When her brave sister falls ill with a mysterious disease, timid Princess Addie sets out alone to find a cure in a land full of monsters
A shy princess on a quest
Princess Addie of Bamarre is afraid of almost everything: spiders, strangers, the dark and above all the monsters that roam her kingdom, ogres, gryphons, dragons and shadowy specters. Her older sister Meryl is the opposite, a fearless girl who dreams of heroic deeds. Then Meryl falls ill with the Gray Death, a disease that has no cure, and Addie realizes that she will have to become the hero herself.
Who will enjoy it
Readers aged about nine to thirteen who loved Ella Enchanted and enjoy fairy-tale quests with brave heroines and a touch of romance.
What you will get
A moving fairy-tale quest in which a timid princess sets out alone to find a cure for her brave sister, facing monsters and her own fears.
The Two Princesses of Bamarre Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Children’s Books · Sisters · Quest · Dragons
Length
272 pages · ≈ 8 h
More about this book
Unlike many quest stories, this one belongs to the character who least wants to go. Addie packs a magic spyglass, a tablecloth that produces meals and a pair of seven-league boots, gifts from a kind young sorcerer named Rhys, and sets off with only her stubbornness. The heart of the book is a long, tense episode in a dragon's lair, where Addie survives by telling the dragon one story after another.
Levine writes simply but with real emotion. The love between the two sisters is the core of the story, and Addie's courage is shown not as fearlessness but as acting in spite of fear. The romance with Rhys is gentle and lovely. The book deals honestly with illness and the possibility of losing someone, so it may move younger readers to tears, but its ending is hopeful and surprising.
Darker than Ella Enchanted but just as magical, it stands alone. Readers who want more can turn to The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre. Addie's journey from fear to courage is one that many young readers recognize in themselves, and it makes a fine read-aloud. About 272 pages in the HarperCollins paperback.
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Howl's Moving Castle
The Princess Bride
Tuck Everlasting
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
The Little Prince
The Giving Tree
Walk Two Moons
The People of Sparks
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
The War That Saved My Life