Reviews: (by author)

Kaye, M.M. The Ordinary Princess. New York: Puffin Books, 1980. $5.99.
ISBN 0-14-230085-3. 112 pp.

When the seventh princess was born, her destiny was to be the most beautiful and the luckiest.   But as fate would have it the Royal Highness Princess Amethyst Alexandera Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne was destined to be just ordinary.   Princess Amy's fairy godmother had given her the best gift of all, proclaiming, "You shall be Ordinary!"  

As the little princess grows up, her parents try to get her to marry, but no prince could be found.   In a desperate attempt, the King and Queen hire a dragon and try to trick a prince to rescue and marry her.   But the Princess learns of their trick and runs away.   Princess Amy moves into the forest.   There she lives happily with her friends, the red squirrel and crow until the weather changes.   Then Princess Amy is forced to find work as a kitchen maid in a castle for the winter.    Here Princess Amy has her greatest adventures and discovers a friend.   By the end, everything works out for the best and everyone lives happily ever after.     

The Ordinary Princess is an intelligent spoof on several classic fairy tales.   M.M. Kaye twists the classics of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella providing a strong female protagonist present day little girls can relate to.   Princess Amy is a girl that knows she will have many responsibilities when she grows up but still loves to climb trees and play in the forest with her friends.   

Reviewed by Dawn Brophy

Back to Reviews G-K