The Princess in Black

This is a fabulous beginning reader. It's action packed, and easy to read. Unlike some easy to read books, this book's pages contain the right amount of easy to read words. I felt like each of the words are ones first and second graders should easily be able to read. Each page contains great illustrations that will keep readers engaged with the story. My daughter and I loved this book. It's full of adventure, heart, and the best part, is that it is about Princess Magnolia. Princess Magnolia is not a normal Princess. I mean, she is a Princess, and she wears the things you'd except a Princess to wear, and she does the things you'd excerpt a Princess to do. But, she has a secret. Princess Magnolia is also, the Princess in Black. The Princess in Black is not afraid of anything. Unlike Princess Magnolia who wears Pink, the Princess in Black wears all black. Since Princess Magnolia lives close to wear the monsters live, it's up to the Princess in Black to stop them. When a big Blue Monster tries to take some goats, it's up to the Princess in Black to save the day. Luckily she doesn't have to face the monsters alone. She has her trusted horse by her side. And yes, he too has his own disguise. I love that the story is about a girl who can be both a Princess and a great heroine. It shows kids that they can be whomever they want to, and have fun doing it. My daughter identified with Princess Magnolia, as she loves to dress up as a Princess, as well as done a mask, and dress up in cape, and save the day. This is a fantastic book, and one I'd highly recommend picking up. Don't let the beginning reader comment throw you off. This is a fabulous chapter book I think fans of all ages will enjoy. I won't tell you my age, but it's long past the beginning reader stage, and I loved it, and I look forward to reading it again. It's no surprise that it ended up on the New York Times Best Sellers List. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

My toddler loves this book and I really enjoy reading it to her. It is a fun and exciting story, that triggers imagination and is empowering for girls. The book came up in a school moms’ coffee morning and several of the moms recommended it. I’m pleased that they did because it was a great choice. This is a fairly long book so I wasn’t sure I could keep my toddler’s attention to complete the book. I figured we would read this over the span of a few days. However, my daughter was so excited and interested in the story that it maintained her attention to finish the entire book in one sitting. Since then, she has asked for me to read this book several times a week. I appreciate that the story’s theme allows for the reader (or child you are reading it to) to see that the main character can be both a princess and a superhero! The message and the moral of the book are inspiring and I really like that. It’s well written, easy to read and a nice flow. There are some nice illustrations and a brief amount of text on each page, so as you turn through the pages, it keeps the listener’s attention. Will certainly purchase more from this series.

I ordered this for my daughter who is almost 6 and an emerging reader. She still greatly prefers books with a lot of pictures and I've been hunting them down. This is our first BIG HIT. The chapters are short, the story is simple and the writing level is just right for her. She could manage the reading level, but doesn't yet have the stamina to get through a lot at a time, so I just had her read the first page of each chapter to me. We finished it in a sitting and she already asked me if she gets to keep it forever (ie, is it a library book). Like a lot of moms, I struggle with princess culture and want to let her love princesses (because she does!), but also encourage her to forge her own path and be an active participant in life (as opposed to being rescued and waiting for a prince.) This book is perfect. She loved the nosy duchess and the line about the goat boy (not half goat and half boy, though that would be interesting), and the silly-named Frimplepants the unicorn. The big problem, as always seems to happen, is that there is ONLY ONE!!! You always hope, when you find a gem like this, that there will already be a series waiting for you. We've already preordered the next one, but I hope the Hales will pick up the pace! A year and a half between installments is killer!

Perfect Princess Magnolia has a secret—her alter ego is the Princess in Black, a superhero figure who protects the kingdom! When nosy Duchess Wigtower unexpectedly drops by Princess Magnolia's castle, Magnolia must protect her secret identity from the duchess's prying. But then Magnolia's monster alarm, a glitter-stone ring, goes off. She must save the day, leaving the duchess unattended in her castle. After a costume change, the Princess in Black joins her steed, Blacky (public identity: Frimplepants the unicorn), to protect Duff the goat boy and his goats from a shaggy, blue, goat-eating monster. When the monster refuses to see reason, Magnolia fights him, using special moves like the "Sparkle Slam" and the "Twinkle Twinkle Little Smash." The rounded, cartoony illustrations featuring chubby characters keep the fight sequence soft and comical. Watching the fight, Duff notices suspicious similarities between the Princess in Black and Magnolia—quickly dismissed as "a silly idea"—much like the duchess's dismissal of some discovered black stockings as being simply dirty, as "princesses don't wear black." The gently ironic text will amuse readers (including adults reading the book aloud). The large print and illustrations expand the book to a longish-yet-manageable length, giving newly independent readers a sense of accomplishment. The ending hints at another hero, the Goat Avenger. Action, clever humor, delightful illustrations and expectation-defying secret identities—when does the next one come out? Overview Who says princesses don’t wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black! Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when . . . Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! A big blue monster is threatening the goats! Stopping monsters is no job for dainty Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret —she’s also the Princess in Black, and stopping monsters is the perfect job for her! Can the princess sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret? From award-winning writing team of Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham, here is the first in a humorous and action-packed chapter book series for young readers who like their princesses not only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black.

