Written by Donna Jo Napoli
This book is based loosely on the fairy tale “Snow White.”
Dolce is a giant. She feels ugly, unloved and huge. Everyone around her is small, houses are small, clothing doesn’t fit her. The only person who loves her is her mother.
When her mother dies, she jumps into the water and swims until she can’t go on. She ends up on another island where there are other giants like her. Not knowing anything about life other than her little island, she learns that she is not a giant girl, but that she had been raised on an island of dwarfs.
She is taken in by a wealthy family and is loved by all. During her teen years, she had learned to make mirrors. Using quicksilver to make the mirror perfectly shiny is poisonous. However, she wants to make friends, so she continues to poison her body by making beautiful mirrors as gifts.
Eventually she marries, and has a stepdaughter. Her husband wants her to stop making mirrors, as he can see that she is getting sicker in both body and mind. She doesn’t. As her stepdaughter grows more and more beautiful, she sees her as competition. And as the fairy tale goes, orders her to be killed.
She escapes harm and finds a home filled with dwarf men who take her in. And she is loved by all. Crazy mom tries again and again to kill her, but she survives.
Then we meet her true love… and all is well.
Review by Lori Yates, Cyprus High School Media Center
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 stars)
Interest Level: 14 & up
Author Website: http://www.donnajonapoli.com/
Dark Shimmer
Written by Donna Jo Napoli
Wendy Lamb Books
353 pages
Release Date: September 8, 2015
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
