sets out on a quest to wake Sleeping Beauty and her people. This is not for young children as some of the themes are quite mature and there are some incredible dilemmas raised in fact, many adults can read it and be enchanted - it's a novelette that takes about 20-30 minutes to read. As for the kids, my 10 & 12year olds loved it! There are no handsome princes in sight - total chick power. This is a story where girls take centre stage and prove that they are more than capable of fighting their own battles. Neil Gaiman has written a fabulous story that turns the usual fairytale saccharine upside down and look out for the fabulous twist at the end. A very strong 5 stars

7 people found this helpful

Sleeping beauty retelling

Reviewed in Australia on 23 September 2021

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Beautiful book for any fan of Neill Gaiman.

Good read for the pre teen readers

Reviewed in Australia on 3 May 2016

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Excellent children read a twist to keep any young reader reading.

One person found this helpful

Enjoyable fairy story

Reviewed in Australia on 4 May 2017

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This is a short story from Neil Gaiman, and well written (although in short sentences for children). It has a twist on the old fairy tales which is quite fun.

it was ok not the type of book I would ...

Reviewed in Australia on 6 March 2016

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it was ok not the type of book I would normally read didn't finish it which is unusual for me I usually get into most books eventually

Thankyou Mr Gaiman

Reviewed in Australia on 4 September 2016

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Once again, an outstanding tale. As always, a well written, satisfying story that any age will enjoy. Topped off with subtle advice on how to deal with narcissists. Love it!

A child's book - and all the better for it

Reviewed in Australia on 13 November 2015

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A different take on life choices, love, and what it is to find a way through difficult situations. Interesting and stimulating.

3 people found this helpful

Worth it alone for the illustrations that are sure to spellbound

Reviewed in Australia on 31 December 2016

I didn't know of this book until a week ago, but found out about it through #12DaysofDiversity. It's somehow been classified as LGBTQIA, but it's romance-free and not the lesbian tale some might be expecting, so I'd like to point out that out to avoid disappointment.

I do love how the Queen sets off to save the city and saves herself in this one - more of that, please. The lush illustrations were a highlight and definitely need to be appreciated up close.

I didn't mind that this was so short going in, but I would have liked more depth, a bigger twist to really spellbound. Overall, solid ending and I liked that it took a different path than the traditional happily ever after.

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Alayna G.

Good book

Reviewed in the United States on 16 January 2024

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Good book needed it for class quality prints

Angel

Ilustraciones preciosas 💖

Reviewed in Spain on 25 February 2023

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Versión: "Tapa blanda en inglés" !
Libro muy bonito para un regalo, con ilustraciones encantadoras;
desgraciadamente la Versión en español está agotada !
Aconsejó regalar la "versión de tapa dura", en la que seguramente las paginas del libro se dejarán abrir mejor y se podrá disfruta mejor de las ilustraciones y del libro en sí !
Atentamente un saludo

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sasa_moon

Nicht nur von außen wundervoll!

Reviewed in Germany on 23 February 2021

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Chris Riddell und Neil Gaiman sind schon lange mein liebstes Duo, was gelungene illustrierte Geschichten angeht. "Coraline" oder zuletzt auch die illustrierte Ausgabe von "The Graveyard Book" haben mir sehr gut gefallen und zählen zu den schönsten Büchern, die ich in meinen Regalen stehen habe. Chris Riddell ist nun seit Jahren mein Lieblingsillustrator und über ihn habe ich auch glücklicherweise zu Neil Gaiman gefunden, weswegen ich sehr gespannt auf diese Zusammenarbeit war. Was soll ich sagen - ich bin erneut hin und weg!

Zum Cover & den Illustrationen: eine schlafende Frau mit wallendem Haar, dazu an den Seiten gewundene Dornenranken - sofort assoziiert man diese Geschichte mit Dornröschen. Es passt wirklich sehr gut zur Handlung des Buches und zieht einen beinahe magisch an. Auch die restlichen Illustrationen sind (wie von Chris Riddel gewöhnt) ganz fantastisch geworden. Seine Menschen und Wesen haben einfach einen ganz eigenen Charakter, sprühen vor Charme und besonders seine Art Schatten zu setzten und zu Schraffieren bringt eine gewisse Dynamik mit, die ich selten bei Illustrator:innen sehe. Besonders der Mix aus "klassisch" schönen Elementen und Makabren hat mir hier besonders gut gefallen!

