The Wide-Awake Princess is a children's book by E. D. Baker about Annie, the younger sister of Gwendolyn, or Sleeping Beauty. She was protected from her sister's fate by being made unaffected by magic and nullifying or reflecting any magic in her vicinity. This is less pleasant than it seems, but when it saves her from the cursed sleep falling on the castle, she sets out to break the curse early.
The series has four installments:
- The Wide-Awake Princess
- Unlocking the Spell, about breaking the curse on her sister's fiance
- The Bravest Princess
- Princess in Disguise
Tropes in the series as a whole
- Abusive Parents: Annie's mother is getting there.
- Anti-Magic: Annie
- The Fair Folk: Small and butterfly-like but still going for the compulsory dancing.
- First-Name Basis: Liam
- Fractured Fairy Tale: Some are fractured by Annie's ability; other just happen in the tale.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Anybody trying to cast magic on Annie.
- King Incognito: Prince Incognito: Liam.
- Massive Multi Player Crossover: Dozens of tales feature.
- Princess Protagonist: Annie, younger sister of a princess.
- The Quest: The plot of at least the first two books, and probably the third as well.
- Rebellious Princess: Annie, lacking the magic that would make her pull off the princessly manner
- Royal Brat: Several of the princes, but most especially Clarence.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Quite a few! In particular:
- Both Annie and the above-listed Prince Incognito had largely magic-free childhoods, and so got lots of training in various practical non-magical skills instead.
- Beldegard is implied to be capable and decent, when he isn't a bear.
- The Un-Favourite: Annie
The Wide-Awake Princess (book 1)
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Her parents realize that asking for protection was bad as soon as they get it.
- Covers Always Lie: Gwendolyn and Annie look pretty much alike on the covers.
- Curse: One witch tries to punish Annie by having toads and snakes fall from her mouth.
- Dances and Balls: Annie is not good at dancing because she lacks the magical princessly grace, but some fairies try to force her, and one features in a test of brides.
- Distressed Dude: Liam is caught by a kelpie
- First Kiss: Annie's is more fraught than usual, given that even her family members avoid touching her.
- Forced Transformation:
- Two witches, at different times, try this on Annie. It bounces back.
- A couple of the princes already are or have been polymorphs. Beldegard is a bear, and Emilio was a frog.
- The Hedge of Thorns: About the castle
- It's All About Me: The dwarf in Unlocking.
- It Was a Gift: A tiny spinning wheel was smuggled to Gwendolyn in a gift.
- Mister Muffykins: The Hansel and Gretel-like stepmother gets rid of the children because they eat food her dogs could eat.
- Our Dwarves Are All the Same: Actually, one isn't; he travels about and curses people.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Ogre, actually, but he makes Lizette laugh.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: Annie starts out her search like this
- Threshold Guardians: Annie meets one, who treats her food with contempt contrary to the tales, but finds her curse rebounding.
- Wicked Stepmother: A la Hansel and Gretel.
- Wicked Witch: Several, casting evil spells.
