A true princess

Format:

Book

Title:

A true princess

Author:

Zahler, Diane.

ISBN:

9780061825019

9780061825033

Edition:

1st ed.

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

182 pages ; 22 cm

Summary:

Twelve-year-old Lilia goes north to seek the family she has never known, accompanied by her friends Kai and Karina and their dog Ove, on an adventure fraught with peril, especially when they become lost in Bitra Forest, the Elf King's domain. Inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen tale, The princess and the pea.

Reading Level:

Ages 8-12.

Subject(s):

Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.

Princesses -- Juvenile fiction.

Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction.

Identity (Philosophical concept) -- Juvenile fiction.

Heroes -- Juvenile fiction.

Magic -- Juvenile fiction.

Missing children -- Juvenile fiction.

Fairy tales.

Identity -- Fiction.

Princesses -- Fiction.

Voyages and travels -- Fiction.

Heroes -- Fiction.

Lost children -- Fiction.

Friendship -- Fiction.

Genre:

Fairy tales -- Juvenile fiction.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Woodburn Public Library	Zahler	Searching... Unknown
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	Zahler, D.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	J Zahler, D.	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Twelve-year-old Lilia is not a very good servant. In fact, she's terrible! She daydreams, she breaks dishes, and her cooking is awful. Still, she hardly deserves to be sold off to the mean-spirited miller and his family. Refusing to accept that dreadful fate, she decides to flee. With her best friend, Kai, and his sister, Karina, beside her, Lilia heads north to find the family she's never known. But danger awaits. . . .

As their quest leads the threesome through the mysterious and sinister Bitra Forest, they suddenly realize they are lost in the elves' domain. To Lilia's horror, Kai falls under an enchantment cast by the Elf King's beautiful daughter. The only way for Lilia to break the spell and save Kai is to find a jewel of ancient power that lies somewhere in the North Kingdoms. Yet the jewel will not be easy to find. The castle where it is hidden has been overrun with princess hopefuls trying to pass a magical test that will determine the prince's new bride. Lilia has only a few days to search every inch of the castle and find the jewel--or Kai will be lost to her forever.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-This reinterpretation of "The Princess and the Pea" begins with Lilia running away from the only home she has ever known when she overhears her foster mother planning to send her away to work as a servant. Joined by Karina and Kai, her foster mother's stepchildren, Lilia decides to travel north to see if she can discover her true identity. The three hear stories of the Elf-King and are warned to stay on the road as they travel through the forest, but are forced to flee from bandits and stumble onto the elves' Midsummer celebration. Kai is immediately enthralled by the Elf-King's daughter and forced to stay with her unless Lilia can retrieve a jeweled clasp from the local king's castle. Lilia and Karina start work as maids at the palace and begin their search. The only room they cannot enter is reserved for the young women who arrive at the palace to try the "true princess" test, which no one has yet to win. Eventually they find a way into the room, which has only a bed inside. Karina falls asleep, Lilia doesn't, and this leads to the discovery of her past. It also leads to the discovery of the clasp, Kai's eventual freedom, and the betrothal of Karina and the prince. Readers who enjoyed Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted (HarperCollins, 1997), Zahler's The Thirteenth Princess (HarperCollins, 2010) or E.D. Baker's "Tales of the Frog Princess" series (Bloomsbury) will also relish this tale.-Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

In this fairy tale, Lilia is on a quest to locate a jewel that will free her friend Kai from the Elf-King. Meanwhile, Lilia's friend Karina and a prince searching for a "true princess" fall in love (with echoes of "The Princess and the Pea"). Readers who enjoyed Zahler's The Thirteenth Princess will likely appreciate this lighter tale as well. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.