The Princess in Black

From Goodreads:    Who says princesses don’t wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black!

Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when . . . Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! A big blue monster is threatening the goats! Stopping monsters is no job for dainty Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret —she’s also the Princess in Black, and stopping monsters is the perfect job for her! Can the princess sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret? From award-winning writing team of Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham, here is the first in a humorous and action-packed chapter book series for young readers who like their princesses not only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black.

My Thoughts:

-    Gnome and I both thought this book was just eh. It was a little too fluffy for Gnome. 

-    I feel like the author accomplished the opposite of what she wanted. Why don't princesses wear black? Can I get an explanation? Lots of princesses wear black. 

-    The illustrations were really cute.

-    Luckily this was short, so it went by quickly. We won't be continuing the series.

Calamity Jack

Goodreads Synopsis:    Jack likes to think of himself as a criminal mastermind…with an unfortunate amount of bad luck. A schemer, plotter, planner, trickster, swindler...maybe even thief? One fine day Jack picks a target a little more giant than the usual, and one little bean turns into a great big building-destroying beanstalk.

With help from Rapunzel (and her trusty braids), a pixie from Jack’s past, and a man with inventions from the future, they just might out-swindle the evil giants and put his beloved city back in the hands of good people ....while catapulting themselves and readers into another fantastical adventure.

My Thoughts:

-    Like I've said before, triple Hale = triple the fun!

-    I love this retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk! It is kinda steampunky! 

-    I think it is kinda weird that Rapunzel still carries her cut off braids around for lassos. Couldn't she get a rope now?

-    I like how the giants ran the city and were causing havoc. It was a cool twist to the original giants.

-    Poor Jack is not the confident schemer he was in Rapunzel's Revenge. He has some self doubt, and I like that he has to find his courage.

-    The Illustrations are great, of course. 

-    I liked the new members of the gang. I liked the inventor guy (I can't remember his name), but he was fun. I really liked the pixies, and I loved the crazy beasts guarding the tower.

-    I read this to my daughter, and she loved it! Gnome kept expressing concern for Jack, and she really wanted those giants to go down! This is a great read for kids and their parents.

Rapunzel's Revenge

Goodreads Bit:    Once upon a time, in a land you only think you know, lived a little girl and her mother . . . or the woman she thought was her mother.

Every day, when the little girl played in her pretty garden, she grew more curious about what lay on the other side of the garden wall . . . a rather enormous garden wall.

And every year, as she grew older, things seemed weirder and weirder, until the day she finally climbed to the top of the wall and looked over into the mines and desert beyond.

Newbery Honor-winning author Shannon Hale teams up with husband Dean Hale and brilliant artist Nathan Hale (no relation) to bring readers a swashbuckling and hilarious twist on the classic story as you've never seen it before. Watch as Rapunzel and her amazing hair team up with Jack (of beanstalk fame) to gallop around the wild and western landscape, changing lives, righting wrongs, and bringing joy to every soul they encounter.

My Thoughts:

-    A triple Hale book. There was no way for this book to not be good!

-    The illustrations are, of course, beautiful and amazing.

-    I feel like Disney used this book in a lot of their planning for Tangled. 

-    I liked the duo of Jack and Rapunzel. They are funny together. Rapunzel is spunky and fearless, and Jack is funny and clever. 

-    I love the charm and humor that Shannon brings to this story.

-    I read this to my 3 year old, and she loved it! It was really fun and cute, and I love that it entertained me and her.

-    I didn't even realize who Jack was until the end! I felt dumb! 

-    I like how other fairy tales made there way into Rapunzel's story.

-    Overall, this is a fun fun fun book! Read it!