Beastly

What if the Beast told his own story? That is the hook here, and it works. Kyle's father, embarrassed, hides him away in a Brooklyn brownstone with a loyal housekeeper and a blind tutor, then mostly forgets him. Kyle renames himself Adrian, grows roses, reads for the first time and, in a funny touch, joins an online support group for people who have been magically transformed, including a frog and a mermaid.

His chance comes when a man breaks into the house, and Adrian demands the man's daughter in exchange for not calling the police. She is Lindy, a scholarship girl from his old school whom he once barely noticed. Their slow friendship, built around books and the garden, is sweet rather than steamy, and Flinn makes Adrian's change convincing because it happens in small acts of attention. Lindy's difficult home life, involving her father's addiction, is handled gently.

The story follows the fairy tale closely, so there are few real surprises, but the voice is lively and the message about looking past appearances lands well. About 336 pages in the HarperTeen paperback.