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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Got halfway through this book and realized I didn't care about any of the characters or how it would end. I realize it is a book for children, but you still have to care about the characters to keep reading, IMO. It was also boring. Or maybe I just don't care for the POV of fairy tale characters. I sense this was trying to be written in the same vein as The Land of Stories, Spiderwick Chronicles, and The Sisters Grimm; I don't think it succeeded.
Funny story in the twisted fairy tale line, with an (overly?) intrusive narrator. Lots to like for upper elementary school readers, but perhaps a tad too long?
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gustav, Frederic, Liam and Duncan. The Princes Charming that the bards forgot about. Well they didn't forget, they were just too lazy to remember the names and "Prince Charming" just seemed to stick. You see, the bards are the only way information gets around the kingdoms. So all of the princesses are extremely popular (Rapunzel, Cinderella, Briar Rose and Snow White- bet you know who they are!)but the poor boys are just "Charming". Not even a name but an adjective.
So when a very evil witch (who did her homework on the the whole witching occupation) decides to steal the bards and plots an elaborate execution, its up to the Princes Charming to redeem their names and save the day.
This book is just as silly as it sounds but makes you giggle the whole way through!
The author did a wonderful job of using the very little detail we know on the Princes and making it part of their personality. For example, Cinderella's Prince Charming met Cinderella at a ball and (literally) swept her off her feet- through dancing. Healy's character of Cinderella's Charming (the very girly Frederic) is not only a wonderful dancer, but also very good at making picnics, etiquette, and reading adventures of Sir Bertram the Dainty. Clever and hilarious!
I can't think of anyone who won't enjoy this book. Fairy-tales delight both the old and the young and these fairy-tales are so twisted and funny, I actually feel sorry for anyone who gives this book less than three stars- they obviously are missing a funny bone!
So when a very evil witch (who did her homework on the the whole witching occupation) decides to steal the bards and plots an elaborate execution, its up to the Princes Charming to redeem their names and save the day.
This book is just as silly as it sounds but makes you giggle the whole way through!
The author did a wonderful job of using the very little detail we know on the Princes and making it part of their personality. For example, Cinderella's Prince Charming met Cinderella at a ball and (literally) swept her off her feet- through dancing. Healy's character of Cinderella's Charming (the very girly Frederic) is not only a wonderful dancer, but also very good at making picnics, etiquette, and reading adventures of Sir Bertram the Dainty. Clever and hilarious!
I can't think of anyone who won't enjoy this book. Fairy-tales delight both the old and the young and these fairy-tales are so twisted and funny, I actually feel sorry for anyone who gives this book less than three stars- they obviously are missing a funny bone!
I think this is too scary for my 7 year old right now, but he'll probably be ready for it soon.
Leaning towards 4.5 stars... Four Princes Charming (or Prince Charmings, if you're not Prince Duncan...) at first alone and then together, attempt to be heroes. Who needs rescuing? It changes around, and that doesn't really matter. We not only get to know these four semi-heroes, we get to meet the women they may or may not have rescued in the past: Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel. You'll also find plenty of amusing peripheral characters--a host of monsters, bad guys, family members, and kingdom residents.
I find the original stories a bit gaggy these days, so I fully dove into the premise of thing being quite a bit different. I read this after my 12 year old son finished it and told me he liked it (he would give it 4 stars).
I smiled a lot, and I laughed out loud some as well. It's funny, sweet, silly, and highly entertaining. Also, I expected all along for one type of ending. I'm pleased to say that I was wrong (my son too!). So it wasn't predictable for me, and I was happily surprised.
The artwork adds a bonus to the story. The drawings are detailed, well-done, and help add to the mood. They are also spot-on, as in the images I had in my head of what characters should look like did not conflict with the drawings.
I'm not sure I would recommend it to a girl who grew up loving the Disney Princesses, as this might twist her view of something she doesn't want twisted. Beyond that, any boy or girl who likes their fantasy with a load of humor will appreciate this title.
I find the original stories a bit gaggy these days, so I fully dove into the premise of thing being quite a bit different. I read this after my 12 year old son finished it and told me he liked it (he would give it 4 stars).
