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Secret Kingdom #1

Enchanted Palace

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The first book in the Secret Kingdom series introduces Ellie, Summer and Jasmine, who are the very best of friends. One day they find a magic box which whisks them away to a fantastical world! Can the friends help Trixi the pixie save King Merry's 1000th birthday party from Queen Malice's spiky thunderbolt...?

125 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

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Rosie Banks

203 books98 followers

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5 stars
465 (53%)
4 stars
185 (21%)
3 stars
151 (17%)
2 stars
32 (3%)
1 star
30 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
Profile Image for Mehsi.
15.1k reviews456 followers
May 7, 2016
This was a fun, cute little book. I loved the characters, though they are a bit stereotypical in how they behave or dress, every one of them has their set roles. Which is a bit a shame.

I loved the whole kingdom and all the magical creatures that resided there. The author sure is good with descriptions and the illustrations also help. At times I felt like I was there with the girls trying to find out how to fix things, eating cupcakes/cookies that make you fly. It was all wonderful.

I am not sure if I will continue reading the books, they aren't that easily found here, and considering the series is not over yet (there are almost 30 books), I might just wait until everything is out/translated. Yes, I read this one in Dutch, but since this was such a fun book I write my review in English.

But all in all a wonderful book, and I am sure kids will love it. It is sweet, easy to read and just delightful fun.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Profile Image for Rachel.
520 reviews56 followers
January 28, 2014
I received Secret Kingdom: Enchanted Palace from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley, Scholastic, and Rosie Banks.

I read Enchanted Palace to my 5 year old daughter, reading one chapter a night at bedtime until we finished it. She really enjoyed it, and I thought the story was really cute and completely appropriate for any aged child. There was no language that I consider inappropriate for the early chapter book readers (dumb, stupid, hate, etc.) Obviously there is a fantasy aspect to this series, hence the title name the Enchanted Palace, but most of it is "happy" fantasy with only a few mentions of evil queen Malice. The story has a happy ending and has a slightly open ending that leads into the next book in this series.

I would recommend this series to early chapter book readers.
248 reviews2 followers
March 24, 2019
Pur essendo tenera e carina, questa serie non offre davvero niente di nuovo rispetto a molte altre simili (ad es. Magic animals, La foresta dell'amicizia, etc.). La lettura lascia l'impressione di qualcosa di trito e ritrito. Alle bambine comunque piacerà.
Profile Image for Katie Fitzgerald.
Author 30 books254 followers
December 19, 2016
This is a review of Books 1 and 2 of the Secret Kingdom series.

Secret Kingdom is a brand-new series of paperback chapter books from Scholastic, which was originally published in the UK. The series focuses on the adventures of three girls - Ellie, Jasmine, and Summer - who stumble upon a mysterious old box with the power to transport them to the magical kingdom ruled by King Merry. The kingdom is in trouble, as the king’s sister, Queen Malice, is intent on making everyone as miserable as she is by hiding six thunderbolts around the kingdom. With the help of a pixie named Trixi, the three girls must work together to track down the thunderbolts and destroy them before they can make any trouble. In the first book, Enchanted Palace,the girls visit the king’s palace, where they help to save his birthday party from being ruined by the first thunderbolt. In the second book, Unicorn Valley, they help a group of unicorns put on the Golden Games, which are nearly canceled due to the second thunderbolt.


Unicorn Valley.
by Rosie Banks
2014. Scholastic.
ISBN: 9781408323656
My main purpose in reading these books was to find out how they compare to the Rainbow Magic series that is so insanely popular among early elementary school girls. It turns out that the two series have a lot in common. They are both British imports. Both involve female protagonists who are best friends and have storylines that unfold over multiple volumes. Both also sadly feature bland writing, flat characters, and trite dialogue.

These books are largely plot-driven, and the narration is very straightforward, with hardly any figurative language or true creative writing. The stories read more like a list of events sprinkled with dialogue than anything else. The characters are described in such a way that any girl can imagine herself as one of the protagonists. The first book does describe each girl - one is shy and bookish, one is outgoing and seeks the spotlight, and one is a joker and a klutz - but their behavior doesn’t always reflect these qualities, and the girls are pretty much interchangeable. Even in dialogue, it’s nearly impossible to discern who is speaking, as each character’s speech sounds forced and generic.

The setting, too, is somewhat weak. In some ways, it it similar to the kinds of fantasy worlds little girls tend to imagine in their pretend play, which adds to the appeal, but in other ways, it seems like the story intentionally lacks world-building so that any magical creature can be pulled into the story for any purpose at any time. There is something to be said for the way the three girls use their ingenuity and teamwork skills to solve problems for King Merry - it reminds me of the way the Pevensie kids became royalty in Narnia - but the idea of watching them save 6 different magical populations from 6 different thunderbolts of doom sounds utterly boring to me.

