The Princess in Black (Princess in Black #1)
by Shannon Hale (Author) Leuyen Pham (Illustrator)
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Series: The Princess in Black
Who says princesses don't wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black!
Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when . . . Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! A big blue monster is threatening the goats! Stopping monsters is no job for dainty Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret --she's also the Princess in Black, and stopping monsters is the perfect job for her! Can the princess sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret?
From award-winning writing team of Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham, here is the first in a humorous and action-packed chapter book series for young readers who like their princesses not only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black.
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School Library Journal
K-Gr 3—In this atypical princess story, the refined and frilly Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with the proper Duchess Wigtower when suddenly the monster alarm sounds. As readers quickly find out, Princess Magnolia is actually the Princess in Black. She dons a black cape and ninjalike outfit to fights the monsters that come from Monster Land. Her superhero identity is top secret; Duchess Wigtower must not find out. While the Princess in Black wages battle, Duchess Wigtower snoops around her castle, always looking for evidence of the princesses' imperfections. Meanwhile, Duff the goat boy suspects the true identity of the Princess in Black and considers helping her. The colorful illustrations on each page help move readers through the story as the heroic princess saves the day. The action-packed text in this beginner chapter book will enthrall and is ideal for independent reading or reading aloud. The ending leaves readers with just enough of a wink to hint at a future installment. Give this engaging read to fans of "Bink and Gollie" (Candlewick).—Nancy Jo Lambert, McSpedden Elementary Frisco, TX
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly
With her cherubic face, gold curls, sparkly tiara, glass slippers, and meringuelike pink-on-pink ensemble, Princess Magnolia seems the epitome of a "prim and perfect" princess. But she has a secret life, one that involves donning a stylish black costume and defeating monsters (who are more goofy than scary, truth be told) that threaten her kingdom. The Hales (Rapunzel's Revenge) drop narrative breadcrumbs throughout the story, setting up subsequent titles in the planned series, and they build comic tension by alternating scenes of the masked princess's monster-fighting with ones starring Duchess Wigtower, who Princess Magnolia has left waiting back at her castle, and who has a fondness for uncovering secrets. "The Princess in Black hoped the duchess would not snoop," ends chapter six, as the heroine is seen tying up a furry blue monster. "The duchess began to snoop," begins chapter seven. Pham (A Piece of Cake) offers little jolts of energy and wit on every page, with full-page and spot illustrations that have the vivaciousness and irreverence of contemporary animation. Ages 5-8. Authors' agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. Illustrator's agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. (Oct.)
Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
This charmingly told book has lovely old-fashioned illustrations and a great message: You can't judge a princess by the color of her gown.
—New York Times Book Review The rounded, cartoony illustrations featuring chubby characters keep the fight sequence soft and comical. ... The gently ironic text will amuse readers (including adults reading the book aloud). The large print and illustrations expand the book to a longish-yet-manageable length, giving newly independent readers a sense of accomplishment. ... Action, clever humor, delightful illustrations and expectation-defying secret identities—when does the next one come out?
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) The authors of "Rapunzel's Revenge" and "Calamity Jack," writing here for a slightly younger audience, successfully turn the treacly princess genre on its ear, offering beginning readers a clever, adventurous, and self-reliant heroine who is equally at home in black or pink. Pham's watercolor-and-ink illustrations, rendered in the style of the Disney classics, effectively contrast Magnolia's identities and emphasize the text's humor. Clever details (Duff and his goats eat popcorn on the sidelines as they watch the PIB do her thing) and short manageable sentences make for a promising, and sure to be wildly popular, new series debut.
—Booklist (starred review) The Hales translate the humor and adventure that characterize their Rapunzel's Revenge into prose form for a younger audience with aplomb and wit, giving amusing nods to both the Disney princess tradition and the superhero genre. Short sentences, a simple vocabulary with the occasional challenge, a manageable length, and a near picture-book level of illustrative density give this chapter book immense accessibility. Pham's watercolor and ink art has a goofy cartoonishness, with the Princess's doe-eyed damsel figure contrasting entertainingly with her ninja-like moves, and the monsters themselves are a parade of wacky Muppet-like creatures. Whether they prefer pink sparkles or superhero capes, readers, especially newly independent ones, will find themselves anxiously awaiting the next installment of the PIB's adventure.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
—New York Times Book Review The rounded, cartoony illustrations featuring chubby characters keep the fight sequence soft and comical. ... The gently ironic text will amuse readers (including adults reading the book aloud). The large print and illustrations expand the book to a longish-yet-manageable length, giving newly independent readers a sense of accomplishment. ... Action, clever humor, delightful illustrations and expectation-defying secret identities—when does the next one come out?
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) The authors of "Rapunzel's Revenge" and "Calamity Jack," writing here for a slightly younger audience, successfully turn the treacly princess genre on its ear, offering beginning readers a clever, adventurous, and self-reliant heroine who is equally at home in black or pink. Pham's watercolor-and-ink illustrations, rendered in the style of the Disney classics, effectively contrast Magnolia's identities and emphasize the text's humor. Clever details (Duff and his goats eat popcorn on the sidelines as they watch the PIB do her thing) and short manageable sentences make for a promising, and sure to be wildly popular, new series debut.
—Booklist (starred review) The Hales translate the humor and adventure that characterize their Rapunzel's Revenge into prose form for a younger audience with aplomb and wit, giving amusing nods to both the Disney princess tradition and the superhero genre. Short sentences, a simple vocabulary with the occasional challenge, a manageable length, and a near picture-book level of illustrative density give this chapter book immense accessibility. Pham's watercolor and ink art has a goofy cartoonishness, with the Princess's doe-eyed damsel figure contrasting entertainingly with her ninja-like moves, and the monsters themselves are a parade of wacky Muppet-like creatures. Whether they prefer pink sparkles or superhero capes, readers, especially newly independent ones, will find themselves anxiously awaiting the next installment of the PIB's adventure.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Shannon Hale
Shannon Hale and Dean Hale are the award-winning husband-and-wife team behind the Princess in Black series, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Shannon Hale is also the author of the Newbery Honor novel Princess Academy as well as the New York Times best-selling series Ever After High. Shannon Hale and Dean Hale live in Salt Lake City, Utah. LeUyen Pham is the illustrator of many books for children, including God's Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams and Aunt Mary's Rose by Douglas Wood. LeUyen Pham lives in California.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780763665104
Lexile Measure
500
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Candlewick Press (MA)
Publication date
October 20, 2014
Series
The Princess in Black
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
JUV034000 - Juvenile Fiction | Royalty (kings queens princes princesses knights etc.)
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
JUV034000 - Juvenile Fiction | Royalty (kings queens princes princesses knights etc.)
Library of Congress categories
-
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
Nominee
Texas 2x2 Reading List
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