Synopsis
Once upon a time there was a very nice but very plain princess named Jennifer, who, following proper fairy-tale protocol, fell for a very handsome but very conceited prince named Alexander. When Alexander offends a powerful witch, it falls to Jennifer to save him. In the course of doing so, she meets a wizard and soon wonders if she's such a proper fairy-tale princess after all--a good little princess would love Alexander, but does she?
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About the Author
Vivian Vande Velde has written many books for teen and middle grade readers, including Heir Apparent, User Unfriendly, All Hallow's Eve: 13 Stories, Three Good Deeds, Now You See It ..., and the Edgar Award–winning Never Trust a Dead Man. She lives in Rochester, New York. Visit her website at www.vivianvandevelde.com.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6 An original and delightful parody of the classic fairy tale genre. Velde uses humorous contemporary dialogue to tell the story of the quite ordinary but spirited princess-heroine Jennifer, who finds herself in the position of saving the life of a spoiled prince and dealing with a most unconventional young sorcerer. Velde has tackled a difficult idea. The fairy tale genre has been parodied on many occasions, and parodies have the potential of becoming wearisome in their inevitable use of cliches. However, despite a wicked witch, a magic mirror, a dark forest and a handsome prince, Velde's approach remains fresh and definitely amusing. Characters have unusual twists to their personalities and become individuals rather than stereotypes. Children will secretly cheer when, at the end of the story, Jennifer turns down the marriage offer of the vain Prince Alexander and finds herself drawn to the sorcerer instead. Hyman has chosen a lush, semi-Romantic style for her ten black-and-white illustrations, done with her usual flair for detail. Readers may decide that these lovely drawings are a bit too serious for the subject matter, but nonetheless, they are a definite visual asset. Karen P. Smith, Yonkers Board of Education, N.Y.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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