Pretend Princess

Concordia #1

by Mary Mager

In the mountain kingdom of Concordia, King Bartholomew has a problem. How can he ease the loneliness of Queen Gabrielle, who longs for a child? Borrow one, of course! A young girl named Olive becomes the Queen's companion, growing up one foot in a palace and the other in a cottage. But what happens to a Pretend Princess when the King and Queen finally have a child of their own? With humor and a vivid cast of characters, "Pretend Princess" turns the usual fairytale on its head in this engaging story. "Pretend Princess" is the captivating first book in the Concordia series for middle-grade readers.

74 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 9, 2018

About the author

I was born in Indiana, but grew up in Reno, Nevada and still live here with my husband, George, in a house in the desert we built ourselves. We raised our three children here and now entertain them with the grandchildren on a regular basis. I went to local schools and the University of Nevada, where I earned a degree in nursing. I've also been a business owner and substitute teacher. My best job, though, was stay-at-home mom.

I began writing to capture the stories my grandchildren wanted to hear over and over, which led to writing them down and eventually into books. I'm still having fun with that process. There's nothing more rewarding than getting a chuckle or comment from a child about something you've written.

Reviews

[Jeanne Dembenski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful first offering from a new author. Great for reading with your young children or grands. watch for the next two books in this cute series

[LitPick Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queen Gabrielle is lonely. She had lived with many nieces and nephews before she became queen, so she loves children. She wants a child very badly. King Bartholomew loves Gabrielle and wants her to be happy. He goes in search for the perfect child to join his wife in the palace and keep her company. After several mishaps with naughty children, he finds Olive.

Olive lives with her mother and is a well-mannered child. Her father died at sea when she was very young. Olive comes to the palace every week to visit with the king and queen. She learns to love the king and queen like her parents; they even throw a birthday party for her! After many years the king and queen joyfully announce that they will have a child of their own. Will they need Olive, the “pretend princess,” anymore? She loves them so much! What will happen to her if they don’t?

Opinion:
Pretend Princess is a beautiful story about a sweet girl and her adopted family. Readers will love the many jokes and funny plot twists, such as a birthday party that goes horribly wrong. Mary Mager has created a heart-touching story that will make you laugh, cry, and smile. The characters are wonderfully described and touch the heart. “She [Olive] regarded Bartholomew with solemn blue eyes.” The book’s language and content are perfect for most elementary students.

Reviewed by a LitPick student book reviewer, Age 12

[Joy Lane]

published by Createspace, so it isn't readily available in libraries