Friday, October 23, 2015

The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party

The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party. Shannon Hale. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2015. Candlewick. 96 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Did I enjoy The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party? Yes. Did I love, love, love it? I wouldn't go that far. I really liked it but not to the same degree as the first book. I think the first book is where the novelty and uniqueness excelled. The second book is just more of the same. That's not to say it's bad. It's not. I think a big part of what makes series books so appealing to children IS the same, more of the same nature of it all. Characters you love doing exactly what you expect them to do. I don't fault a series book for being predictable and following a pattern. In an early chapter book, that's what is needed.

So in The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Dress, readers see our heroine trying her absolute best to balance her life. She's supposed to be hosting a princess party. But. She's also supposed to be protecting the kingdom from monsters. Both are important. She juggles the two, but not exactly perfectly. Meanwhile, readers get the chance to meet some other princesses. My favorite 'new' princess probably being Princess Sneezewort.

What I liked best about the book were the illustrations. I love, love, love LeUyen Pham's work. I do.

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

1 comment:

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