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A Hidden Magic
A young princess is tasked with rescuing a spoiled prince—if she really wants to—in this fantasy adventure by the author of Dragon Bait .Once upon a time there lived a very nice but very plain young princess named Jennifer. And she had the bad luck to fall in love with the very handsome but very conceited prince Alexander. The prince had a gift for offending everyone he met, including one day an evil witch, who cast a deep spell over him. It falls to Jennifer to save him.Yet how can a nice (but average) princess hope to defeat a powerful witch? And why save Alexander? Because she loves him? But does she really?“Happily ever after” happens only in fairy tales . . .“An original and delightful parody of the classic fairy-tale genre.” — School Library Journal“Vivian Vande Velde is a master of the unexpected.” — St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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First published September 18, 1985
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About the author
Vivian Vande Velde
51 books993 followersVivian Vande Velde (born 1951, currently residing in Rochester, New York) is an American author who writes books primarily aimed at young adults.
Her novels and short story collections usually have some element of horror or fantasy, but are primarily humorous. Her book Never Trust a Dead Man (1999) received the 2000 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She says that she really likes to write for children. She likes to do school talks to children. She does many book conventions and also gives writing classes.
Her novels and short story collections usually have some element of horror or fantasy, but are primarily humorous. Her book Never Trust a Dead Man (1999) received the 2000 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She says that she really likes to write for children. She likes to do school talks to children. She does many book conventions and also gives writing classes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
March 29, 2018
I will continue to read just about everything from this creative author (esp. if illustrated by Hyman!). I love how she puts a twist on every trope - for instance, in this one, the villain is smart enough to lock up the prisoners *separately.*
April 11, 2023
I've had this book on my shelf for ages, picked up at a used bookstore because of fond memories of other Velde books (Dragon's Bait and Heir Apparent made a big impression on me as a pre-teen). Unfortunately, I think I waited too long to read this, as it's a bit too simplistic for my tastes as an adult reader. It's a very short fairy-tale like story about a princess, Jennifer, who is fairly average in every way, who has to rescue a handsome but stupid prince from a curse. Jennifer and a sorcerer named Norman talk their way out of trouble with a witch, a giant, a dragon, an evil fairy and a jinni. The somewhat predicable story is enlivened by gorgeous line art illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman.
January 6, 2009
A Hidden Magic is a light, frothy read, flush with comic misadventure but rather low on everything else. The characters are cute, but poorly defined, existing mainly as broad parodies and send-ups of the genre's cliches: the prince is beautiful, but kind of a jerk; the princess is kind and well-mannered, but very plain; the sorceror is clever, but incompetent; the evil witch is as beautiful as she is cruel; etc., etc. And that's really all they are. They don't change, they don't learn anything, and so the conclusion falls rather flat.
The story itself isn't much better. Once you push through the awkward opening chapters, the writing is engaging and the funny bits, of which there are many, are certainly amusing; the tongue-twister scene with the dragon was particularly delightful, as was Jennifer's introduction to Norman. But it's mostly a string of comedic accidents without much to knit them together into a more cohesive whole, so while it's entertaining, it isn't involving.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Trina Schart Hyman's gorgeous illustrations, of which there are far too few present in A Hidden Magic. Though I found the narrative underwhelming, I have no such complaint regarding Hyman's work. Her drawings! So pretty! So much personality! So lovely.
The most telling thing I can say is that there is very little to be said about A Hidden Magic. It's charming and occasionally very funny, but ultimately forgettable, possessing neither the wit nor the heart nor the narrative drive of other, stronger fairy tale parodies aimed at a similar audience.
*2.5 stars
The story itself isn't much better. Once you push through the awkward opening chapters, the writing is engaging and the funny bits, of which there are many, are certainly amusing; the tongue-twister scene with the dragon was particularly delightful, as was Jennifer's introduction to Norman. But it's mostly a string of comedic accidents without much to knit them together into a more cohesive whole, so while it's entertaining, it isn't involving.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Trina Schart Hyman's gorgeous illustrations, of which there are far too few present in A Hidden Magic. Though I found the narrative underwhelming, I have no such complaint regarding Hyman's work. Her drawings! So pretty! So much personality! So lovely.