I smiled a lot, and I laughed out loud some as well. It's funny, sweet, silly, and highly entertaining. Also, I expected all along for one type of ending. I'm pleased to say that I was wrong (my son too!). So it wasn't predictable for me, and I was happily surprised.
The artwork adds a bonus to the story. The drawings are detailed, well-done, and help add to the mood. They are also spot-on, as in the images I had in my head of what characters should look like did not conflict with the drawings.
I'm not sure I would recommend it to a girl who grew up loving the Disney Princesses, as this might twist her view of something she doesn't want twisted. Beyond that, any boy or girl who likes their fantasy with a load of humor will appreciate this title.
Christopher Healy's The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is a hilarious, Looney Toons-esque take on Disneyfied fairy tales where all the princes are named "Charming". Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel...Healy lampoons them mercilessly: Prince Frederic (he married Cinderella) is a spineless fop; Gustav (Rapunzel's Prince Charming) is a slab of stolid Slav dealing with a massive insecurity complex (that happens when you're smaller than your 16 brothers); Liam (Sleeping Beauty) is a one-man wrecking crew whose wife is a spoiled brat; and Duncan (Snow White) is a stoned surfer dude. These ill-matched princes are brought together by an evil witch's plot and they must band together and save, well, everybody. The problem is that their wives are also not exactly as we've been told, especially the snotty Briar Rose (perhaps best described as "King Joffrey in a ball gown").
This book is F-U-N-N-Y FUNNY, and the audiobook is even better. Bronson Pinchot narrates it with manic glee, investing each character with individual quirks and tics that may cause you to drive off the road with laughter. I had no idea that he was this good with character voices. Readers of a certain age will remember Edward Everett Horton's narration of "Fractured Fairy Tales" from the Rocky and Bullwinkle TV show. Pinchot reaches those hysterical heights and stays there, whether it's voicing Gustav's laconic, acerbic German, Sleeping Beauty's screeching Irish fishwife of a princess, or Duncan's dazed-and-confused-Valley-Dude drawl. First rate in every respect. I can't recommend it enough. A+
This book is F-U-N-N-Y FUNNY, and the audiobook is even better. Bronson Pinchot narrates it with manic glee, investing each character with individual quirks and tics that may cause you to drive off the road with laughter. I had no idea that he was this good with character voices. Readers of a certain age will remember Edward Everett Horton's narration of "Fractured Fairy Tales" from the Rocky and Bullwinkle TV show. Pinchot reaches those hysterical heights and stays there, whether it's voicing Gustav's laconic, acerbic German, Sleeping Beauty's screeching Irish fishwife of a princess, or Duncan's dazed-and-confused-Valley-Dude drawl. First rate in every respect. I can't recommend it enough. A+
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At times funny, always charming, A Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom shows audiences there's more than one way to be a hero.
Utterly delightful! Hilariously funny! Simply outstanding!
Healy did a magnificent job with this book. It was fresh, playful, creative, and peculiar in the best of ways. What a riot! To experience the fairy tale from the perspective of the Charming ones. Brilliant, I say. The characters, the adventures, the oddities, the descriptive language - it all worked together to make this story one that quite plainly ROCKS.
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Bookshelf Worthy: Yes
Multiple Reads: Yes (It's just that good. You will totally want to read it again and again.)
Audience: This book will hold huge appeal for middle grade readers up to adults of all ages. Both male and female readers will appreciate its charm. No question!
I secured a copy of this title from my local library, but I must say that I want a copy of my own. Seriously!
Healy did a magnificent job with this book. It was fresh, playful, creative, and peculiar in the best of ways. What a riot! To experience the fairy tale from the perspective of the Charming ones. Brilliant, I say. The characters, the adventures, the oddities, the descriptive language - it all worked together to make this story one that quite plainly ROCKS.
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Bookshelf Worthy: Yes
Multiple Reads: Yes (It's just that good. You will totally want to read it again and again.)
Audience: This book will hold huge appeal for middle grade readers up to adults of all ages. Both male and female readers will appreciate its charm. No question!
I secured a copy of this title from my local library, but I must say that I want a copy of my own. Seriously!