The Princess and the Absolutely Not a Princess (Miranda and Maude #1) by Emma Wunsch, Jessika Von Innerebner
Expected Release: August 7th 2018
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Amulet Books
Source: NetGalley
Miranda and Maude #1 Synopsis:
A princess and a revolutionary form an unexpected friendship in this charming, illustrated chapter-book series, perfect for fans of Judy Moody and Clementine!
Princess Miranda does not want to go to school. She wants to shoe shop, plan parties, and decorate the castle.
Maude cannot wait for school. She loves rules and social justice and getting good grades. She also loves hard-boiled eggs, much to Miranda’s dismay.
When a tense first week of school results in Maude getting excluded from the Royal Birthday Party, Maude decides she’s found her first fight for social justice: a birthday boycott.
This hilarious, heartfelt chapter-book series teaches empathy, and reminds us that your very best friend could be one desk away.
Review:
A BIG Thank You to NetGalley and Amulet Books for providing me a copy of “The Princess and the Absolutely Not a Princess (Miranda and Maude #1) ” by Emma Wunsch, Jessika Von Innerebner in exchange for my review. This was a fun chapter book and an excellent start to the “Miranda and Maude” series.
Each character has a distinctive personality with certain traits that make them sometimes infuriating but overall adorable. I honestly enjoyed reading about all the characters, including the parents and the classmates. It is very true that close friendship are mostly between two opposites, even though it might not always start that way. Miranda is the snooty, snobbish, scared, introverted princess. Maude is the impulsive, in your face, extroverted protestor. You would never think that both of them would get along. At first they don’t like each other at all. The story progresses well with some humorous twists and turns to show how they do become friends.
There’s only one part that irked me. I am a bit peeved that all the festivities done for the birthday party went to waste. I realize it’s a children’s book and Miranda is rich beyond means, but I just cringed when all that food and entertainment was wasted. Considering that there is so much poverty in the world, kids might feel it is ok to waste food and not appreciate niceties after reading this. But that is just my opinion.
However, putting that aside, this book is delightful! Another aspect that I liked was that this shows that someone doesn’t have to act a certain type to make friends. You could be shy, strong, talkative or quiet, but be yourself and people will befriend you. The good thing about having friends with a completely different personality than yours is that they could open your eyes to different perspectives.
Younger readers would love to read this book and its successors in the series. There are so many possibilities for future stories that I can think of between these two. In fact, I can even see a possible animated television series based off it. Emma Wunsch has created a wonderful concept for a chapter book series. Jessika Von Innerebner has enhanced the book with cute whimsical illustrations. I simply LOVED her illustrations! Below is an example the various expressions she uses on the children.
Overall, I thought this was a cute book and am sure it will do well as a series! I rate it 4/5 stars.