The most telling thing I can say is that there is very little to be said about A Hidden Magic. It's charming and occasionally very funny, but ultimately forgettable, possessing neither the wit nor the heart nor the narrative drive of other, stronger fairy tale parodies aimed at a similar audience.
*2.5 stars
August 13, 2017
Very light and quick read, but very sweet. Anything illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman is always a delight as well.
July 4, 2016
Princess Jennifer is a little plain but very nice. When she meets the handsome Prince Alexander she fancies herself in love and ends up in a bit of a pickle because of it. The prince has a few unpleasant flaws that get the pair in hot water with an evil witch, and Alexander gets hit hard with a sleeping spell. It's up to Jennifer to find a way to break the curse, even if it means cornering the witch herself.
Prince Alexander fascinates me. I'll call him my favorite character just because it's so much fun dissecting everything he does and says. He's a perfect product of his environment. Alexander's conceited, but at the same time he's polite, and honors his father, and recognizes admirable traits in others. He sees a young woman out working and is very polite to her even though he believes she's a peasant and she has just given him bad news. When he sees the shabby castle he's polite and flatters it in a way that's not obviously false. He thinks a quiet walk with Princess Jennifer would be boring but he respects that she's a good listener and a nice person and sets out anyway. But he's also a medieval prince in the best way: so spoiled and admired that he takes it for granted that he's always right (and if he's not he can just blame someone else and they'll happily accept the fault to the point where he doesn't even acknowledge that Jennifer refuses to take the blame for him getting them lost), and that he'll always be the most important person in the room. An amusing exception to this must be when he's in a room with his father. We never actually meet the king, but most of Alexander's sentences start not with him reminding people that he's a prince, but that his father is the king.
When Princess Jennifer is hauling firewood he holds the door open for her but makes no move to lighten her load; he's been taught to be courteous, not helpful. He thinks nothing of allowing Jennifer to do all the hard work and actually tries to steal an ornate mirror from the cottage they find just because he wants to avoid the hassle of dealing with the owner (which actually isn't as jerkass as it sounds, since he's most likely predicting that the owner will eventually give it to him, but it'll take a lot of token protests and flattery that'll waste everyone's time). I am curious how he planned on carrying it, though. He'd probably flatter Jennifer into hauling it around, poor thing, which is logical as she's used to hard work but it's still irritating.
He gets what's coming to him regarding the mirror, and it's the only time we see him reacting poorly. He refuses to believe in magic, preferring to believe Princess Jennifer is a ventriloquist despite the protests of both Jennifer and the magic mirror. This disbelief is what got them into this mess as he chose to ignore her warnings and wander into the enchanted forest, and now it gets him into worse when the mirror blinds him and he lashes out at it.
For all his talk of traveling the world, I can't help but wonder how sheltered his travels were. His clothes are white satin, his maroon cloak is fur trimmed and his outfit and horse's tack 'flashed and sparkled' with gold rings, buckles, and studs. It's never mentioned but there's no way this man was travelling country roads alone. He'd've been robbed and stripped bare before ever leaving his kingdom. Or at least dirtied up. My theory is that he got separated from his entourage and he knew better than to tell peasant!Jennifer he was all alone, and it was probably glossed over when he met her father and bored them all with his 'my father, the king' this and 'my father, the king' that. It's my only explanation for how a prince, in a world that is explicitly described on the first page as a place where 'kissing a frog still sometimes resulted in more than a case of warts', isn't aware of magic. He's been left in ignorance of it to prevent him from, I don't know, seeking it out or relying on it (that never goes well in fairy tales), but since curses are usually triggered by people disrespecting a magical being he was raised to be courteous to people from all stations of life. He might not be out looking for a frog princess, but at least he won't accidently become a frog prince. Unfortunately this also prevented him from learning to be polite to magic objects.
He doesn't learn anything by the end of the book, but that's understandable since he goes full out sleeping beauty early on.
