Story: Princess Emily is talented at only two things: being awkward and clumsy. The prince her perfectionist mother expects her to marry ignores her; the magic spells she practices with her witch aunt (the one person who understands Emily) always go awry. One of the few places Emily feels happy is the swamp near her castle. It’s there she meets Eadric, a frog who claims to be a prince. He at least talks to her, so she agrees to kiss him. Something goes horribly wrong and she ends up a frog too. Eadric helps her survive in her new body, and they set off to find the witch who cast the spell on him to see if she can reverse it. After all, witches have laws they must obey as well, and one is that a spell must have a way to be undone.
Genre/age range: Juvenile Fiction/Fantasy
Conclusion: Cute book. The main characters are likeable, as well as are the secondary characters they meet along the way, especially the bat Lil. The book was slow to begin with, but it grew more entertaining as it went along and was surprisingly witty. If you expect Eadric, the frog prince, to be a serious hero—the Mr. Darcy kind you want to fall in love with too—you’ll be disappointed. Eadric is more of a likeable and amusing character.
Rating: 8.5/10 (this is taking into account it’s a children’s book)
Further comments: It has sequels, though I haven’t read any. The Disney movie Princess and the Frog is loosely based on this book.
Story Connection: The Grimm brother’s The Frog Prince, Disney’s Princess and the Frog