I saw this being promoted last week in a BookRiot e-newsletter and I just had to buy one to check out. Firstly, because the premise is awesome - a princess who battles monsters in order to keep her kingdom safe! Secondly, it was co-authored by Shannon Hale, with her husband Dean Hale. I have read several books by Shannon Hale {The Princess Academy & The Goose Girl are two of my favorites!} and I have loved them. Thirdly, the illustrations are beautiful, energetic and fun! And fourthly, I have a 5 year old niece who has become quite the voracious little reader (SO PROUD), and many other honorary nieces, and I wanted to check this series out as possible gifts for them in the future. This will also be a great introduction to Hale's older age novels. Such a fun little book, and great for kiddos learning to read and want to practice reading aloud. Ages 5-8

I bought all 6 of these Princess in Black books for my 6 year old granddaughter, soon to be 7, and she has read them all. I am a former reading teacher and highly recommend these. They are beginning third grade reading level and have AR quizzes. The pages in the book are shiny and sturdy. There are colored illustrations on every page or beside each printed page. The print is large. It is a perfect transition from picture books to chapter books. The chapters are short and the books are not too long. If your child is into princesses and is ready for chapter books this series is perfect. My granddaughter is looking forward to the next book in this series to come out.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, and to the wonderful illustrator LeUyen Pham. Thanks to "The Princess in Black" my nine year old special needs daughter is reading again! I made a wish list and you answered it with this series! My daughter reads at a 1st to 2nd grade level, although she can read at 3rd-4th grade level in small doses. It seemed all the chapter books with subjects of interest to a typical 9 year old girl had too many words per page and the font was too small - she would get overwhelmed and frustrated. The picture books or early readers, which she could easily read, had plot lines too simplistic for her. My wish list was for a book with just a paragraph or two (in large print) on most pages, great illustrations to bring the story to life, a compelling main character, and a plot line that would hold her interest. She loves superheroes and princesses...and adventure... and she has found all of these aspects that thrill her in "The Princess in Black". I just hope the books keep coming because we are on #3 and soon will read #4. Please keep writing these books and we will keep buying them and telling others about them. Thanks again!!!

We borrowed this from the library for my Kindergartener. She loved it so much we read it straight through, then read it again, and then that night when I went in to check on her one last time I found her holding it close in her sleep. I should also note that we are just now entering the super-hero stage in our family with my 3 year old son, so my little girl has gone from watching Disney movies over and over (Rapunzel is the favorite) to Spider-Man and Captain America. "Why are there no girl Super-Heroes?" she asked. I introduced her to Wonder Woman, White Tiger, Batgirl, Supergirl, etc., and she shrugged. She can't really connect to those super-sexy, all-grown-up, major-attitude types. I recalled reading about Shannon Hale's new book for younger readers. I liked what she'd done with Princess Academy, so I thought I would give it a go for my girl. I did not anticipate the amount of love this book would receive - she cried when she had to give it back to the library (the request list is still long here). She decorated her pumpkin for a school contest to look just like the Princess in Black. I surprised my daughter with her own copy this last week, and her eyes just lit up. The book currently lives under her pink pillow. My girl LOVES pink, and princesses, and superheroes. This book is NOT about rejecting princesses, or even rejecting the pinkness of girls. This book is about being a hero and saving the day. This is Zorro for little girls. Princess Magnolia - pink clad perfection in her castle - The Princess in Black when danger lurks in the kingdom! Give it a chance. My three year old boy loves this book and we look forward to another, especially if it features the Goat Avenger. :-) And more monsters to fight! My two year old daughter has been running around saying the Princess in Black's signature move: Twinkle, Twinkle, SMASH! It's a book our whole family loves.

I coudn't believe how quickly I received the book. It is a very nice book that my little girl loves reading. It is a great story to empower girls.

Muy buena pinta el libro. precio genial. A mi hija de 8 le encantan!

子供向けの作品だが、Princess in Black の活躍ぶりにワクワクして、しっかり楽しめた。Duchess Wigtowerが当たり前のように城の中を漁りそれが咎められなかったり、結構な長い時間待ちぼうけでもそれには文句を言わないあたりも面白かった。 英語の勉強がてら手に取ったのだが、可愛らしい絵のおかげでわからない単語の意味を類推しやすかった。英語学習目的でもおすすめです。

The Princess in Black is an absolutely perfect beginning chapter book! My daughter, age 2, has recently become interested in chapter books. We have been working to add new transitional chapter books to our collection for her to enjoy. The Princess in Black was a recent addition and it has quickly become a favourite. We both appreciates the engaging and humorous plot, as well as the colourful and interesting illustrations. I appreciate the dynamic characters, the quality vocabulary, and the varied sentence structure that make The Princess in Black enjoyable to read aloud. I also appreciate the girl-power! I would recommend The Princess in Black as a read-aloud for 2-5 year olds or as a reader for 5-9 year old beginning readers. We can’t wait to read more books in the series!

Scelto tra un elenco suggerito dalla scuola è l'ideale per allenare l'inglese durante l'estate. Acquistato per una bimba di 8 anni. Illustrazioni carine e testo di facile lettura. Le è piaciuto molto e lo ha letto in 2 giorni.