By Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Candlewick Press, 2015
Chapter book, 96 pages, ages 4-7 / grades k-3
Princess Magnolia – perfect, poised, and proper, dressed in frilly pink with a sparkly crown & glass slippers – is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower – a snobby, suspicious snooper of secrets. They are interrupted when Princess Magnolia’s monster alarm ring rings. She sweetly excuses herself and runs into the broom closet, where she transforms into … the Princess in Black!
The Princess In Black is a royal superhero you’ll love … unless you happen to be a monster! Fantastic fairytale fun!
A big blue goat-eating monster has crawled up from underground Monster Land and is terrorizing Duff the goat boy’s goats. The Princess in Black, with her faithful pony Blacky, springs to the rescue. She will NOT let any monsters eat Duff’s goats. But will she save the goats before Duchess Wigtower unearths Princess Magnolia’s big secret?
This is a superb transition into chapter books for any princess/superhero-loving readers. With 15 short chapters (usually 2 or 3 pages) made up of short sentences with easy words, this is perfectly digestible for beginner readers. Large text with plenty of space between lines and generous margins help beginners gain confidence because it looks like they’re reading more than they actually are, giving them a sense of accomplishment.
Full page and spot illustrations are scattered throughout, which add interest and meaning to the story. The full color illustrations are whimsical, expressive, action-packed, and the characters are absolutely delightful.
There are a few not-so-bright points. It takes 2 chapters of exposition before really getting into the story, but as this is the first book in the series, that’s expected. The introduction to the Princess in Black and Blacky are entertaining even if nothing much happens in those chapters. There are also a few advanced words that might challenge beginners – such as amiss, inspect, fortunately – but those could be viewed as vocabulary builders. The story is still understandable and enjoyable, although adults might want to be nearby or read it together to help overcome word hurdles.
Overall, a highly recommended book. It’s easy to see why this is a popular series.
The Princess in Black by Shannon and Dean Hale gets 5 stars from this reviewer.