Ivy's Ever After
by Dawn Lairamore (Author)
Who needs Prince Charming? Dragons are much better company. If her fairy godmother hadn't run off, if her father hadn't lost his mind, if her mother had lived--maybe Ivy would have been a proper princess. But as it is she has no time for dignified pursuits like needlework or harp lessons, when she could be roaming the wilds of the kingdom of Ardendale, playing with the servants' children, and reading old tales of glory.
But there's one tradition Ivy can't escape: on her fourteenth birthday, she is to be imprisoned in a tower guarded by a fierce dragon, and the first valiant prince to come slay the beast will win her hand in marriage. Maybe she could resign herself to it--until she uncovers Prince Romil's wicked plan to murder her and her father, and turn their lush kingdom into the heart of his empire. Locked away, there's only one ally Ivy can turn to--the fierce, monstrous beast keeping her trapped in her tower. But it turns out the dragon Elridge is better at solving word puzzles than breathing fire. . . . and maybe this unconventional pair is exactly what the kingdom needs.
Full of humor and high adventure--and plenty of slightly skewed fairy-tale motifs--this frothy fractured fairy tale is sure to delight young readers.
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School Library Journal
Gr 4-6-Princess Ivory has grown up in the isolated kingdom of Ardendale as the only child of an absentminded king. Per the Dragon Treaty, she is locked in a tower when she turns 14, there to languish until the nefarious prince from a neighboring land kills her dragon guard and marries her. But as Ivy has no intention of marrying this prince, she escapes from the tower with the help of the dragon (a runty and peaceful creature named Elridge) and goes off with him to discover a way to foil the prince's plan to destroy Ardendale. They have many perilous adventures and meet some intriguing characters, including a romance-prone fairy godmother named Drusilla and an adorable but hideously grumpy miniature goat named Toadstool. Their fates being intertwined, Ivy and Elridge hit it off right away, and by the end of the story they are clearly best friends forever. This is a fun and entertaining fairy-tale-based fantasy with a nice balance of character development and action.
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Kirkus
Evenly paced with humor to match, this fractured fairy tale will delight tween readers.
ALA/Booklist
Ivy is an engaging alternative to the standard damsel-in-distress figure, and with a lushly vivid setting, witty dialogue, and lots of adventure, this well-plotted first novel will appeal.
Review quotes
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV034000 - Juvenile Fiction | Royalty (kings queens princes princesses knights etc.)
JUV002270 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dragons, Unicorns & Mythical
JUV012040 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Adaptations