Princess Jennifer doesn't develop much either, but it's not that kind of book. There's no character changing epiphanies, just simple morality lessons. She learns not to fall for appearances, and that 'the people who seem to be the easiest to fall in love with aren't necessarily the best ones to be in love with'. But that's it. She's still a pushover, and while her first episode with the magic mirror teaches her to follow directions the first time they're given I don't see her hanging on to that reaction back away from magical beings/objects. She's a nice enough person but niceness and a strong sense of responsibility don't make her especially memorable. It could be said that in the fight against Malveenya she seems to come to the realization that she can't always follow after other people, and she'll sometimes need to take the lead in situations, but she's was a princess in a dilapidated castle who had taken on a great deal of responsibility before she started looking to Alexander to take point. And looking for help from the magical locals was taking charge since she had no personal experience breaking curses.
The magical characters are a bit more interesting. The Old Witch is sneaky and fun and she gets a happy ending, the episodes of outsmarting magical creatures (instead of defeating them physically) are amusing, and the witch Malveenya is a clever opponent that Jennifer has to face without Norman the sorcerer. He's cleverer than she is and it's pretty obvious (not because he flaunts it, just because they overcome everything by thinking they're way out and Jennifer tends to be a little slow on the uptake), while Jennifer seems to have a better grasp at manipulation via guilt-trips and wearing people down with niceness (which makes her character much more entertaining once you realize).
In the end, Jennifer and Norman don't defeat Malveenya through cleverness, but through kindness. Jennifer realizes there's no way they can beat her so she tries to do a good deed for someone so there'll be a bit of good out of the whole mess and it quite accidently defeats the evil witch. It's pretty brilliant actually.
The verdict? The characters aren't very memorable and I had to reread the book to refresh my memory of the plot, but it's short, has great lessons, is amusing, and everyone lives happily ever after. It would make a great longish bedtime story, maybe stretched out over two days, and it's shorter than it looks. There's 176 pages but the margins are so wide you can knock off the whole thing in an hour if you read slowly.
Prince Alexander fascinates me. I'll call him my favorite character just because it's so much fun dissecting everything he does and says. He's a perfect product of his environment. Alexander's conceited, but at the same time he's polite, and honors his father, and recognizes admirable traits in others. He sees a young woman out working and is very polite to her even though he believes she's a peasant and she has just given him bad news. When he sees the shabby castle he's polite and flatters it in a way that's not obviously false. He thinks a quiet walk with Princess Jennifer would be boring but he respects that she's a good listener and a nice person and sets out anyway. But he's also a medieval prince in the best way: so spoiled and admired that he takes it for granted that he's always right (and if he's not he can just blame someone else and they'll happily accept the fault to the point where he doesn't even acknowledge that Jennifer refuses to take the blame for him getting them lost), and that he'll always be the most important person in the room. An amusing exception to this must be when he's in a room with his father. We never actually meet the king, but most of Alexander's sentences start not with him reminding people that he's a prince, but that his father is the king.
When Princess Jennifer is hauling firewood he holds the door open for her but makes no move to lighten her load; he's been taught to be courteous, not helpful. He thinks nothing of allowing Jennifer to do all the hard work and actually tries to steal an ornate mirror from the cottage they find just because he wants to avoid the hassle of dealing with the owner (which actually isn't as jerkass as it sounds, since he's most likely predicting that the owner will eventually give it to him, but it'll take a lot of token protests and flattery that'll waste everyone's time). I am curious how he planned on carrying it, though. He'd probably flatter Jennifer into hauling it around, poor thing, which is logical as she's used to hard work but it's still irritating.
He gets what's coming to him regarding the mirror, and it's the only time we see him reacting poorly. He refuses to believe in magic, preferring to believe Princess Jennifer is a ventriloquist despite the protests of both Jennifer and the magic mirror. This disbelief is what got them into this mess as he chose to ignore her warnings and wander into the enchanted forest, and now it gets him into worse when the mirror blinds him and he lashes out at it.
