The Girl in the Tower by Lisa Schroeder, Nicoletta Ceccoli (Illustrated by)

Her mother and father are minstrels that travel from town to town, make their music, get some donations to live on and see the world.  When it's time for the child to be born, they ask for help at the castle they are entertaining.  The mother is in labor, so they take her in.  But they don't give her back...

Henry Holt and Co. and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 29th.

Violet has lived in the tower room with her mother since her birth.  She's not unhappy because she's never known any better.  They get food and drink.  The servants sneak in some extra food and drawing paper and even books sometimes.  Violet's greatest joy is to play in her secret garden.  She's not supposed to be out of the tower but the garden is hidden and she should be safe.  

The Queen is a wicked witch.  She wants to be beautiful and that takes a hair from a beautiful child and a hummingbird feather to conjure the spell.  She decides Violet will do for the hair and, since Violet and the hummingbirds are friends, she's going to get her to teach her how to befriend them.  Then she'll have her feather...

The Queen casts spells on everyone, including Violet's father.  When the Queen finds Violet in the secret garden, she takes possession of her and leaves her mother in the tower.  It looks bad all around but this is really a sweet fairy tale that isn't too dark or wicked.  Everything gets resolved for the good by the end of the story.

If I were a hummingbird, I wouldn't like the Queen either.