Eight Princesses and a Magic Mirror
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
What makes a princess excellent?
Eager to learn the answer, an enchantress casts her magic mirror into our universe. Reflected in it are princesses from around the world and across centuries who refuse to be pretty, polite, and obedient.
Princess Leila of the desert protects her people from the king with the black-and-gold banner; Princess Tica takes a crocodile for a pet; Princess Ellen explores the high seas; Princess Abayome puts empathy and kindness above royal beauty; and in an apartment building, a girl named Princess saves her community’s beloved garden from the hands of urban developers.
These girls are fierce, brave, and determined to do the rescuing themselves. Connecting their stories is the magic mirror, which reveals itself when each girl needs it most, illuminating how a princess’s power comes not from her title or looks, but from her own inner strength. These beautifully imagined stories, complemented by vibrant and inviting artwork, are by turns charming and bold, familiar and surprising.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Filled with varied expressions of what it means to excel, culturally diverse fairy tale imaginings by Farrant (The Children of Castle Rock) pair with Corry's na f-style illustrations to present a series of episodic stories bound together by a single object. When an enchantress employs her magic mirror to discern, for her goddaughter's benefit, the ways to become an "excellent princess," the mirror made pocket-size visits young women in various locales and eras, all of whom are people who get things done. Princess H lo se undertakes a forest quest to save her sickly sister, Princess Tica must decide how to handle a beloved crocodile, and Princess Abayome's world is upended by her father's new wife. From Russian royalty fallen on hard times to a young activist living in a concrete apartment building, each must identify what makes her unique and use those traits to overcome her obstacles. Joyful retellings of time-honored fairy tales to inspire and challenge a new generation. Ages 9 12.