For all his talk of traveling the world, I can't help but wonder how sheltered his travels were. His clothes are white satin, his maroon cloak is fur trimmed and his outfit and horse's tack 'flashed and sparkled' with gold rings, buckles, and studs. It's never mentioned but there's no way this man was travelling country roads alone. He'd've been robbed and stripped bare before ever leaving his kingdom. Or at least dirtied up. My theory is that he got separated from his entourage and he knew better than to tell peasant!Jennifer he was all alone, and it was probably glossed over when he met her father and bored them all with his 'my father, the king' this and 'my father, the king' that. It's my only explanation for how a prince, in a world that is explicitly described on the first page as a place where 'kissing a frog still sometimes resulted in more than a case of warts', isn't aware of magic. He's been left in ignorance of it to prevent him from, I don't know, seeking it out or relying on it (that never goes well in fairy tales), but since curses are usually triggered by people disrespecting a magical being he was raised to be courteous to people from all stations of life. He might not be out looking for a frog princess, but at least he won't accidently become a frog prince. Unfortunately this also prevented him from learning to be polite to magic objects.
He doesn't learn anything by the end of the book, but that's understandable since he goes full out sleeping beauty early on.
Princess Jennifer doesn't develop much either, but it's not that kind of book. There's no character changing epiphanies, just simple morality lessons. She learns not to fall for appearances, and that 'the people who seem to be the easiest to fall in love with aren't necessarily the best ones to be in love with'. But that's it. She's still a pushover, and while her first episode with the magic mirror teaches her to follow directions the first time they're given I don't see her hanging on to that reaction back away from magical beings/objects. She's a nice enough person but niceness and a strong sense of responsibility don't make her especially memorable. It could be said that in the fight against Malveenya she seems to come to the realization that she can't always follow after other people, and she'll sometimes need to take the lead in situations, but she's was a princess in a dilapidated castle who had taken on a great deal of responsibility before she started looking to Alexander to take point. And looking for help from the magical locals was taking charge since she had no personal experience breaking curses.
The magical characters are a bit more interesting. The Old Witch is sneaky and fun and she gets a happy ending, the episodes of outsmarting magical creatures (instead of defeating them physically) are amusing, and the witch Malveenya is a clever opponent that Jennifer has to face without Norman the sorcerer. He's cleverer than she is and it's pretty obvious (not because he flaunts it, just because they overcome everything by thinking they're way out and Jennifer tends to be a little slow on the uptake), while Jennifer seems to have a better grasp at manipulation via guilt-trips and wearing people down with niceness (which makes her character much more entertaining once you realize).
In the end, Jennifer and Norman don't defeat Malveenya through cleverness, but through kindness. Jennifer realizes there's no way they can beat her so she tries to do a good deed for someone so there'll be a bit of good out of the whole mess and it quite accidently defeats the evil witch. It's pretty brilliant actually.
The verdict? The characters aren't very memorable and I had to reread the book to refresh my memory of the plot, but it's short, has great lessons, is amusing, and everyone lives happily ever after. It would make a great longish bedtime story, maybe stretched out over two days, and it's shorter than it looks. There's 176 pages but the margins are so wide you can knock off the whole thing in an hour if you read slowly.
November 15, 2023
I found this book hidden away on a bookshelf in my room on a trip home to New Jersey and I couldn’t believe I’d ever forgotten about it. This was likely an influential book for me - the princess being a rather ordinary person and the charming prince being pretty horrible is a wonderful subversion of a classic fairy tale that definitely shaped my thinking on fairy tales in general. It’s a fast read and a fast plot, and I think it’s essential children’s reading, which makes it a shame that as far as I know it’s basically an unknown.
I leave you with this, what is one of my favorite introductions of a protagonist ever:
“Jennifer was not your average beautiful princess living in a magnificent palace. In fact, she was actually rather plain and shy, with the chubby, good-natured kind of face parents tend to call nice.”
Finally some representation for the rest of us!
I leave you with this, what is one of my favorite introductions of a protagonist ever:
“Jennifer was not your average beautiful princess living in a magnificent palace. In fact, she was actually rather plain and shy, with the chubby, good-natured kind of face parents tend to call nice.”