The Secret Kingdom books look enough like the Rainbow Magic books that there is no question in my mind they will be borrowed from any library that owns them and purchased from any bookstore that will stock them. They do offer some opportunities for learning new vocabulary, and they provide comforting predictable plots for beginning chapter book readers, both of which are important, but they fall very short of being what I would call true literature. Books like this have their place in the reading lives of early elementary schoolers, but I would encourage parents to balance their kids’ libraries with things like Scholastic’s Branches books, Mermaids in the Backyard by Catherine Hapka, and the Daisy Dawson books.
Profile Image for Yoyomaus Die Büchereule.
2,222 reviews31 followers
July 29, 2019
"Zehn Einzelne machen zwei,
aber zwei sind nicht drei.
Nimmst du jedoch dreimal die zwei
– auf jedem Stein bist du dabei."
(Das magische Kästchen gibt den drei Freundinnen ein Rätsel auf)

Zum Inhalt:

Die drei Freundinnen Mia, Jasmin und Juli finden ein magisches Kästchen, mit dessen Hilfe sie in das geheime Reich von König Frohgemut reisen können. Jedes Mal, wenn sie dort sind, kommen sie an einem anderen wundersamen Ort heraus. Im ersten Band geht das Abenteuer los: Die Mädchen landen mitten in den Vorbereitungen für die Geburtstagsparty des Königs! Doch es gibt jemanden, der das bunte Fest verhindern will: die eifersüchtige Schwester des Königs, die böse Malfiesa! Können die drei Freundinnen die Geburtstagfeier retten? Zum Glück haben sie eine tolle Idee und werden ABFs des Wunderlandes. Und allerbeste Freundinnen sind natürlich immer willkommen! Die perfekte Serie für kleine Mädchen, die magische Geschichten lieben!

Das winzige Geschöpf war kaum größer als Julis Federmäppchen, aber das schönste Wesen, das die Mädchen je gesehen hatten. Sein zersaustes blondes Haar spitzte unter einem Blumenhut hervor,...
(Die Mädchen begegnen der Fee Elfi)

Nachdem die drei Freundinnen Mia, Juli und Jasmin erfolgreich den Schulflohmarkt absolviert haben, entdecken sie an ihrem Stand ein geheimnisvolles Kästchen, das vorher noch nicht dort gewesen ist. Auf Geheiß ihrer Lehrerin nehmen die Freundinnen es mit sich nach Hause und putzen bei Juli im Zimmer das Kästchen blank. Als sie die Schatulle nicht öffnen können und sich wundern, was das nur für ein Kästchen ist, taucht in dem kleinen Spiegel des Deckels ein Rätsel auf, welches die Freundinnen gemeinsam lösen können. Ab diesem Moment geschieht ungeheuerliches. Ein fremdes Wesen kullert aus ihrem Kleiderschrank hervor, gefolgt von seinem König. Die junge Fee stellt sich den Kindern als Elfi vor und ihr Herr ist der gutmütige König Frohgemut, der aber gar nicht so froh ist, denn seine böse Schwester, die böse Königin Malfiesa, will ihm seinen Geburtstag vermiesen und nicht nur das, denn die Königin hat sechs Donnerkeile in der Welt Wunderland versteckt, die dem König das Leben schwer machen soll. Die Mädchen sind die einzigen, die dem Wunderland helfen können und nach einigem Zögern folgen die Mädchen dem König in sein Reich, welches wunderbar ist und voller Abenteuer steckt.

Das Buch habe ich eher zufällig in die Hände bekommen, fand die Geschichte aber so niedlich, dass sie mich gleich gefesselt hat. Dem Lesealter entsprechend sind die Sätze sehr einfach geformt und die Kapitel sehr kurz gehalten, aber sie sind so zuckersüß geschrieben, dass man einfach einen Zuckerschock bekommen muss - zumindest als Erwachsener, für kleine quirlige Girlies ist das Buch genau das Richtige! Es gibt jede Menge Pink, jede Menge fantastischer Charaktere und eine Menge Wunder zu bestaunen. Die Geschichte plätschert locker leicht dahin und lässt sich nochmals durch liebevolle Zeichnungen nachvollziehen. Das Buch ist genau das Richtige für junge Mädchen - besonders für Freundinnen. Durch die verschiedenen Charaktere dürfte es den jungen Leserinnen sogar sehr leicht fallen sich mit einem der Mädchen zu identifizieren.

Da haben wir zum einen Mia, die sehr kreativ und aufgeweckt ist. Dann ist da Juli, eher schüchtern und im Hintergrund tätig, jedoch ein musikalisches Genie. Und dann ist da noch Jasmin, welche es liebt im Rampenlicht zu stehen, gern tanzt und immer Mut beweist.
Die weiteren Charaktere im Buch sind Elfi, die Fee mit dem magischen Ring, die ihrem König und den Freundinnen immer zur Seite steht. Dann ist da noch der König höchstselbst, ein knuffiger alter Mann, der aber irgendwie Kind geblieben ist und eher trottelig-niedlich wirkt, als ein Herrscher zu sein. Und dann ist da natürlich noch der Gegenpart, die Böse, die Malfiesa - welche schon stark an Malficent aus Dornröschen erinnert und sich so manche Gemeinheit einfallen lässt, weil sie anderen den Spaß nicht gönnt.

