The Second Adventures of Princess Peony
In which she doesn't want a prince but gets one anyway. But not for keeps.
The second book in Nette Hilton's irresistible emerging readers series for self-described princesses who dislike waiting around for things (especially princes) and can't resist a challenge from a troll (big brother).
Princess Peony has zero interest in waiting for a unicorn, a fairy princess or a silly prince until the Troll (her brother) tells her she'll never get one because she's not even a real princess. Then, The lovely Princess decides a Prince on a horse, with a big JUMPING LEAPING HOUND AND A SAVAGE LION OR TWO would be VERY handy. Trolls are to be ignored but sometimes they’re ASKING for it, if you really want to know.
As only she can, Princess Peony manages to prove that she's a Princess and make her brother think he's a Prince, which he absolutely doesn't want to be. Of course, only she can turn him back into a Troll and restore order to the kingdom. This will involve some kissing, some frogs and a lot of surprises.
Creators
Nette Hilton has worked in many jobs from governess to teacher, tax clerk to receptionist/telephonist and all sorts in between. Her life as a writer began when her daughter, Emma, began to really hate going to school and she set out to write a book to help her through it. Since then, Nette has become an award-winning author with more than twenty years of experience. She grew up in Victoria but has lived in Sydney since the age of eleven.
Lucinda Gifford was brought up in Scotland and originally intended to become an architect, studying Architecture at Edinburgh and Bath Universities. Lucinda’s love of drawing buildings was cancelled out at the time by an overwhelming disinterest in construction sites. These days, Lucinda lives with her family in Melbourne’s northern suburbs – and works as an illustrator, author-illustrator and graphic designer from her cosy, messy home studio.
Reviews
Here is a book suitable for newly independent readers, with short chunks of large text, different fonts and lots of illustrations. It is not necessary to have read the first book in this series to enjoy this one, the story stands on its own. There is a double narrative here, where the words tell the story of a Princess and a Troll, and the illustrations show a story of a girl with a strong imagination, her Scotty dog and her brother. The illustrations are black and white with pops of magenta, suitable for a princess. They are done in a cartoonish style, which matches the humour and the style of the story. This book is suitable for lower to middle primary, and due to the title and the cover will have more appeal for girls than boys, though parts of the story would be enjoyed by both.
CBCA: Reading Time