Finally some representation for the rest of us!
January 27, 2020
I enjoyed this book as a light piece of fun fluff. It was a fun little book to pick up and read a short chapter between chores. If you like fairy tales or fantasy, and aren't expecting the world's most original plot or characters, you will probably enjoy it. Some of the character/plot twists are fun. If you read lots of fairy tales, you will see a few times where she does something unexpected, but there are also a lot of typical fantasy cliches (Giants are stupid, dragons are greedy, etc). I'll be honest and say it was Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations that brought me to this book, as she is one of my favorite illustrators.
August 18, 2009
Okay, so I'm basing my 5-star review on my memory of reading this book when I was, I dunno...8 or 9 years old? But I LOVED it. I loved the plucky heroine who eventually wised up and fell for the nerdy wizard instead of the handsome jerkwad prince, and I loved that she was a princess, but y'know, only *technically*, and I STILL love Trina Schart Hyman, who just might be one of the best children's book illustrators who ever lived. Her drawings are so lush and delicate and bold, I would buy just about any book, even a mediocre one, that had her work in it.
July 28, 2024
I was read this book when I was seven years old, and it immediately became my favorite book. I've reread it several times since then, and it remains a beloved favorite. It's like a fairy-tale, except instead of a handsome prince rescuing a princess, it's about a princess going on a quest to save a prince. It's a lovely story, with great humor, and Jennifer, the princess, is a great character, as is the sorcerer, Norman.
February 8, 2017
A very light and quick fantasy read. There's not a whole lot of depth but it's still enjoyable with pretty classic illustrations with a more grounded love story.
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November 7, 2013A good read, one of the books that takes its readers to another world, a magical world far from reality, gives them the opportunity to experience it with all the events as if they are living in a dream, and to take a break from life’s worries. It is also enjoyable because it is somewhat different than the typical fairytale stories, for instance, usually the ending of a fairytale is expected, but not this one, which makes it unique in a way.
December 11, 2018
I loved this fractured fairy tale as a kid. It was one of the first of it's kind that I read. This illustrations are also as beautiful and quirky as the adventure and it's wild, spunky and clever characters.
November 24, 2019
I know I've read this one, but never reviewed it. I remember quite enjoying this author porlifically as a teenager, maybe that's why? I may re-read this later, but for now, though I barely recall this story, I still remember enjoying it rather a lot. 4 stars
February 23, 2017
A fun fairytale featuring a very down to earth princess trying to save a silly prince from a curse he very much earned.
January 27, 2018
Delightful fairy tale made all the more magical with Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations.
October 25, 2017
Princess Jennifer is from a very small kingdom with a falling down castle. She meets handsome Prince Alexander, who doesn't believe in magic, but does believe in getting his own way. He insists on taking a walk through the forest, despite Jennifer's warnings that it is enchanted. Because of Alexander's stubbornness, he ends up enchanted indirectly by the evil Malveenya, and it's up to Jennifer to save him. She joins forces with Norman, a sorcerer, who helps her secure a jinni from the Old Witch, but ends up stuck as an old man. The jinni, unfortunately, isn't very helpful and Norman and Jennifer resolve to face Malveenya. On the way they outsmart a giant and a dragon before falling into Malveenya's clutches. Things are looking grim, but thanks to Jennifer's quick thinking (and Malveenya's slow thinking) the prince is saved. She turns down to his marriage proposal though. Norman laughs himself young again and everyone is headed for a happily ever after, even the Old Witch.
This is a delightful book. The solutions to their problems are very ingenious. Norman and Jennifer are very practical people who manage everything competently. I love competent characters. There are way too many that just bumble around, but not in this book. (Except perhaps for Alexander.) A Hidden Magic is a very refreshing read.
