The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale

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Ill. by LeUyen Pham. The Princess in Black bk 2.Candlewick Press, 2015. ISBN 9780763665111
(Age: 5-8) Recommended. Fantasy. Chapter book. It's Princess Magnolia's birthday and just as her guests were due to arrive for her birthday party, her monster alarm went off. She has to rush to the broom closet to transform herself into the Princess in Black, mount her faithful steed Blacky and go off to fight the monsters who just want to eat goats. When she has finally dealt with one monster and is all ready to enjoy her birthday party, her alarm goes off again and again and she has to use all her ingenuity to hide her secret from her guests, especially Princess Sneezewort.
I am a fan of Shannon Hale's stories and particularly love the idea of the Princess in Black, whizzing off to rescue the goats, being bold and daring, while fooling everyone with her perfect pink princess persona. The pictures are very amusing and LeUyen Pham shows an increasingly disheveled Princess Magnolia, as she returns from her rescues.
This is a perfect chapter book for the newly independent reader, combining humour, a great storyline and witty illustrations to ensure a fabulous read.
Pat Pledger

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