Princess K.I.M. and the Lie That Grew

Summary: In this book a little girl named Kim moved to a new town and was nervous about starting her first day in a new school. As her dad was dropping her off, he called her "Princess", which made her decide to tell the entire class that her family came from royalty. She wanted everyone in the class to like her, so each day she continued to tell the class that she was a Princess, and they believed her. The children in the class started doing things for her, like carrying her books or opening doors for her. Then one day, Kim told them that she couldn't hang out with anyone because her Grandmother was coming into town. The children thought the queen was coming and told Kim they all wanted to meet her. However, after the weekend Kim spent show more with her Grandmother, she decided to come clean and tell everyone that she was actually not a princess. All of the students were upset with her for lying and ignored her for the rest of the day. However, Jason, the only person who didn't believe her lie when she first told it, accepted her for telling the truth and asked her to play with him.

Review: I thought this book was a great moral lesson about telling the truth and accepting others for who they are. This book pointed out how easy it is for a small lie to get progressively bigger, without someone even meaning for it to. It also displays the importance of coming clean to a lie, even when you're scared of what others might think of you because of it. However, when Jason accepted Kim for who she was, it shows how one should like people because of their personality. I think this is an important message to teach children who are learning how to make friends and that friends should accept you for who you are. Thus, it really ties in the importance of not lying to friends or anyone. show less

When Kim moves to a new school, she is anxious that she won't make any friends. And when her teacher introduces her to the class, another girl, also named Kim, seems dismayed to find there is another 'Kim.' So Kim lies. She wants so badly to be liked that her lie just grows and grows until it is out of her control and her whole class thinks she is a princess and her grandmother is a queen. Circumstances work out well for Kim, seeming to confirm her lie, until her grandmother comes to visit.
This story is very cute with charming illustrations which reminded me of Fancy Nancy. The moral is there, but the reader isn't beaten over the head with it, which is nice, and Kim's plight is relatable.

NCLA Review - Concerned that the other kids won’t like her, Kim starts off her year at a new school by telling her classmates that she comes from a royal family. Her small lie quickly overwhelms her life, until she confesses her problem to her grandmother. Oddly, her grandmother chooses to show up at Kim’s school the next day, posing as a queen with a chauffer (Kim’s father). Kim finally admits the truth to one and all. In the end, Kim learns her lesson about lying, and makes one good friend. Bright and buoyant, the illustrations and text dance across the page, with plenty of glitter added to the front cover to attract readers aged 4–8, however the behavior of the adult characters in contributing to the lie is confusing. Rating: show more 2 —KET show less