Fairest, Gail Carson Levine | 326 pages

Aza is an innkeeper's daughter. In a country that sings, she has one of the best voices ever; the downside is she's considered quite ugly. Through a series of coincidences, Aza ends up at court for the wedding of the king and his new queen, and then, because of her voice, the queen chooses her to be Lady in Waiting.

A loose take on Snow White. It's a fun adventure in a fairytale world - I actually think the Snow White elements are weaker than the author's own components. The singing and the gnomes are delightful.

One downside: This was first written in 2006. The body image commentary feels very dated. It ends with a strong message of self-acceptance, but the road to get there was bumpy.