Lesen sollten das Buch unbedingt junge Mädels die selbst Freundinnen haben und mit ihnen zusammen spannende Leseabenteuer erleben wollen oder Mädchen, die es mögen in fantastische Abenteuer abzutauchen. Die Welt ist quietschbunt und zuckersüß.

Idee: 5/5
Details: 5/5
Charaktere: 5/5
Lesefluss: 5/5

Zuckerschock: 100 %

Gebundene Ausgabe: 128 Seiten
Verlag: FISCHER KJB; Auflage: 3 (16. Mai 2013)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3596855691
ISBN-13: 978-3596855698
Vom Hersteller empfohlenes Alter: Ab 8 Jahren
Originaltitel: Secret Kingdom. Enchanted Palace
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 12,9 x 1 x 19,4 cm
Profile Image for DelAnne Frazee.
2,027 reviews25 followers
June 28, 2017
Title: Secret Kingdom #1: Enchanted Palace
Author: Rosie Banks
Publisher: Scholastic
Published: 1-28-2014
Pages: 128
Genre: Children's Fiction
Sub-Genre: Action & Adventure; Fantasy & Magic; Chapter Books
ISBN: 9780545535533
ASIN: B00EW2PY5I
Reviewed For NetGalley and Scholastic
Reviewer: DelAnne
Rating: 4,75 Starts


From the book : Enter a magical world full of friendship and fun! Ellie, Summer, and Jasmine are the very best of friends. Then one day, they find a magical box that whisks them away to the Secret Kingdom, a world full of every wonderfully magical thing under the sun. But an evil queen wants to ruin the Secret Kingdom so she can rule it for all time


A simple quick read for young readers that transports them away from the mundane every day to a world of imagination. Accompanied by adorable pen and ink drawings. My 8 and 9 year old nieces loved this season.


My rating of "Secret Kingdom #1" is 4.75 out of 5 stars.


Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EW2PY5I/...

B&N Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secr...

GoodReads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

The Reading Room Link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...

Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/DelAnne531/status...
Profile Image for Liz.
128 reviews20 followers
March 24, 2017
I would give this a solid 3.5 stars. I loved reading it to my four-year-old daughter as we snuggled up on the couch. We usually read two chapters a day (she begs for more, but that's all I can handle). She keeps up with the story line well and asks lots of questions about the different characters. I don't always have the answers, as the details don't dig too deep.

This is a good, clean, well written series that I'd recommend to any parent for read alouds or any middle aged elementary child (thinking, 2nd through 4th grade, maybe even 5th). The adventures the three main friends go on are always thrilling. Any young girl would love to be in their shoes, traveling to a secret kingdom to fight evil and save the magic of unicorns, fairies, mermaids and more.
Profile Image for Cute Rabbit.
245 reviews
October 21, 2024
This book was alright to read.But it wasn’t very interesting it was about the three girls helping trixie and the king of the secret kingdom try and help save the kings birthday as his sister had put a thunderbolt in the castle where the birthday party was going to take place.The thunderbolts make lots of problems come in that area and there is five more left for the girls to find.They are able to save the kings birthday and have a great time at the secret kingdom.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Louise.
221 reviews2 followers
September 23, 2019
En virkelig spændende historier til piger, der ikke vil læse om at piger skal reddes - men at de også kan være virkelig seje.
Hver pige har sin personlighed der gør det muligt for læseren, ligegyldig hvilken type hun er, at identificere med en af dem. Velskrevet, gode illustrationer og den kan varmt anbefales.
Profile Image for Deepali Jain.
4 reviews1 follower
July 11, 2021
Me and my daughter (6.5 years)reading series 1 of secret kingdom, she loves it, it's our ritual to read atleast one chapter before sleeping.😊
Profile Image for Bookandtalk.
62 reviews
December 26, 2021
Ein so niedliches Buch. Mit den Zeichnungen und der Magie einfach perfekt für alle, die gerne vor sich hin träumen.
Profile Image for Skyler.
194 reviews14 followers
March 22, 2022
Good childhood books, but they didn’t have a huge impact on me
Profile Image for sarah.
314 reviews1 follower
August 18, 2022
oui c’est un livre pour enfant et ? 🤨
Profile Image for Louise Stewart.
86 reviews1 follower
January 28, 2023
There was alot to like about this magical tale. Enjoyed reading it to my six year old.
Profile Image for salma.
108 reviews6 followers
Read
November 17, 2023
my little sister made me read this. it’s cute :)
10 reviews
February 19, 2024
The story was very simple .There was not lots of action or event .quite simple
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews

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