The Salamander Spell (Tales Of The Frog Princess #5)

Gr 5-7-A prequel to The Frog Princess (Bloomsbury, 2003) and the fifth book in the series, this novel features a young Princess Grassina and her family. Her mother, Queen Olivene, the Green Witch, is grooming Grassina's older sister to inherit this title while ignoring Grassina's interest in magic and potential talent. The girls' rivalry and the entire kingdom are turned upside down when their father innocently brings their mother flowers, invoking a curse that changes her into an ugly hag. The queen's gleeful and perplexing antics provide some humor in this story but her disinterest in taking care of her realm threatens the safety of Greater Greensward, leads to the death of the king, and forces Grassina to undertake a quest. This tale satisfyingly explains much of the history behind the other books and gives insight into one of the more interesting characters in The Frog Princess. It continues the evolution of the series from a simple retelling of a well-known fairy tale into an entertaining saga featuring a fully developed magical world of its own.

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"High-spirited romantic comedy. . . . Fans of Gail Carson Levine's "Princess Tales "should leap for it." —"Kirkus Reviews" on "The Frog Princess" "As magically adventurous as fantasy can get." —"VOYA" on "Dragon's Breath" "Baker's vividly imagined fantasy world . . . [is] irresistible and loaded with humor." —"VOYA" on "Once Upon a Curse""" "Kids will get a kick out of the hip "Shrek" vibe that Baker creates in this updated fairy tale." —"School Library Journal" on "No Place for Magic"