Aurora is the daughter of a lord, and Clementine of a servant, but both children are blessed by the fairy Woodland Ladies at their joint christening. Then the vicious oldest Lady, Tarabosse, prophesies that, at sixteen, Clementine will betray Aurora to death. The curse is lessened to a hundred years' sleep, but the girls are sent deep into the woods to try and evade it. Educated in the old magic and protected by the Ladies, they grow up as sisters, but must finally return to the castle. Disaster cannot be averted, and the castle falls into a deep slumber. A century later, a young amateur scientist, Lord Arthur, and his friend, Raphael, are entranced by legends of the enchanted wood. They search for it. And they find love, but also that the science, technology and political progress of the new age are no match for magic untouched for over a hundred years ...

 

There are 192 pages in this book. This book was published 2001 by Hachette Children's Group .

Sophie Masson was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, to French parents. She has spent most of her life going back and forth between Australia and France. Author of 28 novels for adults, teenagers and children, she has been published in Australia, the US and Italy as well as the UK. Shortlisted for many awards, she has written for stage and radio as well as for newspapers, magazines and literary journals. Still fluently bilingual, she frequently returns to France to visit family. She lives in New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and three children.