Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Princess Katie and the Silver Pony by Vivian French

I was scanning The Girl's book shelves this evening, and I realized she has as many books as I do. And I wonder why we're running out of space in our small townhouse! Anyway, we wanted to cuddle on the couch before her bedtime, and I suggested we grab a book that could be read in one sitting. Last summer, she received a gift certificate for her birthday and used it to buy books. Almost one year later, I figure it's time we read some of her purchases.

Princess Katie and the Silver Pony is book 2 in Vivian French's series The Tiara Club. The Girl was a bit tired this evening from her school walk-a-thon, so she wanted me to read to her, and we breezed through these 70 or so pages in about 30 minutes. French tells the book from the point of view of Princess Katie, one of the girls attending the Princess Academy. There are a couple of introductory pages about the academy, which we found helpful because we hadn't read the first book. Basically, the books follow 6 friends -- Katie, Sophia, Charlotte, Daisy, Emily, and Alice -- and their rival Perfecta as they attend various magical classes to earn tiara points. They need these tiara points to reside in the Silver Towers for perfect princesses next year.

In Princess Katie and the Silver Pony, the princesses take a wish class in preparation for the Royal Parade. The girls are asked by the fairy godmother, known as Fairy G., to write down their wish, and the princess whose wish benefits other people before herself will win 100 tiara points and a chance to ride on the Seashell Coach in the parade. Of course, Perfecta is willing to do anything for those tiara points, as she didn't receive enough the prior year to move ahead in her princess education.

This book is geared toward girls ages 6 to 9, and it was perfect for The Girl. She could have easily read this on her own, though I didn't mind reading to her, of course. And there was talk of princesses, fancy dresses, and dancing, which she enjoyed. French's writing makes it seem as though Katie is talking to you, which made the pages fly by. There's an illustration on nearly every page, which held The Girl's attention, but best of all was the message French delivers to young girls. The Princess Academy's school motto is, "A Perfect Princess always thinks of others before herself, and is kind, caring, and truthful." Those are some good values to promote, and even though the girls in the story aspire to be "perfect" princesses, they stumble but learn from their mistakes. The Girl has another book from The Tiara Club series on her shelf, and I look forward to reading it with her soon.

Here's what The Girl (age 8) had to say about Princess Katie and the Silver Pony:

This is a magical story about 6 princesses who have to make 1 wish. That 1 wish will have to go or stay, and what do they wish for? There also is a contest about a parade and whoever gets the most tiara points will get to ride in a carriage with 6 horses pulling it. I liked this book because it was very interesting.

Disclosure:  We purchased our copy of Princess Katie and the Silver Pony.


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8 comments:

Blodeuedd said...

That is so cute :) If I have a daughter I would love to read this one with her

Sandy Nawrot said...

I love to see reviews like this. I'm wondering if we have this series in our school library? I volunteer there, and I always try to help the kids find something compelling to read, so these reviews help me! Great job to both of you!

Serena said...

Sounds like a relaxing evening. how she do in the race? how many laps...?

Julie P. said...

My daughter might like this one too!

Wanda said...

Even though my daughter reads tons of books on her own, sharing a book together is still the part of the day that I look forwrd to the most! Hold onto that special time while you can... Glad to hear the two of you enjoyed this one together. :)

My daughter is kind of funny, though she loves to dress up, she can be a bit of a tomboy too. I'd say her choice in reading material definitely leans more toward the more "boyish" books. Dragon Slayers Academy, Diary of a Whimpy Kid, Weird Planet and now The 39 Clues are are all big hits with her. That's my Princess! ;)

Staci said...

I love this that The Girl's bookshelves are as stuffed as yours!!!

The Bookworm said...

very cute! nice review :O)
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

Anna said...

Blodeuedd: It's definitely a good one for little girls.

Sandy: I never heard of the series until we stumbled upon it at the bookstore last summer. Good thing The Girl loves to browse!

Serena: It's in the walk-a-thon post. 24 if I recall. LOL

Julie: I think she would, especially if she loves princesses.

Wanda: I love reading with my daughter, too. I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Staci: Me, too. My husband...not so much. LOL

Naida: Thanks!