Zur Handlung: in dieser Geschichte verfolgen wir eine mutige und emanzipierte Königin, die sich, zusammen mit einer Gruppe von Zwergen, auf den Weg macht, um den Fluch der Prinzessin zu brechen. Dabei werden die verschiedensten Märchenelemente von Dornröschen und Schneewittchen miteinander verwoben, sodass ein ganz eigenes Märchen erzählt wird. Die Geschichte ist nicht besonders lang, jedoch lässt sie einen beim Lesen zu keiner Zeit los und man fliegt nur durch die Seiten. Es ist ein Märchen mit vielen unerwarteten Wendungen, einer unabhängigen Protagonistin und Magie.

Die Charaktere: durch die geringe Seitenanzahl war es schwierig, den Charakteren eine Entwicklung oder Tiefe zu ermöglichen, hier wurde sich wirklich eher auf die Handlung fokussiert. Jedoch hat mir unsere Protagonistin, die Königin, unheimlich gut gefallen. Ohne groß zu überlegen macht sie sich auf den Weg, um die Prinzessin zu retten, beweist unterwegs Mut und Stärke und bleibt sich dabei selbst treu. Zusammen mit den Zwergen hat sich dabei eine tolle Gruppe ergeben, die man gerne während der Reise begleitet hat.

Ich kann wirklich nicht meckern. Das Buch hat mich von vorne bis hinten begeistern können und durch die wunderschöne Aufmachung einen Ehrenplatz im Regal gesichert. Von mir gibt es klare 5/5 Sternen und eine wirklich gut gemeinte Leseempfehlung! :)
Besonders diese Deluxe Edition ist einfach nur eine Augenweide!

2 people found this helpful

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TheDeadPoet

As timeless as the original. As refreshing as its era.

Reviewed in India on 24 February 2020

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Gaiman has always possessed the gift of language. He is perhaps the best writer in today's age that can give words to describe the indescribable and write that which cannot be drawn easily. However, what Gaiman does with The Sleeper and the Spindle is perhaps the same thing he did with Snow, Glass, Apples. It's not an exercise in imagination, but something far more subtle and much more difficult to execute. A re-imagination.

Reading stories like this and Snow, Glass, Apple is akin to sampling a wonderfully matured wine, with Gaiman's imagination being the barrel that matured these timeless (and patriarchal tales) into exquisite vintages that have been appropriately aged and modified to appeal to a more empowered and diversified audience. But, the words are only one-half of what makes this book such a treat. Riddell's art is the other half.

Gaiman has often praised the silent-panels within graphic-novels. The pages of Sandman are replete with examples of the same and Riddell's silent images which contain the beautifully macabre world of witches and thorns and skeletons and roses are not like the usual sublime after-thought doodles that one would find in the margins of a book like Neverwhere. Unlike Neverwhere, the art found in The Sleeper and the Spindle has a much more prominent presence that in most cases compliment and in some cases advances the story.

Ironically, it was while suffering from a bout of insomnia that I decided to take a break from my usual multi-book orgy and began this book as a change of pace. And it provided me with more than just a change of pace, it provided me with a happily ever after. One that the other books strewn across my bed and indeed even sleep itself had failed to do so.

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One person found this helpful

Luan Rodrigo

Ótima Edição

Reviewed in Brazil on 27 August 2017

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Esse livro é muito bonito. A história é uma releitura de "A Bela Adormecida" com alguns toques sombrios, o que a deixa mais divertida, a meu ver. A capa é dura e a jacket é um complemento dela, sem a jacket fica o desenho da adormecida na capa, que é muito bonito, como todas as ilustrações ao longo da história. Peguei numa promoção então valeu muito a pena. Não sei como é a edição brasileira, mas essa é linda. Recomendo.

One person found this helpful

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