Readaloud of the Week: The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom
In brief: Thanks to a not-fact-checking-savvy bard, Liam, Frederick, Duncan, and Gustave get written off as interchangeable Princes Charming in the stories of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel. But when these four princes find that “happily ever after” means getting kicked out of their castles by their respective damsels in distress, they team up to stop a nefarious plot that threatens their kingdoms—and to become the heroes they know they were meant to be.
What makes it a great readaloud? This book is SO funny that we frequently dissolved into giggles while reading it. The set-up is great: It manages to address the problem of generic “princes Charming” without sacrificing strong female characters, and it puts a new spin on several classic fairy tales.
But be aware: It definitely gets silly in places, which may annoy kids who don’t like that.
Quotable: “Duncan, what are you?”
“Human!” Duncan cried, trembling with excitement.
“More specific,” Liam said, still dramatically.
“A five-foot-two human!”
“I'm going for hero here," Liam hinted under his breath.”
