Staff Review: "The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom" by Christopher Healy

"Prince Charming is afraid of old ladies. Didn't know that, did you?"

Sleeping Beauty was a selfish jerk. Cinderella’s Prince Charming was really good at ballroom dancing, but pretty much useless at everything else. Snow White was really awkward around other people. Wait, you don’t remember reading any fairy tale like that before? Well, that means that you haven’t yet read Christopher Healy’s rollicking book “The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom.”

The story begins after the Princes Charming rescue Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and Snow White. For some reason, none of the bards in any of the kingdoms seem to remember that each prince actually has his own name, and they are all having a bit of trouble with their “true-love” princesses. So from four different kingdoms, the four princes—Duncan the loopy, Gustav the brute, Liam the hero, and Frederic the fop—set out to resolve their separate issues. Along the way they bump into each other and eventually decide to form the “League of Princes” and save their respective kingdoms from the evil witch Zaubera.

The princes blunder their way from danger to danger (like grumpy dwarfs and vegetarian trolls), but eventually come out on top with the help of a few princesses along the way. Filled with witty conversations, hilarious action scenes and engaging illustrations by Todd Harris, Healy has written a twisted fairy tale book that will appeal to both boys and girls ages 8-12, and would be an excellent read-aloud for the whole family. The adventure doesn’t have to finish at the end of the book, either, as “The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle” is due to be published next year.

--Andrea W., H.Q.

P.S. If you like fractured fairy tales and haven't yet read Sarah Beth Durst's "Into the Wild," then click the picture below to reserve a copy today!

Staff Review: "Tuesdays at the Castle" by Jessica Day George

In Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George, Celie and her family have a pretty sweet time of it, living in a magic castle as they do. You see, Castle Glower likes to move, create, and hide rooms at random. There are only two hard and fast rules, "Rule One: The throne room was always to the east. . . Rule Two: If you turned left three times and climbed through the next window, you'd end up in the kitchens." It also doesn't hurt if your dad happens to be the king of said castle. The good news is that Castle Glower is very fond of the royal family, and especially Celie, who has been trying to map the mysteriously moving rooms as she explores. Thanks to the castle, the royal family has always been protected from evil within its walls. That is, until one day when the King and Queen and their oldest son, Bran, are ambushed on the way home from wizard school graduation, and the three remaining royal children discover that the Emissary has hatched a plan to overthrow the kingdom of Sleyne by overcoming Rolf, the crown prince. Can Celie, Rolf, and their older sister Delilah work together with the magical castle to save the kingdom of Sleyne?

Jessica Day George has written an imaginative and entertaining story that leaves you wondering what this crazy castle will do next. With the shifting landscape, it must be a more benign cousin of Hogwarts. While Rowling kept her magical castle under a pretty tight reign, George gives Castle Glower the freedom to do whatever it wants, and it really is the main character in this fun story. If you like books about magic and castle intrigue, give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

This would be a great family read-aloud and is appropriate for readers in grades 3-6.

-Andrea W., Headquarters

P.S. If magical buildings are your thing, you could also give Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage by Johanna Wright a try.