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A review by verymom
The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye
5.0
The boys were gone this week and my daughter wanted something we two could read while they were away. I remembered this little book on the shelf downstairs, and it was perfect! I'd read this story as a girl, and I think my mom sent me a copy thinking my daughter would love it.
She did! It's a simple, quick read, written in the same style as fairy tales of old, but with more humor and wit.
At the christening of the seventh princess of Phantasmorania, one of the fairies decides all the usual gifts of beauty and grace are boring and gives the baby the gift of ordinariness. Gasp!
Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne becomes Amy, as such an ordinary looking princess can be called nothing else. Unlike her tall, blonde, blue eyed sisters, Amy has mousey brown hair, a snub nose, and freckles. She finds elegant gowns scratchy and uncomfortable, state balls boring, and most royals stiff and unbearable.
Amy escapes often down her wisteria vine outside her turret window to play in the nearby forest where, despite her mother's best efforts with lemon juice and lily creams, she becomes more brown and more freckled than ever.
After the sixth lovely princess is married off suitably, suitors start coming for Amy. They are appalled by her ordinariness and flee, so the king and queen's councilors turn to desperate measures. They hatch a plan to lock Amy in a tower and hire a dragon, knowing that princes can't resist saving a damsel in distress (hilarious poke at traditional fairy tales), and will then award (sight unseen, of course) Amy's hand in marriage to the romantic who kills the dragon.
Amy catches wind of this plan and runs away to her forest where her borrowed dress soon becomes tattered. After a funny run in with the fairy who gave her the gift of ordinariness, Amy gets a job as a kitchen maid in a nearby kingdom.
There, she meets a nice young man who says his job is "man-of-all-work." They picnic in the forest and build a little house and become great friends. The man-of-all-work has a secret identity as well, and I bet you can guess how the story turns out. :)
It's completely adorable, and my daughter (age 10) loved it. Though somewhat predictable, the whole thing, including the ending is really well done and absolutely charming. Be sure to get a copy with the author's amazing illustrations! And if you haven't heard of M.M Kaye before, check out her epic fairy tale for grown ups (set in India with POC as the main characters!) [b:The Far Pavillions|18180811|The Far Pavillions|M.M. Kaye|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410814660s/18180811.jpg|114].
She did! It's a simple, quick read, written in the same style as fairy tales of old, but with more humor and wit.
At the christening of the seventh princess of Phantasmorania, one of the fairies decides all the usual gifts of beauty and grace are boring and gives the baby the gift of ordinariness. Gasp!
Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne becomes Amy, as such an ordinary looking princess can be called nothing else. Unlike her tall, blonde, blue eyed sisters, Amy has mousey brown hair, a snub nose, and freckles. She finds elegant gowns scratchy and uncomfortable, state balls boring, and most royals stiff and unbearable.
Amy escapes often down her wisteria vine outside her turret window to play in the nearby forest where, despite her mother's best efforts with lemon juice and lily creams, she becomes more brown and more freckled than ever.
After the sixth lovely princess is married off suitably, suitors start coming for Amy. They are appalled by her ordinariness and flee, so the king and queen's councilors turn to desperate measures. They hatch a plan to lock Amy in a tower and hire a dragon, knowing that princes can't resist saving a damsel in distress (hilarious poke at traditional fairy tales), and will then award (sight unseen, of course) Amy's hand in marriage to the romantic who kills the dragon.
Amy catches wind of this plan and runs away to her forest where her borrowed dress soon becomes tattered. After a funny run in with the fairy who gave her the gift of ordinariness, Amy gets a job as a kitchen maid in a nearby kingdom.
There, she meets a nice young man who says his job is "man-of-all-work." They picnic in the forest and build a little house and become great friends. The man-of-all-work has a secret identity as well, and I bet you can guess how the story turns out. :)
It's completely adorable, and my daughter (age 10) loved it. Though somewhat predictable, the whole thing, including the ending is really well done and absolutely charming. Be sure to get a copy with the author's amazing illustrations! And if you haven't heard of M.M Kaye before, check out her epic fairy tale for grown ups (set in India with POC as the main characters!) [b:The Far Pavillions|18180811|The Far Pavillions|M.M. Kaye|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410814660s/18180811.jpg|114].