Rating: I like it BUT some families may not

Reading Level: Middle School

I confess: I just love a good princess story and I love a good mashup. So The Wide Awake Princess was a lot of fun for me to read; (SPOILER ALERT!) E.D. Baker weaves together stories such as Sleeping Beauty, the Princess and the Pea, and Hansel and Gretel.

Possible Concerns.

  • Occult. Witches and curses.
  • Girls without substance. The main character is the only princess who can read and write. The other princesses and queens are superficial.
  • Prince Not-so-charmings. One of the princes is a drunk; other princes are vain and superficial.
  • Superficiality. One prince wants to marry the main character but then drops her when he finds out that her older (more beautiful) sister is available.

Things I like:

  • A Prince with Strong Values. The lead male character, Liam, treats the princess respectfully but not like royalty that he must worship. I like that he isn’t necessarily awed by her; he see through to her person.
  • Healthy Romantic Relationship. The princess and Liam develop a friendship. The princess falls for the prince before she knows he’s a prince. Moreover, he doesn’t always do exactly what the princess wants. There is a bit of romance, but it is really tastefully done.
  • Overcoming Superficiality. The princess’s special “gift” is that magic doesn’t work on her or around her. She sees people as they truly are. This exposes others’ superficiality.
  • Honor. Liam defends the princess when people say she isn’t beautiful like other princesses.
  • What is sacrificial love? The “Fairy of Sweetness and Light” says that she likes to make others happy, but she doesn’t do any sort of sacrificial love. This is a great moment for conversations about how sometimes people think they’re acting lovingly but they’re actually quite selfish for the way it makes them feel when they “help” others.
  • Wit. The princess recognizes one prince’s clever tricks and she responds with clever tricks back to him.

If you’re ok with the typical Disney-type princess story, you’ll probably enjoy this tale.

See also my reviews of Unlocking the Spell and the The Bravest Princess, which are Books 2 and 3 in this series.