This is the first of The Princess Tales, a series of short retellings of fairytales by the Newbery-honored author of Ella Enchanted. Her light sense of humor and deadpan descriptions of absurdities, along with the short length and easy to read text, make this a delightful snack, rather than a heavy meal. But she never talks down to her audience, which makes this a good choice for young readers, reluctant readers, and reading aloud.

Some may find the values here a little questionable: Myrtle's outrageous behavior is never punished, bringing success to her and her nasty mother. She even helps Rosella deceive the prince to get him to behave somewhat better, but he still gets to keep half of all the jewels Rosella produces, while she gets to give the rest to the poor. But it's all meant in fun, and it's unlikely any young readers will take Myrtle as their role model.

From the Book:
Something funny was happening in her mouth. Had she lost a tooth? There was something hard under her tongue. And something hard in her cheek. "Excuse me." Now there was something in her other cheek. She spat delicately into her hand.

They weren't teeth. She was holding a diamond and two opals.

"There, dearie," Ethelinda smiled. "Isn't that nice?"