The Princess in Black

I am pretty darn pumped right now! In fact I would say that I am so excited I want to tell you about it right at this very exact moment, but we need a little back story first.

As a child I always grew up wanting to have a girl hero. I grew up always hearing girls rule and girls are the best. I totally believed this, but as someone that loved reading and loved listening to stories I wanted a girl hero in my stories. In 1st and 2nd grade I read a lot of Junie B. Jones. She is great, but she is not much of a hero. I always think about this when I am picking a book for my future classroom. Will the main character of this story empower my students? 

Today, I found something amazing. I found something wonderful. I found something great while I was shopping with my sweet kids that I babysit. We were at the book section (of course, my favorite part of any store) and we were looking at all sorts of fun stories. It was then that I saw it. I saw The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale. I was always a huge fan of Shannon Hale growing up and now I love her even more. 

The Princess in Black

This book was not supposed to be out yet, not until October 14th, but for some reason it was out early and I am so glad. The story follows Princess Magnolia. Princess Magnolia is a proper princess. She always wore pink, always was neat, and always did what a princess needed to do. The thing is Princess Magnolia has a secret. She had a very very big secret. She is not just Princess Magnolia, she is someone else entirely. Princess Magnolia is the Princess in black and she fights crime to keep the people of her kingdom safe. 

I loved this story! I love the way it was written and how easily the reader gets sucked in. This story made me feel like I could do anything. I want every girl to feel like they can rule the world. If you know a little girl or any girl they should read this story. You should read it with them and you should enjoy how very awesome it is to be a girl.

I would say its about at the same reading level as a Mercy Watson book. I would say its great for first and second grade readers. 

Have you read anything that made you smile lately? Whats going on in your classroom? Let me know :) have a great week!

Keep Reading,

Ms. Cara

I wanted to share this so that you could hear Shannon's thoughts on her book and on writing!!

I saw this and I could hardly handle how cute it was. So your sweet child could dress like Princess Magnolia for Halloween!! I love a good book themed costume.