A Princess, A Castle and a Mouse …

Guest Reviewer, Jessica Smith from Dracut, MA is back, this time with her older daughter, Julia.

“Ooh, a princess one!” squealed my 6-year-old daughter as she picked up Mary Balfaz’s Princess Emily and the Secret Library. Illustrated by Stan Gorman, the cute, clear drawings make a wonderful backdrop for this story about a pigtailed princess’s many adventures in her home, Castle Clarion. Ever the girly type, my daughter was delighted by Princess Emily’s brightly colored poufy dress, crown and her interaction with the castle mice. After all, what little girl doesn’t love an imaginative, magical fairy tale?

After stumbling upon a tiny door, Princess Emily discovers a world within in
her own world—Mouseville. Magically created years ago by a wizard, the
kindly man used an amulet to keep the secret of the magical talking mice
library hidden within the library. But when the amulet’s power begins to
wear off, curious Princess Emily uncovers quite a treasure! We were
especially delighted with the miniature town the mice had set up, complete
with streets, tiny buildings and neatly planted gardens. In the story, we
are introduced to a mayor, a school principal and even the town jester!

After discovering that the mice need Princess Emily’s help to save
Mouseville from her mother’s intended castle renovation, they realize that
Emily is in the possession of the amulet that keeps the mice safely hidden
within their world—a treasure she had found days before on one of her many
castle adventures. She quickly returns the magical amulet, and Mouseville
is safe once again. My daughter easily identified with the bouncy, curious
heroine of the story, having starred in countless of her own imagined,
dress-up fairy tale adventures.

A surefire hit for the for the daydreamers in the 5 years and over set,
Princess Emily and the Secret Library is fuel for the imagination and a fun,
wholesome tale for the princess in your family.