Common Sense Media Review
By Tracy Moore
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
More adventure, romance as Annie and Liam help Snow White.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Annie's good friend Snow White is in trouble. She needs help selecting a prince to help rule her kingdom now that her evil stepmother has been banished from the castle. But as Annie makes the journey with Liam and prepares for sister Gwendolyn's wedding, there are threats from all sides, this time from a witch who's learned how to work around the fact that Annie is unaffected by magic. Can she help Snow White find true love while protecting herself from the evil witch Terobella?
Is It Any Good?
THE BRAVEST PRINCESS amps up the action and adventure, with Annie and Liam facing danger and excitement (and some very innocent romance) around every corner. What makes this third installment a nice detour from the previous books is the way Annie and Liam negotiate their relationship -- they have different skills, and each wants to save the other, but they must learn how to let each other's strengths work for the team. Furthermore, Annie learns to help a friend sort out another big existential question: What is true love really about, especially when people aren't always what they seem? How do we determine a person's true character?
Fans of the series will find more of Liam but a lot more of Annie charging into the action and testing her mettle, and, for parents who are hesitant about princess books, here's one that will introduce nuance and character to what is so often a disappointing genre. Though the question of looks is unavoidable in the subject matter -- who has them, who had them, who lost them, who found them -- here, readers are still challenged to unpack assumptions about "real" beauty and its ultimate significance compared with character.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the idea of true love. What does Annie help Snow White realize about what true love means? How does this compare with other depictions of princesses and true love?
How does The Bravest Princess compare with the previous two books in the Wide-Awake Princess series? How is it different from typical princess stories?
How do Annie and Liam work out who gets to save whom? Does their relationship seem equal to you?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fairy Tale
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic , Fairy Tales ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Bloomsbury USA
- Publication date : April 1, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 14
- Number of pages : 272
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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