Frogged

Imogene is a princess with: charm, courage and lots of smarts! She is quick-witted and as resourceful as I hope my granddaughter becomes. A good story my granddaughter loves!

It is very interesting how the girl became a frog and the prince tricked her so he can be back to normal

It was great fun. I read it and gave it to my granddaughter for Christmas, yesterday. She should enjoy it too.

Cute story.

Fairy Tales are just one of those topics that never goes out of style and can sometimes be hard to take something old and put a new spin on it. I loved this book and how it was written and the story within it. It shows us it is okay to be rich or a princess, but no matter who we are it is important to remember we are all humans, with the same feelings, and we need to remember that because that is the human thing to do.“No! My loyalty to my king and my country means more to me than your filthy gold or your vile threats! You may go ahead and rip my body asunder- I shall not betray my liege lord!”Princess Imogene comes across a frog who tells her he is a prince and with one kiss will become human again. Imogene isn’t a bad girl really and gives the frog a kiss. However, she becomes a frog instead and when she tries to get turned back into a princess she is kidnapped and forced to work at a traveling theater all the while trying to find a way home but no one seems to believe who she is and thinks it’s all just part of the act.You can learn a good lesson from this book and have a nice dreamy read at the same time. The cover is so pretty too and I would recommend this book!*This book was provided in exchange for an honest review**You can view the original review at Musing with Crayolakym and San Francisco & Sacramento City Book Review

***spoiler possible***I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of this book and the end wasn't too bad either. The middle kind of annoyed me a wee bit. Even the chapter titles made me chuckle. There's a lot to love about the story. Princess Imogene accidentally gets turned into a frog, then gets frog-napped and forced to work for a pathetic little troupe of actors.What I didn't like: The middle has some really unlikable characters. Either they're downright mean or incompetent or both. One of the main "bad guys" gets off basically scott-free with some lame excuse that he didn't actually kidnap Imogene, he just "may have held onto her longer than he should have." The whole truth never comes out. Imogene decides it's better this way so she doesn't have to betray a sense of loyalty to her new friend. The end could have been better if it had a bit more of a sense of justice and righting wrongs.What I liked: The descriptions are great, and there's plenty of humor. Shockingly, there's no violence whatsoever. The end is satisfying, if not perfect. There's a sense that the princess has learned and grown through her experiences, and I find that satisfying. At first I wasn't crazy about the princess's name, but she kind of grows on you.Conclusion: A worth-while children's book that would be entertaining to read aloud as a family. Totally kid-safe. I got the ARC, but this is one of the few time's I'd say actually buying your own copy would be worth the money. Go for it.

One of the strongpoints of this book is that it is written by Vivian Vande Velde - an author with a very impressive catalog of well written children's books. So already I knew this book was going to be solid in plot and storytelling.The story, about a princess who is tricked and turned into a frog, is mostly about the frog's travels as she tries to get back her princess self. Along the way, she'll learn a few life lessons (seeing how peasants live, etc) that don't become preachy or get in the way of the plot. And she'll meet people who will tell her a bit more about herself and her life before she became a frog. The frog princess even ends up in a traveling troupe of players (and here I think the plot might have lingered a bit too long).Imogene, the princess, is your fairly typical spoiled princess and she'll change and grow in her journey toward being a better person.In all, my 10 year old enjoyed this book. Cute, fun, a bit romantic, and some good life lessons about growing up and appreciating others as well.

So the concept of the princess getting turned into a frog instead of the vice versa of the original Grimm tale is nothing new. See E.D. Baker's  The Frog Princess (Tales of the Frog Princess) and Disney's adaptation of her book,  The Princess and the Frog , of course.But Vivian Vande Velde has been cracking fairy tales for several years and brings her own welcome literary spin to the story.The book is worth the price of admission for the princess rules alone that appear as chapter titles with extra glosses. Two favorites:"A Princess Should Be Quick-Witted (EVERYBODY should be quick-witted.)""A Princess Should Know How to Dress Properly for Every Occasion (So, what's the proper dress for improper occasions?)"Imogene's adventures while trying to break her curse without cursing anyone else--a strong morality discussion is possible here between parents and kids--are both fun and serious. One does wonder if she will succeed in becoming human again. But the chapter headings promise that a good tale ends with "happily ever after" so one is delivered.