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elliez's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
christiana's review against another edition
3.0
Great for a 3rd grader reading above-level or any 4th grade girl. Who doesn't like a good fairy tale princess story? Lois, I knew you had another one in you!
librariandest's review against another edition
4.0
Obviously, I'm going to like this. It's a fun, funny, totally enjoyable, quick-read about a princess who sneaks out of her castle to go to school, invites all the peasants to her birthday ball, and finds a way to get out of marrying one of three (or four, technically) nasty (really gross-nasty) suitors.
My favorite parts:
1. So many things rhyme with delicious!
2. The norphan
3. The disgusting Duke of Dyspepsia, Prince of Pustula, and Conjoint Counts
4. An overall satisfying mixture of cute and gross
5. Just a smidge of feminism tucked in
6. Jules Feiffer's illustrations enhance it's Roald Dahl-ian smelly charm.
My favorite parts:
1. So many things rhyme with delicious!
2. The norphan
3. The disgusting Duke of Dyspepsia, Prince of Pustula, and Conjoint Counts
4. An overall satisfying mixture of cute and gross
5. Just a smidge of feminism tucked in
6. Jules Feiffer's illustrations enhance it's Roald Dahl-ian smelly charm.
bookrescuer's review against another edition
4.0
Princess Patricia Priscilla is perfectly predictable, but pleasant and pleasurable.
lcgerstmann's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book with my daughter and we both found it very enjoyable. It is a story about a princess, which is automatically appealing to young girls but this book is about a princess who is bored being a princess and sneaks out of the castle to experience real life. The writing is very witty and the characters quirky and unique. We giggled a lot at the crazy antics and groaned over the descriptions of the disgusting choices of suitors. What a fun read for a mother and daughter to share!
bak8382's review
3.0
Princess Patricia Priscilla is bored with her life on the eve of her 16th birthday. To shake things up a bit she takes on the disguise of a peasant, and presents herself as a new a pupil at the local school. Hilarity ensues as the reader is introduced to various royal and humble characters, and as "Pat" learns to navigate in an unfamiliar world.
This is not deep stuff, but as a short audio book it works. Elissa Steele does a lovely job voicing all the characters. The princess is not the easiest character to relate to as she is definitely a bit self involved, but it's still a fun read.
This is not deep stuff, but as a short audio book it works. Elissa Steele does a lovely job voicing all the characters. The princess is not the easiest character to relate to as she is definitely a bit self involved, but it's still a fun read.
emilygaynier's review against another edition
1.0
Was fine
I normally like princess stories where they don’t want to be a princess but there wasn’t much of a story here
I normally like princess stories where they don’t want to be a princess but there wasn’t much of a story here
loverofeels's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
4.0
this book is so damn funny! lowry is a very clever writer and i love all the snarky worldbuilding elements. princess pat is pretty wretchedly selfish and snooty, even more so than i fully realized as a child; i actually had to put down this book for a second at several points. still, i was rooting for her and rafe. i appreciated that pat's happy ending was <i>doing</i> something she loves, not merely being with someone she loves, done in such a way that it didn't feel heavy-handed with its messaging. not sure if i'd read this to my kids, because i don't like royalty or stories that use ugliness as a shorthand for wickedness, but definitely enjoyable to reread a childhood fave.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism and Animal death
Minor: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
greenbeanteenqueen's review against another edition
5.0
About the Book: It's almost the day of Princess Patricia Priscilla's sixteenth birthday ball-the day the Princess will be asked to choose a suitor. But the princess is bored. So she decides to disguise herself as a peasant and go to school for the week. Princess Patricia Priscilla loves school and she's not looking forward to her birthday ball-especially when she finds out who the suitors will be! Will Princess Patricia Priscilla find a way to end her boredom and marry a man she loves?
GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I grew up reading the Anastasia books and The Giver. The Birthday Ball reminded my why Lois Lowry is one of my favorite authors.
Ms. Lowry takes on the fairy tale genre and there's such a wonderful blend of humor, heart, and romance. Princess Patricia Priscilla could have been a snobby rich princess, but instead she's a girl who is trapped and you can't help but feel sorry for her and understand her need to escape and try something new. She really is a endearing character and I was cheering her on the whole time.
The book starts out with chapters introducing multiple characters, but the characters come together and it's a very fun romp told with Ms. Lowry's wit and tongue in cheek humor. The three suitors for the princess are hilarious-there's a prince who is horribly ugly, but mirrors have been banned in his kingdom, so he doesn't know his fate, there's a prince who thinks he is the most handsome prince and must look in a mirror at all times, and there's the conjoined twins who fight all the time but share a love of bathroom humor. At first I wasn't a fan of the chapters introducing the various princes, but I think the prince's stories save this from being a very princessy book that will appeal to only fairy tale readers. With the princes stories woven in, I think there's a wider appeal (although it might be hard to sell a book with a princess on the cover to boys). All the characters come together in the end for one of the most delightful balls I've read about.
I think The Birthday Ball would make a great read-aloud for parents and children as well as classrooms. The book may be marketed for tweens, but I would recommend this one for any age reader who loves a good fairy tale. Ms. Lowry shows us why she is one of the best children's authors around.
GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I grew up reading the Anastasia books and The Giver. The Birthday Ball reminded my why Lois Lowry is one of my favorite authors.
Ms. Lowry takes on the fairy tale genre and there's such a wonderful blend of humor, heart, and romance. Princess Patricia Priscilla could have been a snobby rich princess, but instead she's a girl who is trapped and you can't help but feel sorry for her and understand her need to escape and try something new. She really is a endearing character and I was cheering her on the whole time.
The book starts out with chapters introducing multiple characters, but the characters come together and it's a very fun romp told with Ms. Lowry's wit and tongue in cheek humor. The three suitors for the princess are hilarious-there's a prince who is horribly ugly, but mirrors have been banned in his kingdom, so he doesn't know his fate, there's a prince who thinks he is the most handsome prince and must look in a mirror at all times, and there's the conjoined twins who fight all the time but share a love of bathroom humor. At first I wasn't a fan of the chapters introducing the various princes, but I think the prince's stories save this from being a very princessy book that will appeal to only fairy tale readers. With the princes stories woven in, I think there's a wider appeal (although it might be hard to sell a book with a princess on the cover to boys). All the characters come together in the end for one of the most delightful balls I've read about.
I think The Birthday Ball would make a great read-aloud for parents and children as well as classrooms. The book may be marketed for tweens, but I would recommend this one for any age reader who loves a good fairy tale. Ms. Lowry shows us why she is one of the best children's authors around.