Book Review

"The Ordinary Princess" - M.M. Kaye

"All across the kingdom, excitement is running high: a seventh princess, always the luckiest and most beautiful of all, has just been born to good King Huldebrand and Her Magesty Queen Rodehesia. When the christening day arrives, Her Serene and Royal Highness Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne is showered with the most extravagant, marvelous presents imaginable - until her last, most powerful fairy godmother proclaims, "You shall be Ordinary!"

I love this story of the "Ordinary Princess" and her adventures. And this is just a few reasons why:
1) Out of seven names, her first is Amethyst, which happens to also be my birthstone
2) If that wasn't anymore identifying, because she is "Ordinary", no one called her by her "Grand Name" she was called ..... Amy!!!!!!
3) The illustrations are wonderful, pencil drawings with lots of detail. One of my favorite would be when "Old Crustacea" the fairy whose gift made her Ordinary, shows up to the christening. She's the "fairy-in-charge-of-water" and because of traffic she's late, dried out and rather cranky because of it. Her body language and facial expression is so reminiscent of how I've felt after being stuck in traffic, in my un-air conditioned car in the middle of July's 100 degree weather.
4) There is a small hut in the forest......
5) And lastly the following excerpts just spoke to me, Can you guess why?:

At the wedding of the last sister to get married before it's her turn she looks at the "prince" her sister is marrying and thinks "He may be very good looking, but I'm sure that he has never giggled one good giggle in his life!" Later that day she's lamenting what is sure to be her lot in life to marry "a very handsome husband with no sense of humor!"

Part of a later conversation: "I was only thinking what silly names some people have, Why, I should like to know, can't more people have nice, sensible names like Amy"
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Now you don't have to take my word for it (why am I all of a sudden having Reading Rainbow flashbacks) but if you need a cute, whimsical un-ordinary fairy tale about an Ordinary Princess, this would be my recommendation.