I first read Book of a Thousand Days (2007) by Shannon Hale when a librarian introduced it to me. (Shout-out to librarians who always suggest the best books!)
This book tells the story of Dashti, a princess’s handmaid, straight from Dashti’s journal. This is a different perspective from the fairy tales we are used to. But viewing a very fragile and boring princess from the outside — while instead getting to know the complexity of her handmaid’s thoughts and feelings — is quite refreshing. Dashti and her royal companion begin stuck in a tower, but their story takes them other places they wouldn’t have imagined.
I give this book a four star rating. My only problem is that it starts a little slow. Once the story gets going, however, it doesn’t let the reader go!
The coolest thing about this story is its “new fairy tale” feel. Shannon Hale is known for her unique reproductions of less-read fairy tales. Book of a Thousand Days is one of these, based on a Grimm’s fairy tale called Maid Maleen. She reproduces the magic and wonder of this old tale while also creating very real, new characters who we come to know and love, like Dashti.
Usually I don’t specify gender when giving a suggested audience. But in the case of Shannon Hale books, they really are mostly meant for young girls. So I would suggest this book for girls ages 8-15.
More Books Like This
If you like Book of a Thousand Days, you may also like Goose Girl (2003) or Newbery-Award-winning Princess Academy (2005), both by Shannon Hale.
– by Abbie Call
Read next: Enemy Pie Book Review.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking with the dog she’s getting soon — fingers crossed.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].