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The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate
Common Sense says
- Shannon Hale, Dean Hale
- Fantasy
- 2017
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate, by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, is the fifth book in this series. Here, Princess Magnolia has a playdate with Princess Sneezewort, and they both secretly transform into monster-hunting heroes. There's also a new shape-shifting monster who hides by turning into things, such as a bush or a bench, and who tries to eat pets as well as goats. There are great messages about friendship and teamwork along with super silly fun.
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What's the story?
In THE PRINCESS IN BLACK AND THE MYSTERIOUS PLAYDATE, the Princess in Black leaves the Goat Avenger in charge of keeping monsters from eating goats in the pasture, while she sneaks away to have a secret playdate with Princess Sneezewort as her pink-wearing self, Princess Magnolia. But she doesn't realize a sneaky monster who can hide by changing shapes has followed her. During their date, the sneaky monster goes after pets in the park (almost as tasty as goats), and each princess sneaks off to stop him -- Magnolia as the Princess in Black and Sneezewort as the Princess in Blankets (who grabs from a closet to create her monster-fighting costume). In the end, they team up, catch the monster, send him back down the hole to Monster Land, and do a victory dance with the Goat Avenger.
Is it any good?
This wild and silly adventure has the added fun of a new partner in crime-fighting, as Princess Sneezewort creates her own monster-bashing identity, inspired by the Princess in Black. Somehow the two girls don't recognize their friend underneath the superhero costume, but teamwork rules and they get their monster in the end. Lots of cute and funny moments along the way, and a clever monster who can shape-shift into a bush, a rock, a treasure chest, and a bench. LeUyen Pham's illustrations are, as usual, a delight, especially scenes of the city where Princess Sneezewort's castle is.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the monsters in The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate. Are they scary or funny?
Would you like to be able to turn yourself into different shapes so people wouldn't notice you were there? What ways can you hide now?
What do you think of having another princess dress up and fight monsters? Do you think the Princess in Blankets works well with the Princess in Black? Which one seems better at monster hunting?
Book details
- Authors: Shannon Hale, Dean Hale
- Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More, Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Candlewick Press
- Publication date: September 5, 2017
- Number of pages: 96
- Available on: Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.