It's 1699, and the salons of Paris are bursting with the creative energy of fierce, independent-minded women. But outside those doors, the patriarchal forces of Louis XIV and the Catholic Church are moving to curb their freedoms. In this battle for equality, Baroness Marie Catherine D'Aulnoy invents a powerful weapon: 'fairy tales'. When Marie Catherine's daughter, Angelina, arrives in Paris for the first time, she is swept up in the glamour and sensuality of the city, where a woman may live outside the confines of the church or marriage. But this is a fragile freedom, as she discovers when Marie Catherine's close friend Nicola Tiquet is arrested, accused of conspiring to murder her abusive husband. In the race to rescue Nicola, illusions will be shattered and dark secrets revealed as all three women learn how far they will go to preserve their liberty in a society determined to control them. This keenly-awaited second book from Melissa Ashley, author of The Birdman's Wife, restores another remarkable, little-known woman to her rightful place in history, revealing the dissent hidden beneath the whimsical surfaces of Marie Catherine's fairy tales. The Bee and the Orange Tree is a beautifully lyrical and deeply absorbing portrait of a time, a place, and the subversive power of the imagination.

What Children Think Samir and the Butterfly is a really good story. It opens your mind about how you think. Jay, 10 I love the story about the little Swallow that hurt its wings. Everyone can learn something from these stories.. Miki Bee, 12 I like that she dances at the end because she is happy. Luke, 6 I found it very touching when the butterfly lost the colour in its wings to create Samir's dream garden, however sorry that a friend was lost. The magic in the orange tree really comes to life when the little girl recites her dream, it was very meaningful. Olympia, 11 Lots of things happen in this book. Orlando, 8 These are my favourite stories. James, 9 I could really connect with how the characters were feeling. Atlanta 9

Raised by hulking ogres, fifteen-year-old Juniper can't shake their belief that she's puny and weak. Forget doing anything for her clan that's risky or dangerous-like meeting another human. She can't remember what being human is like, but she longs to explore beyond the ogre borders and learn more about her kind.Then comes her chance. Juniper is finally chosen to fetch the tribute that keeps the ogres from plundering the human lands. She's startled to find an attractive human male named Nolan delivering the livestock. They can't speak each other's language, but they're drawn to each other like bees to a honeybush.When Nolan is hunted by a fierce ogre, Juniper breaks all the rules and hides Nolan in a secret cave so he won't be devoured. Every day, they scheme to get him home. If she could steal the forbidden magic wand belonging to her ogress mother, she'd have the power she needs. But does she want Nolan to leave? There's danger whether he goes or stays. Torn between her growing attraction and clan loyalty, Juniper must find a way to keep Nolan-and herself-alive. If she fails, the ogre peace pact will be broken and the slaughter of human villagers will begin. This novel is a Young Adult retelling of a French fairy tale called "The Bee and the Orange Tree" by Madame d'Aulnoy.