Thursday, October 29, 2015

Down Unders: The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party

Normally NaomiRuth does the Down Under posts, but I had to review Shannon and Dean Hale's The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party, which is a great chapter book, so she gave me permission to post my own Down Under review here.

Book Details:

  • Written by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale
  • Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
  • Published by Candlewick Press
  • This book is listed by the publisher for ages 5-8, but younger kids will enjoy it being read to them and older kids will enjoy the rollicking adventures, too.
Summary:
  • It's Princess Magnolia's birthday and princesses from all over are coming to help her celebrate. But just when she's ready to open her presents the alarm sounds and she has to sneak away to become the Princess in Black to save her kingdom from monsters. Can Princess Magnolia keep her identity a secret, scare away the monsters, and still manage to enjoy her party?
Important Things to Know:
  • This is the second book in the Princess in Black series and it just came out a couple of weeks ago!
  • The first book, The Princess in Black came out in October of 2014 and is now also available in paperback.
  • The third book, The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde comes out in February of 2016, which is really not that far away, when you think about it.
  • You can check out the Princess in Black website for more information including a Q&A with the authors an activity kit and even book club questions!
  • You can find Shannon Hale on her website or tweeting wonderful things on her Twitter.
  • You can find Dean Hale on his Twitter as well.
  • You can find LeUyen Pham (and how to pronounce her name) on her website.
Why I Enjoyed This Book:
  • Anyone who's followed this blog knows that I am a very big Shannon Hale fan. And I loved the story behind her reasons for writing this series.
  • I love that Princess Magnolia is both a pink-loving, fancy-dress-and-glass-slipper-wearing princess and a masked avenger who can kick monsters all the way back to their own home and out of her kingdom. I like that it doesn't have to be an either/or. She doesn't have to be all rough and tough or all glitter and fluff. She can be both. I think that is such a great message. So often when girls in books are fighters, they lose their femininity and I appreciate that Magnolia can be both tough and dainty.
  • The pure silliness of the story will have kids of all ages giggling over the lengths Magnolia has to go to hide her secret identity.
  • I love that the princesses who come to Magnolia's party represent such a diverse group, not only ethnically, but also in other physical features as well.
  • I love Princess Sneezewort and I really hope she features more fully in future books.
You Can Find This Book At:
I received this advance reader copy via BookExpo America

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