Young Ella's merchant father remarries after the death of her mother. Ella welcomes her new stepmother and her daughters into the family home. But, when Ella's father unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother's dying words and to 'have courage and be kind.' "This is a straight, no-chaser fairy story, a picture to be downed...

Schuyler Van Alen, growing comfortable with her newfound vampire powers, seeks her grandfather in Italy, while back in New York plans are being completed for the fabulous Four Hundred Ball, to be followed by an elite, teens-only event at which masks hide a terrible secret.