Christopher Healy

Not a lot of fairy tale retellings take on the men in fairy tales. Or at least that's the perception. So I was excited to see that an entire series was going to take on just that - the nameless Princes Charming and who they really were. And I have to say, Christopher Healy does a good job of taking their teensy little bits of fairy tale text (Prince: dances, notices shoes. Prince: doesn't have a thing to do with story until he kisses girl in coffin. Prince: climbs strangers hair... etc.) show more and uses those little bits + public perception of the them to extrapolate real personas for the characters. They're really more of caricatures, actually, very funny and over the top, and all very distinct from one another. And they come alive on the page in a way I think middle grade readers will really love.




And it's not just the Princes that are brought to life and made adorably eccentric/silly/zany, etc. It was a fun take on all of the characters; the Princes were a bit bumbling, and I went back and forth with who was my favorite, while the Princesses were more heroic and daring, but also impetuous and/or sometimes bratty. My favorite, though (and this always seems to be the case) was the silly side characters - I love a good side character, and this book had lots of them. Like the Princes and Princesses, I went back and forth on who was my favorite (I mean, there's an excellent Wicked Witch, a lovably doofy giant, a hilariously tyrannical 10 year old Bandit King, etc) until I came upon the trolls. The trolls win. They are my favorites, hands down. I mean, they're all named Troll.

"Troll's name is Troll," the troll said, flashing a toothy smile. "All trolls' name is Troll." He pointed to a number of other trolls in the crowd. "That's Troll. And that's Troll. And that's Troll... All Troll."
...
[Frederic said] "This will affect all you trolls. Yes, even you, Troll. And you, too, Troll."
Once troll in the crowd leaned over to its neighbor and said approvingly, "Personal touch is nice."

I mean, how can you not love that? I really liked Troll. (not the be confused with Troll. Or Troll.) And I liked the fact that they're not quite what you expect of them, actually being law-abiding (though odd) herbivores who are very upset by the human notion that they're brutish people-eaters.  It was so fun and memorable, which is a pretty good description of the book as a whole.

The storytelling itself is charming, very exuberant and enjoyably silly. It was like reading a Pixar/Disney film, if that makes any sense. In fact, I could actually see it in my head ala Pixar - the character movements, the voices, everything.  It was strange and neat, and made me thing the story would lend itself really well to film (and it's been optioned, so yay!) It's equal parts adventure and slapstick, and I think will appeal to a pretty wide MG readership because of that, especially where reluctant readers are concerned. The laughs and the antics will pull them along and make them keep reading what otherwise could be a dauntingly thick book for a MG reader. And what's nice is that it will appeal to both boys and girls almost equally, I think, and to parents, too, who want something adventurous but still wholesome for their kids.

Now this is not to say that everyone will be taken by it; I have a feeling it may not translate well for all adults. I mean, some will love it (most of my GR friends rated it 5 stars), but those that don't normally read middle grade may find it too middle grade. You have to either be a kid or easily slip into a kid-like frame of mind for it to work. It's very lighthearted, and some adults just aren't.  And there were times it was a little too easy to put down. I have a feeling this was mostly just my state of mind, because I liked it when I was reading it, but it didn't make me have to read it. Some books beg you to pick them up as soon as you have a free moment, and they want to be read all night. This one I could read a bit and put it down and go to sleep just fine, but I think it was just that I, myself, wasn't quite light-hearted enough to sustain a long reading session with it. But as a kid? I would have eaten this up. (And as an adult, there were plenty of times I actually LOLed...)

I think this one is a definite to-buy for those with middle grade children or students, or neighbors, nieces or nephews. It's a great summer reading book, a great feel good, fun book, and a very nice start to the series. And to top it off, it has fantastic artwork! =) show less

The letter A and an apple think it's an alphabet book....Little Red Riding Hood thinks it's a fairy tale...a robot thinks it's set on Mars...and Hedgible T. Hedgehog thinks it's "the kind where all the characters are animals, but we dress in people clothes, and we go to school and learn lessons about friendship."

Inventive, hilarious, told largely through dialog...truly unique! The banana called Captain Knock-Knock was a particular favorite with my 4yo.

*

Re-read July 2021
*
Re-read November 2024

This was a fun middle grade adventure mystery with strong female leads and likeable characters. It's smart, funny (occasionally outright hilarious), and chock full of plot twists. Young Lila is trying to prove herself as Lilac, the bounty hunter, and is hired to find a wizard believed to have stolen the emerald axe from Castle Angbar. It quickly turns into a murder mystery and she starts doubting if she's cut out for this life she's chosen. She's encouraged along the way, by her plucky bard show more sidekick Netta. The clues are all there to solve the murder. It does lose it's way a little bit in the middle which is why I only gave it 4 stars. show less

Well at least some of them are.

See the bards got it wrong in all those heroic stories of Prince Charming saving this or that Princess. Really 'Prince Charming' was a whole bunch of guys named Liam, Frederic, Duncan and Gustav and honestly most of their heroic escapades were a matter of good luck and good timing. But what kind of story is that? So embellishments happened, expectations rose and well...that means folks were bound to be disappointed with the real thing.

I'm a real sucker when it show more comes to comedic fantasies. Add in the subversion and outright toss out the window nature of fairy tales and you've got a fan in me. All this means is that from the very first moment I heard about this book I wanted it. Didn't care it was for middle grade, didn't care that it was an author I never heard of--I just wanted the book.

Boy did it NOT let me down.

Healy takes a premise that sounds a bit hokey (the Princes Charming get rejected so they set out to save the world and prove everyone wrong) and crafts a hilarious, touching tale about being true to yourself (without being preachy). Almost as importantly I think this book will appeal to not just the middle grade audience, but to anyone who enjoys a light-hearted fantasy.

Admittedly the writing itself is simple and the narrative is obviously written to appeal to a young child's mind (one that is prone to being easily distracted), but its the characters who shine. Poor Prince Frederic, the 'Prince Charming' who saved Cinderella from a life of menial servitude, was raised to be such a milquetoast that he doesn't understand why Cinderella (aka just 'Ella' thank you) isn't perfectly content with a structured routine that doesn't change or surprise. Prince Gustav ('Prince Charming' from Rapunzel's story) is a failure at fighting despite being a fairly hulking guy and is only further humiliated when Rapunzel not only saves herself, but restores his vision and saves him as well.

Also the less said about poor Prince Duncan is probably the better.

These guys can't catch a break and it makes you feel REALLY bad for them because of it (also makes me want to smack a couple of their heads together but that's besides the point). When they band together to not only return their names to glorious heroic portions, but also to stop an evil plot no one believes exists I won't lie I was more than a little worried it would end badly.

Healy obviously enjoys himself as well. The Prologue for instance, which breaks the fourth wall so hard you'd think it never existed, spoils events the happen 19 chapters later and unashamedly admits that the Princes Charming are really anything but at times. You can tell that Healy really must have wanted to make this book as fun, amusing and exciting (in safe ways, Frederic assures you) and honestly I bet this will be a hoot read aloud.

So whether you are a ten year old seeking to defeat an evil witch and needing some pointers, or a 20something like me interested in hearing the 'true' story of Prince Charming, THE HERO'S GUIDE TO SAVING YOUR KINGDOM is definitely worth checking out. show less