School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-7-A prequel to The Frog Princess (Bloomsbury, 2003) and the fifth book in the series, this novel features a young Princess Grassina and her family. Her mother, Queen Olivene, the Green Witch, is grooming Grassina's older sister to inherit this title while ignoring Grassina's interest in magic and potential talent. The girls' rivalry and the entire kingdom are turned upside down when their father innocently brings their mother flowers, invoking a curse that changes her into an ugly hag. The queen's gleeful and perplexing antics provide some humor in this story but her disinterest in taking care of her realm threatens the safety of Greater Greensward, leads to the death of the king, and forces Grassina to undertake a quest. This tale satisfyingly explains much of the history behind the other books and gives insight into one of the more interesting characters in The Frog Princess. It continues the evolution of the series from a simple retelling of a well-known fairy tale into an entertaining saga featuring a fully developed magical world of its own.-Kathleen Meulen, Blakely Elementary School, Bainbridge Island, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
In an entertaining prequel to The Frog Princess (2002) and its two successors, 13-year-old Grassina and her snake friend, Pippa, run away to the swamp. There they find a capable, attractive magic-wielding young man, and Grassina discovers her own powers. Together, Grassina and the young man save the kingdom from werewolves. Although this can stand alone, it introduces all the elements around which the other books are built. Familiar fairy-tale conventions, an engaging main character who still occasionally plays with her doll, believable sibling rivalries, and a romantic love interest combine in this appealing choice.--Isaacs, Kathleen Copyright 2007 Booklist