This is a delightful book. The solutions to their problems are very ingenious. Norman and Jennifer are very practical people who manage everything competently. I love competent characters. There are way too many that just bumble around, but not in this book. (Except perhaps for Alexander.) A Hidden Magic is a very refreshing read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2025
Okay, this was actually SO CUTE and made me nostalgic for the fantasy books I read when I was young, like WISE CHILD, ELLA ENCHANTED, and Bruce Coville's Unicorn Chronicles. This is about a poor princess who meets a beautiful prince named Alexander, and she immediately gets a crush on him-- but he's not a very nice person, and their journey into an enchanted wood quickly takes a sour turn.
I'm a sucker for a well-written book about quests and misadventures, and the way that this was narrated had a lyrical, timeless quality that I absolutely adored. Writing books for teens and children is hard, because some authors aren't able to remove their adult voice from the narrative or keep themselves from adopting a patronizing, lecturing tone, and it does affect the story. But Vivian Vande Velde has always been one of my favorite YA authors precisely because she is such an expert at letting the reader come to their own conclusions about a story and its characters, without needing to compulsively hold their hand.
Also, I absolutely loved that Jennifer wasn't beautiful and I liked the unexpected love interest and various twist endings. This is the perfect pick-me-up story for whenever you need something magical and comforting, with a generous pinch of humor, and that just so happened to be exactly what I was in the mood for myself right now.
4.5 stars
I'm a sucker for a well-written book about quests and misadventures, and the way that this was narrated had a lyrical, timeless quality that I absolutely adored. Writing books for teens and children is hard, because some authors aren't able to remove their adult voice from the narrative or keep themselves from adopting a patronizing, lecturing tone, and it does affect the story. But Vivian Vande Velde has always been one of my favorite YA authors precisely because she is such an expert at letting the reader come to their own conclusions about a story and its characters, without needing to compulsively hold their hand.
Also, I absolutely loved that Jennifer wasn't beautiful and I liked the unexpected love interest and various twist endings. This is the perfect pick-me-up story for whenever you need something magical and comforting, with a generous pinch of humor, and that just so happened to be exactly what I was in the mood for myself right now.
4.5 stars
October 10, 2023
The best kind of book, one that makes you want to be braver, wiser, and more selfless. I wish there were more like this, but I'll hold the few I know close. This one in particular very suddenly reawakened my wonder and love of the natural world. I spent a few hours outside after reading, just enjoying the outdoors. The characters were so like real people it reminded me how life really is an adventure--and we always have the opportunity to do the right thing and save the day. It's a simple story, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
(If you've never read a book with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman--goody! You'll love them!)
(If you've never read a book with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman--goody! You'll love them!)
March 12, 2019
A Hidden Magic was a short, fun, fairy tale kind of book, and I like fairy tales! :)
The physical content was tame with nothing really being described. Jennifer does kiss someone, and she holds hands with someone so they don’t get lost in a place that is very dark. A witch moons after her old sweetheart.
There were no swear words that I can remember.
These are all good things. However, I do have a few problems. First, there was an illustration of an evil lady whose dress neck goes very low. The picture’s not detailed, but the book could’ve done without it. The next is that the witch and vulture dude were creepy. I do realize though that you need some evil kind of elements. Lastly, one part of the ending was based on a deception that I wasn’t sure I was quite comfortable with. Yes, it made everything come out in the end, but….it just didn’t sit right with me.
Despite these elements, if you’re looking for a fun, fresh, fairy tale adventure, I would recommend this. 10 and up.
The physical content was tame with nothing really being described. Jennifer does kiss someone, and she holds hands with someone so they don’t get lost in a place that is very dark. A witch moons after her old sweetheart.
There were no swear words that I can remember.
These are all good things. However, I do have a few problems. First, there was an illustration of an evil lady whose dress neck goes very low. The picture’s not detailed, but the book could’ve done without it. The next is that the witch and vulture dude were creepy. I do realize though that you need some evil kind of elements. Lastly, one part of the ending was based on a deception that I wasn’t sure I was quite comfortable with. Yes, it made everything come out in the end, but….it just didn’t sit right with me.
Despite these elements, if you’re looking for a fun, fresh, fairy tale adventure, I would recommend this. 10 and up.
