Friday, March 25, 2016

The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale and LeUyen Pham

The Princess in Black is back, in her third book, along with the long-promised horde....

of bunnies!

Princess Magnolia and her "unicorn" Frimplepants are happily on their way to a delicious brunch with Princess Sneezewort when they get the danger signal. Somewhat frustrated, they race to the rescue only to discover a...bunny. Yep, a cute little purple bunny. How is that a monster worth missing brunch?? But pretty soon there are more bunnies and more bunnies until it's a HORDE of bunnies and the Princess in Black is getting worried. Sure, they're cute but what are they doing? Besides eating everything in sight!

Pham's colorful illustrations are as cute and wickedly funny as ever. Magnolia's dreams of delicious brunch are enough to make anyone hungry and her adoration of the bunnies' cuteness will make readers giggle.

It can be difficult to follow up a unique gambit like the Princess in Black - the twist endings and surprise are muted once you know the conceit and it makes it a little more predictable. I felt the second title was a little bit blah compared to the first. However, this one ramps up the fun once again and adds in another dimension to the theme of not taking things on face value. Just because Magnolia looks like a fancy, frilly princess doesn't mean she can't enjoy tasty treats and be a monster-fighting ninja princess! And just because the bunnies look cute and fluffy doesn't mean they're harmless!

Verdict: This series is a must-have for every library that serves elementary students. Great as a read-aloud as well and many older readers also enjoy it! The third title is all that one could desire and I can't wait to introduce it to the many, many fans of the Princess in Black!

ISBN: 9780763665135; Published 2016 by Candlewick; Purchased for the library

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