- Library Binding: 186 pages
- Publisher: Turtleback Books; Reprint edition (Sep 13 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0606234047
- ISBN-13: 978-0606234047
- Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 13.2 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Lowry, who has often turned to new genres and made them her own, now freely adopts certain conventions of the romantic fairy tale to create a fresh story buoyed by wry wit and occasional schoolyard humor. The many idiosyncratic characters are drawn with swift, sure strokes in both the writing and in Feiffer's inimitable ink drawings, notable for their economy and assurance of line as well as their pitch-perfect expression of personality, attitude, and emotion. An original fairy tale with a decidedly comical twist."--""Booklist," starred review"
"Lowry uses her knack for cleverly turning familiar stories on their heads (last seen in "The Willoughbys") in this tale about a princess who's utterly bored with privileged palace life...Throughout, Feiffer's wiry ink illustrations paint the characters in offhand caricatures, adding to the merriment. Employing elements from the "Prince and the Pauper" as well as ample doses of humor and slapstick, Lowry sets the stage for a rowdy denouement."--"Publishers Weekly"
"This is a captivating but gentle fairy tale with memorable characters and wonderfully swirly, evocative, energetic character sketches by the fabulous Feiffer."--"School Library Journal"
"In her clever fairy-tale reconstruction, Lowry transforms the traditional princess into a refreshingly egalitarian heroine with a mind of her own. The hilarious, original and truly loathsome suitors are aptly memorialized in Feiffer's spritely black-and-white caricature illustrations. Guaranteed to generate giggles and guffaws."--"Kirkus Reviews"
"A lighthearted concoction overflowing with wordplay and alliteration. . . . [Readers] will laugh themselves silly."--"New York Times Book Review
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"Lowry draws on wicked humor, sly wordplay and stock characters to propel this pleasantly predictable romp . . .[she] again proves her range."--"San Francisco Chronicle
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"Newbery Medalist Lois Lowry and acclaimed illustrator Jules Feiffer throw one not-to-be-missed
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Book Description
Princess Patricia Priscilla is bored with her royal life and the excitement surrounding her sixteenth birthday ball. Doomed to endure courtship by three grotesquely unappealing noblemen, she escapes her fate—for a week. Disguised as a peasant, she attends the village school as the smart new girl, “Pat,” and attracts friends and the attention of the handsome school master. Disgusting suitors, loveable peasants, and the clueless King and Queen collide at the ball, where Princess Patricia Pricilla calls the shots. What began as a cure for boredom, becomes a chance for Princess Patricia Priscilla to break the rules and marry the man she loves.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
quirky, fun, a hint of romance (and this mom likes the vocabulary words), Mar 3 2010
By bored99 - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Birthday Ball, The: Illustrated by Jules Feiffer (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
A spoiled princess you can't help but love, a cadre of princes you love to hate, quirky but well-meaning parents, plus peasants who sing and encourage... a delightful mix to read. The ending is somewhat predictable, but it's fun to watch the characters develop and ultimately come together. The terrible princes are entrancing like a train wreck--"he smoothed his hair and then wiped his hand free of the hair oil, using the bedsheet and leaving a smear of black dye," while the peasants are unexpectedly helpful and encouraging--some serving maids sing in three-part harmony, hoping to be noticed and promoted, while the pulley boy is positively attractive. With characters like this, it's not surprising to see a non-traditional ending that's still quite satisfying.As a parent, I appreciated the vocabulary words that were introduced in a fun way, such as "don't be avaricious, Delicious" (said to a cat), or neighboring kingdoms named Analgesia, Coagulatia, Dyspepsia... the words are worth a laugh for kids who know them or look them up, but not distracting for others. There are enough dresses and romance for any girl who'd pick up a book titled "The Birthday Ball," and yet the book avoids the traditional trap of implying these are life's ultimate goals. As a children's lit fan, I enjoyed the book, and as a parent, I enjoyed the things it subtly teaches.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious middle-grade fairy tale, Mar 29 2010
By Kate McMurry "Young Adult Author" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Birthday Ball, The: Illustrated by Jules Feiffer (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
Princess Patricia Priscilla has every luxury a royal girl could want, but she's utterly bored. Not even the prospect of a huge ball in honor of her sixteenth birthday within the next few days can catch her interest. Then she comes up with a marvelous plan. She'll borrow her maid's "rustic" clothing, go down to the village below the castle, and live like a peasant. The first person she meets in the village is an eighteen-year-old, first-time school teacher named Rafe. He's as kind as he is handsome, but Rafe works hard to be firm with his students and command respect, especially from "Pat," the name the princess gives him.Lois Lowry is a wonderful writer. She tells this story in a comic, fairy-tale voice which allows us to peek into the heads of all sorts of characters, from the kitchen staff to the princess, to the school master, to the horrible suitors who want to marry the young princess. And each character's perspective is unique and very funny.
This story has a very upbeat ending that is just what one might hope it would be without it being predictable. Precocious readers from second grade could appreciate this book, and girls all the way through sixth grade might enjoy it as well.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun to read Princess story for 5th and 6th graders., April 1 2010
By Anne - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Birthday Ball, The: Illustrated by Jules Feiffer (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
I just finished reading The Birthday Ball. As I read the first chapter, I was reminded of what a wonderful writer Lois Lowery is. Her descriptions were vivid, yet fun. At first, I was put off by the illustration on the cover, but as I opened up the book, I enjoyed the other illustrations much more. The illustrations remind me a bit of some of Roald Dahl's books. And this book actually reminds me of a few of his stories as well.The plot as many reviewers share in their reviews is about a princes who pretends to be a princess for a few days and attends the village school. In 5 days, she is to have a birthday ball where she will choose a suitor to be her husband. She dreads the event, but enjoys every moment in the school. The suitors are to be dreaded by their descriptions, but that makes the end all the more fun.
This story truly is a fun fairy tale. It is refreshing that the princess cares about people and not just herself. She is a good example of how to care about other people. I think this story would be good for 4th-6th graders. There is some description of the men and their physique, but it's far more tame than most tween books, I fear. And for that, I am glad. I would be comfortable reading this aloud with my daughters when they are in 4th grade or for them to read it on their own in 5th or 6th grade. This is a very innocent and fun book which I loved as a parent.
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