By Diane Zahler
A twelve-year-old princess is unexpectedly chosen to marry the prince of France and has to cross the winter mountains to get there, growing up fast along the way.
Blanca of Castile is twelve, the younger, plainer sister, and nobody expects much of her. Her grandmother is Eleanor of Aquitaine, once queen of both France and England, and when Eleanor arrives to choose which granddaughter will marry the prince of France, everyone assumes she'll pick Blanca's older, prettier sister. Instead she picks Blanca. Now Blanca and her best friend Suna must travel over the Pyrenees in winter, through blizzards, hunger, treacherous roads, and even a kidnapping, and Blanca discovers she's braver and stronger than anyone, herself included, ever guessed.
It's a real coming-of-age adventure for a strong reader who's ready to leave the tidy chapter books behind: 300 pages, a genuine historical world, and a heroine who starts out overlooked and grows into herself over a hard journey. The peril is real but not gory, and the pull is watching a girl discover her own courage a mile at a time. For a child who loves both princesses and grit, this gives them both without pretending they can't handle a little cold and fear.