Funny Early Chapter Book

Who doesn't love a good rodent story?  Well, usually I am not one for hamsters, but in the hands of Ursula Vernon, even I can appreciate these little furry friends.  Her clever humor makes even the most useless house pet a star.

Don't forget to Follow One Great Book on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and by email so that you won't miss the start to a wonderful new series.

Title: Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible

Author: Ursula Vernon

Target: Grades 2-5

Series: This is the first book in a planned series

What this book is about: 

Along the lines of Sleeping Beauty, Harriet is cursed by an wicked fairy at her christening and is condemned to prick herself of a hamster wheel when she turns twelve and then she will die.  Unlike Sleeping Beauty, Harriet realizes that since this curse is strong, she is essentially invincible until then!  Bring on the Ogres and the cliff diving.  There is nothing she won’t do in the name of courage and adventure.  But all that excitement means she is anything but a typical princess, so when she turns twelve, nothing quite goes as planned!

Why I love this book: 

Ursula Vernon rocked the Dragonbreath series, so I was expecting good things.  Her dry wit means these books are exceptionally funny, but always in a clever way.  Hamster Princess did not disappoint.

Despite the pink and sparkly cover, Harriet is anything but a girly representation of a typical princess.  In fact, in this story, her strength far outweighs that of any of the princes in the book.  She is stubborn, strong and willful, probably more representative of the princesses living in your house!

Who this book is for: 

Big type and plenty of pictures make this book great for kids who are strong readers of early chapter books.  However, at 247 pages, your children need to have some early chapter book experience under their belts.  This is not a transition book from early readers.  

Your kids also have to like a more sophisticated type of humor.  There are no cheap laughs here (and don’t get me wrong, I love cheap laughs.)  They have to like their characters served up with a little sarcasm to really enjoy this one.

Final thoughts:

 I wish “Princess” had not been in the title.  Kids tend to shy away from these books as childish and reminiscent of Disney Princesses - and this book definitely does not fit in that category!

To purchase this book:
Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible  A portion of each purchase will go to support this blog at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support.