Check out my review of The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale @ https://amzn.to/3RTmWC0
4.0 out of 5 stars
Goat boy and the Unicorn kept me moving forward as much as Princess Magnolia.
This is a book about not judging people/characters by their appearances, and people defying expectations and presumptions/assumptions/stereotypes.
Just because you are a girl doesn’t mean you stay hidden away in the castle when monsters appear… you too can fight, and win. Just because you don’t know how to fight monsters doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to fight them.
I picked this up as a gift for an 8-year-old, and I am looking forward to her reaction. Given she already believes she can be an Astronaut and a Doctor aspects of the messages in this book are not needed for her… but that, to me, is counter balanced by the fact I think we all feel judged at times, and the message about looking beyond appearances is a good one, approached from multiple angles.
One of the other reviews mentions “Blacky” as a name for the black Pony. Until I read that comment, the name had not sunk in with me. I saw that character as a pet on my initial read, and find myself wondering if I would have been offended if I had been viewing the character as a person instead. It is an interesting point, and I find myself wanting to re-read the story with that in mind. It may be something parents want to talk about with kids / young readers.
This is a quick read with fun pictures, and likable characters.
Shannon Hale LeUyen Pham
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Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2019
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