Friday, August 14, 2020

A little bookish escapism....

"There's a lot you don't know about Prince Charming...Some of you may not even realize that there's more than one Prince Charming. And that none of them are actually named Charming. No one is. Charming isn't a name; it's an adjective...(And) if there was anything that Liam, Duncan, Gustav, and Frederic all had in common, it was that none of them were very happy about being a Prince Charming. Their mutual hatred of that name was a big part of what brought them together. Not that teaming up was necessarily the best idea for these guys."




Whatever you do, don't dismiss this book simply because it's shelved in children's fiction. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healey has a lot to offer to readers of all ages. First and foremost, it's funny. (Laugh out loud funny in some places.) I loved getting the princes' perspectives on Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, especially Prince Liam's. (He's the prince from the Sleeping Beauty story and by far the handsomest and most heroic of all the princes. Unfortunately for him, in this book Briar Rose is much more Briar than Rose--you would have called off the wedding, too.) These four princes are tired of getting short-changed in all the stories. After all, they're the heroes! Each one is uniquely flawed (and not always that heroic), but all of them made me laugh, especially Duncan, Snow White's talkative, eccentric and excitable prince. In fact, the only prince I didn't like quite as much as the others was hardheaded and impulsive Gustav, who charges into every situation without thinking, but even he had his humorous moments. Frederic is the quietest of all the princes and the least like a hero. (Most of the time he just wants to go home.) Their adventures are more like misadventures, and at times it's questionable whether or not they can save themselves let alone save a kingdom. Then there are the princesses. Ella is by far the best; she's adventurous and brave and the kind of girl who doesn't need a prince to rescue her...she'll rescue herself, thank you very much. I also liked Prince Liam's younger sister, Lila; she's daring and smart just like her brother. There are also trolls, dwarfs, a giant, a dragon, and an evil witch. Healy takes these classic fairy tale characters and makes them fresh, surprising, and fun. I loved everything about this book. (And so will you.)

Happy Reading!

30 comments:

  1. I've never been a fan of the labels for books that are meant for children, YA, or my least favorite "women's fiction." If it's a good story, it's a good story. Glad to see you enjoyed this one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I so agree with you on the whole label thing! A good story is a good story...regardless of your age or anything else. :D

      Delete
  2. This sounds like a fun take on the fairy tales! I love it when a book makes me laugh. I'll definitely check this one out. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like when books play off the traditional fairy tales, too. And this one did make me laugh.

      Delete
  3. This sounds like so much fun! I'm adding it to my wishlist right now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, don't know what happened to my comment, but I think this sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a charming book... and sorry if your original comment disappeared.

      Delete
  5. The paragraph you quote is certainly hilarious! Sounds like fun.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'll read anything and love the sound of this!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Does sound like a lot of fun. Reminds me of a book I read back in 2009 called "The Complete Fairy Tales" by Charles Perrault. The 2009 book is a translation of the stories that Perrault put together in 1697...and they are rough ones. For instance, Sleeping Beauty in the old version was actually raped by the Prince and bore twins before she ever woke up. You can see from this book just how much the stories have been cleaned up over the centuries. And keep in mind that the 1697 was intended to be used as bedtime stories by parents of the day. Let's just say that times have changed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They really have changed! I haven't read too many Perrault stories, but even the Grimm fairy tales aren't really suitable for children, are they?

      Delete
  8. I read the whole series and I enjoyed them and the illustrations are fun too. I think there are 3 books to this series. I might re-read this one as I have forgotten most of it. And it's definitely something to enjoy if your mind is onto too serious subjects.

    Have a lovely day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wouldn't mind reading the next two books in this series, especially if they're as fun as this one. :)

      Delete
  9. Sounds like an excellent book! The untold story from the prince's point of view. There are always multiple sides to any story. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought this was a very fun way to retell these well-known fairy tales. :)

      Delete
  10. This does sound hilarious! Hope you are having a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think I saw this a while back and it looked hilarious. I love the sound of it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. OMG, I LOVE THIS!!! IT sounds hilarious, and the Princes even more so!

    ReplyDelete