Buckle and Squash: The Perilous Princess Plot: The Perilous Princess Plot
Type
Book
Authors
ISBN 10
1250052777
ISBN 13
9781250052773
Category
Chapter books
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Publication Year
2015
Publisher
Pages
192
Tags
Description
This funny fairy-tale adventure from debut author Sarah Courtald is the story of two very different sisters-Eliza, who longs to ride into battle against villains and dragons, and Lavender, who would give anything to be a pampered princess. Before the end of the story both of them have had a chance to fulfill their dreams, though not quite in the way they intended...
Accompanied by their depressed goat, Gertrude, with their granny's warnings about the Black Death ringing in their ears, they head out into the forest and come face to face with an evil count who definitely does not have their best interests at heart.
Buckle and Squash: The Perilous Princess Plot was the winner of the Sainsbury's Children's Book Award for Fiction Ages 5-9
Gr 3–5—This cross between a fractured fairy tale and any of Roald Dahl's zany adventures is the first installment in the "Buckle and Squash" series. The story centers on two sisters: level-headed Eliza and Lavender, a dreamer. They live with Grandma Maud; their parents died in an accident at a village festival and their Grandpa Joe went missing, both events having taken place before the start of the story. The girls live on a farm in the Middle of Nowhere and while Eliza toils away at their farm chores, Lavender reads fairytales and dreams of princes as she perfects her princess personality. One day, Lavender runs away in hopes of being rescued by a prince and sets off an adventure in which she is captured by a bankrupt bad guy and Eliza must rescue her sister given only a goat named Gertrude for a steed and a hat and a beard as magical tools for saving the day. This humorous tale is funny right down to the sentence level narration ("The next morning was bright and lovely. The birds sang. Dawn rose. Then she went back to bed. Luckily Dawn isn't part of this story. She didn't really get up to much."). Witty writing combined with a cast of characters that are as ridiculous as they are memorable—rendered in black-and-white drawings throughout—makes for a great series opener. VERDICT A fun read for chapter book and younger middle grade readers.—Samantha Lumetta, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Accompanied by their depressed goat, Gertrude, with their granny's warnings about the Black Death ringing in their ears, they head out into the forest and come face to face with an evil count who definitely does not have their best interests at heart.
Buckle and Squash: The Perilous Princess Plot was the winner of the Sainsbury's Children's Book Award for Fiction Ages 5-9
Gr 3–5—This cross between a fractured fairy tale and any of Roald Dahl's zany adventures is the first installment in the "Buckle and Squash" series. The story centers on two sisters: level-headed Eliza and Lavender, a dreamer. They live with Grandma Maud; their parents died in an accident at a village festival and their Grandpa Joe went missing, both events having taken place before the start of the story. The girls live on a farm in the Middle of Nowhere and while Eliza toils away at their farm chores, Lavender reads fairytales and dreams of princes as she perfects her princess personality. One day, Lavender runs away in hopes of being rescued by a prince and sets off an adventure in which she is captured by a bankrupt bad guy and Eliza must rescue her sister given only a goat named Gertrude for a steed and a hat and a beard as magical tools for saving the day. This humorous tale is funny right down to the sentence level narration ("The next morning was bright and lovely. The birds sang. Dawn rose. Then she went back to bed. Luckily Dawn isn't part of this story. She didn't really get up to much."). Witty writing combined with a cast of characters that are as ridiculous as they are memorable—rendered in black-and-white drawings throughout—makes for a great series opener. VERDICT A fun read for chapter book and younger middle grade readers.—Samantha Lumetta, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Biblio Notes
Sarah Courtauld, the author of the BUCKLE AND SQUASH series, is a fresh and funny new voice in children's fiction. She won the Funny Women Comedy Writing Award in 2012 and the BAFTA/Rocliffe New Writing Forum 2012, judged by a panel including Jennifer Saunders and Chris Addison. She also does stand-up and improv, as well as working part-time as a writer for Usborne Children's Books. --This text refers to the paperback edition.
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