Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bold princess gets a silly nickname in fun questing tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In FROGKISSER! Princess Anya knows the world would thank her if her stepstepfather, the evil sorcerer Duke Rikard, were defeated. Her sister Morven would, too, after the Duke turns one of her suitors, Prince Denholm, into a frog and tosses him in the moat. Anya gives Morven her solemn promise that she'll find Denholm just as the Duke threatens to send Anya away to "school" to be rid of her. With the help of Ardent, one of the royal dogs, Anya finds the frog and escapes the castle carrying a complicated recipe for a lip balm that allows a princess such as herself to kiss any transformed creature back to its true form -- without the lovey-dovey part. Anya knows she'll need help getting all the odd ingredients in the recipe as much as she needs help defeating Rikard and fighting off the horde of transformed weasel-men he has sent after her. At every stop she finds robbers, thieves, druids, animals, wizards, and dwarves willing to help and almost as many transfigured animals in need of her magic lip balm. Anya's reputation precedes her everywhere she goes on her quest, and soon Princess Anya is simply known as Frogkisser.
Is It Any Good?
When an independent princess goes questing in a mash-up of fairy tales and Arthurian legend, you can expect hijinks, but deeper messages of empowerment and community here are a nice bonus. With a title like Frogkisser!, you know the book isn't taking itself too seriously. Princess Anya does have serious intentions of defeating her evil stepstepfather (as she calls him) and learns a lot on her quest about the wider world and what people really need in a ruler and their government. The characters around Anya add a circus atmosphere. Her entourage includes a thief transformed into a giant newt, an otter partly transformed into a human, a frog prince, and a talking, well-educated palace dog.
Garth Nix, who's best known for the much darker Old Kingdom series, has loads of fun introducing oddball characters and world-building here. Sometimes all the clever details slow down the story, but it still wraps up with a fun flourish -- and, no big spoiler, lots of frog kissing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Anya learns about the wider world in Frogkisser!. How does it change her beliefs about how her land should be ruled?
The press gets lampooned when Anya encounters the many Gerald the Heralds on her quest. How do they report the news? How does it remind you of news you sometimes hear in the real world?
What do you think is next for Anya? Would you read more of her adventures? Do you think any of the adventures will center on her finding a prince? Why, or why not?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic , Fairy Tales ) , Adventures , Book Characters , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Scholastic
- Publication date : February 28, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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