September 8, 2021
This book takes place in an enchanted forest, and as a result on every page I found myself wishing that I had instead decided to reread one of the far superior Enchanted Forest Chronicles. The excuse can't be that this is supposed to be a kids' book, because the same is true of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, though it's quite possible that a child would enjoy it more than I did. I keep trying Vande Velde, because she has a sense of humor that's not universal in fantasy writers, but this may be the last one for a while.
December 9, 2023
Grappig verhaal over Jennifer, een prinses die kennis maakt met Alexander, een prins op zoek naar een vrouw. Maar Alexander is eigenwijs en nogal arrogant. Als ze een wandeling maken in de paleistuin opent hij een deur in een muur die de tuin scheidt van een woud waar allerlei sprookjesfiguren wonen. Er zijn een oude heks, een tovenaar, die niet echt kan toveren, een draak en een reus en Malveenya, een prachtige maar door en door slechte tovenares.
Alexander wordt vervloekt door haar betoverde spiegel en valt in slaap waaruit Jennifer hem niet kan wakker maken. En ze gaat op zoek naar hulp.
Alexander wordt vervloekt door haar betoverde spiegel en valt in slaap waaruit Jennifer hem niet kan wakker maken. En ze gaat op zoek naar hulp.
October 21, 2020
It was a nice, light story, which is what I was hoping to read. I guess I didn't get much depth out of the book, and felt the story could have been made stronger if all the points of conflict were more complex, like make the dragon and giant more than just superficial obstacles, or have Malveenya have a motive more than just hurt people. Still, I felt like the story had a satisfying ending, wrapping up all major points of interest, and the protagonist achieved her goals.
May 18, 2021
This book was very fun and a quick read. The ending seemed to happen too fast, but with a book less than 200 pages that is to be expected so it didn't bother me very much. The only thing that really bothered me was the lack of character development of the protagonist.
The dragon (and the alliteration) and the Old Witch were my favorite parts of this book.
The dragon (and the alliteration) and the Old Witch were my favorite parts of this book.
May 15, 2023
This simple and fun tale turns from playful magical adventure with amusing characters to a fairly satisfying romantic ending. Having a sorcerer with no magic powers beyond a shape-changing ring was unexpected but his character complements (Princess that you almost forget is a princess) Jennifer quite nicely.
January 20, 2024
A truly excellent bedtime fairytale! I’d say the perfect age to read this would be between 8 and 10. It’s modern and clever but maintains the feel of an old fairytale with characters meant to represent good and bad (in purposefully simpler terms than literary fiction) and a plot that moves along and ties it all up neatly in the end. It’s Delightful!
February 1, 2017
Set in a fairy tale world, Plain Princess Jennifer is sent on a quest to break
the sleeping curse placed on Prince Alexander.
The black and white illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman add to the light humor of
the story.
the sleeping curse placed on Prince Alexander.
The black and white illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman add to the light humor of
the story.
August 4, 2022
Fun parody fairy tale that is as good for adults as it is for children. The book has good characterization for its short length. The plot flows nicely and unlike the previous fairy tale by a modern author I just read, this one does not jump or have unjustified plot happenings. Recommended.
April 21, 2023
This book only has two faults: 1) it is too short, and 2) there are so many typos!! It’s almost distracting at one point. But Vivian Vande Velde has always been, and continues to be, one of my favorite fantasy writers.
Now I’m off to read Dragon’s Bait!
Now I’m off to read Dragon’s Bait!
October 11, 2024
This was a fun and enjoyable read! It was a twist on the typical fairy tale, but all's well that ends well. If you are looking for a nice read and one that you can read with your school-aged kids, this book fits the bill!
September 13, 2025
What I enjoyed: the tricking of the giant and dragon, and our FMC. Norman was nice too.
What I didn’t enjoy: there was a lack of depth to all the characters and relationships.
There really isn’t much to this book, but there were still parts I enjoyed so giving three stars.
Content: clean
What I didn’t enjoy: there was a lack of depth to all the characters and relationships.
There really isn’t much to this book, but there were still parts I enjoyed so giving three stars.
Content: clean
Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews