Ordinary Princess

Ordinary Princess

by M. M. Kaye
Publisher: Puffin Books
Mass market paperback, 112 pages
List Price: $7.99 Sale Price: $6.79

What does it mean to be a princess? For most girls the answer involves being a beautiful young woman with closets full of even more beautiful dresses, never having to work a day in your life, sitting around playing the harp and embroidering—all while waiting for Prince Charming to show up. The Ordinary Princess, on the other hand, flips this idea on its head when young Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne is blessed (or cursed) at birth with the gift of being ordinary.

The now ordinary princess (commonly known as Amy) is doomed to go through life without all of those traditional princessly characteristics. Her hair is straight and mousy, not gloriously long and curly. Her skin is tan and freckled, not porcelain white and untouched by the sun. Waiting around for a prince will do her no good, since no prince (Charming or otherwise) can be found who is willing to marry her. And when her parents, in desperation, plan to bring in a dragon to lay waste to the land (in a roundabout attempt to marry her off to a stranger) the Ordinary Princess has had enough. She runs off into the woods to stop her parents' foolhardy plan—and to start an ordinary life. When she discovers that she cannot survive alone in the woods for very long she gets a job as a kitchen maid in the castle of a neighboring kingdom.

There she does nice, ordinary things, like earning a weekly wage, sending a letter to her parents every month, meeting a nice young man, washing hundreds and hundreds of dishes, and playing with her forest animal friends. But when love sneaks into her life unexpectedly she is forced to confront her gift at last. What she discovers is that perhaps she doesn't need to be defined by being ordinary or being a princess; perhaps she can just be Amy.

 

 

Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews here.
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Summary: Princess Amy, given at birth the gift of being "ordinary", tries to find her own way in the world.

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  The Ordinary Princess
Ruthi of Oregon, 8/31/2016
Once upon a time, the King and Queen of Phantasmoran had six beautiful princesses. The Queen had grand Christenings for them. She named her daughters Diamond, Opal, Emerald, Saphire, Crystal and Pearl. Now they had a seventh princess. Her name was Amethyst Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne. The King and Queen threw a big party for her. At her Christening, one of her godmothers, gave her the gift of being ordinary. As she grew up, the princess ran away because her parents were getting a dragon. She went to be a kitchen maid. There she met and married the king, called Algeron.
  A Well-Written Story
Beatrix Taverne of WA, 7/14/2016
Her Serene and Royal Highness Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne is the seven daughter of King Huldebrand and Her Majesty Queen Rodehesia, she is expected to be the most beautiful and princess like of them all. On her christening day she is showered with wonderful and charming gifts from all the fairies, until the Fairy Crustacea, in a bad mood gives the gift of ordinariness. Princess Amy is hopelessly ordinary, she has mousy-brown hair, freckles, and an upturned nose. She delights in playing and romping through the woods in a very un-princess-like manner. Her father and mother having hopelessly tried to get some near-sighted prince marry her, they ht upon a plan. They will hire a dragon to lay waste to the countryside, young princes will not be able to resist the idea of slaying a dragon and saving the princess, and they will not be able to see her till it is too late. Amy, having heard this, runs away, and lives in the forest for some time. She then works as assistant scullery maid in the kitchens of the castle of a neighboring kingdom, Amber. She meets a man-of-all work who turns out to be the king of Amber. They get married and live happily ever after. The story is well told and funny, it is one of my favorite books. The story itself is very cute, the author, M.M.Kaye, is a very good author, and the wit is delightful. It is easy to understand if you are a young reader.
  Love This Book!
Ameia of WA, 8/8/2011
I have so many great memories of reading this book growing up! This is a fun and easy to read story. I probably first read it when I was 8 years old, but I still enjoy it to this day. If you like well written, cute fairy tales, this book is for you.