by Shannon hale and Dean Hale. This week book #1 of the Princess in Black series has entered the NY Times Best Sellers list for middle-grade readers. Princess Magnolia appaers to be a prim, proper, and pink princess until…. her monster alarm goes off warning her that her monster-fighting skills are in need. The husband-wife Hale writing team along with the Freckleface Strawberry illustrator, LeUyen Pham, have created a non-typical princess. Her alter-ego, the Princess-in-Black, stops monsters, but must also preevnt the nosy dutchess from finding out who she really is. “Some of her favorite monster-fighting moves are the Sparkle Slam and the Princess Pounce. Her number-one fan is Duff the goat boy, who admires her ninja skills.” I would recommend it for a younger audience, however- K-3rd graders.
