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Jun 11, 2008

Bobby rated it:

I would place this book somewhere between The Ordinary Princess and the Harry Potter series in terms of complexity of plot, age appropriateness and the amount of fun I had reading it. I really enjoyed reading this book and likely would have given it 5 stars if I had read it at a younger age (say at the age of 8 years or so). As it is, after Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, it's hard to give this book 5 stars. Having said that, this is a very interesting story of a Princess who detests traditi More...

1 comment like (9 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Michelle rated it:

This is my happy book. I read it when I was in middle school and I love it because its not your average fairy tale. Yes you have princess's and prince's and yes you have dragons and wizards and magic but it's not exactly like the common tale of where the prince slays the dragon with the wizard to help him act clever to save the damsel in distress and or princess. No no it's more of the princess becomes friends with a dragon and when a prince comes and saves her she tells them to go away.

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0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jul 01, 2009

Keith rated it:

This is the first book of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. My daughter read them when she was at the point where reading changes from being work to being fun. So it was one of the first "serious" books (> 100 pages and no pictures) that she read on her own for pleasure. First my wife read the series aloud to her. Then she read them all to herself. Then she read this book out loud to me.

The story is told from the point of view of Princess Cimorene. She's a curious, intell More...

0 comments like (8 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2008

Tanis rated it:

I found this book at the library and I was so excited because I read it a couple of times when I was younger, in 4th or 5th grade I think. So it's a kid's book but it is so much fun. Great fantasy and tons of humor. You can't help but laugh, at least I couldn't! Funny story related to this book. Back when I first read this, when I was younger, like I said, I had a friend my age who also read it. Well, she and I happened to have some little plastic toy dragons and wizards and we'd use them More...

5 comments like (5 people liked it)

Dec 26, 2010

Miss M rated it:

I'm re-reading this fantastic series that I fell in love when I was a kid. It's a great story about a princess who thinks being a princess is incredibly boring. Etiquette and dancing lessons all day? She would much rather learn fencing or magic, thank you very much! But that just isn't done. So she runs away and volunteers to become a dragon's princess (A vocation which is usually only acquired when one is captured by a dragon).

This book has a great female protagonist, lots of humor More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 10, 2008

Erika rated it:

Fun book. Fantasy about a princess sick of tradition and running away from just following "how it always was done" and becoming a princess willingly belonging to a dragon. Lots of great humor.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 15, 2008

Morgan rated it:

One of my all-time favorite fantasy stories. This book follows Princess Cimorene, a very un-princess-like princess. Constantly bored with learning etiquitte, embroidery, and how to lure a prince, she entertains herself sneaking around the castle and learning everything from fencing, to latin, to how to make the perfect cheries jubilee. One day, Princess Cimorene discovers her parents have arranged a marriage to a typical (handsome and, well, stupid) prince. Knowing she would rather be dead, More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 01, 2008

Jarrah rated it:

YA comic fantasy. Book 1 of the Enchanted Forest series. Cimorene is not a proper princess. She learns fencing, cooking and magic, and when she discovers her proposed marriage, she runs away to offer herself to a dragon. She's been told that they like to keep princesses, and she thinks that this is one princessly thing that she could possibly do.

This was charming, but light on substance. It may have been more original when it was written, but it feels derivative now. Fairy tales are More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 09, 2007

Debbie rated it:

first bk of the enchanted forest chronicles. OK, i judge it at 3-5 grade,,, different reviews put it at 5th and up. Cimorene, princess of Linderwall, is a classic tomboy heroine with classic tomboy strengths--all of which are perceived by those around her as defects: "As for the girl's disposition--well, when people were being polite, they said she was strong-minded. When they were angry or annoyed with her, they said she was as stubborn as a pig." Cimorene, tired of etiquette and embr More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 27, 2007

Medford Children's Library rated it:

“No proper princess would come out looking for dragons,” Woraug objected. “Well, I’m not a proper princess then,” Cimorene snapped. “I make cherries jubilee, and I volunteer for dragons, and I conjugate Latin verbs- or at least I would if anyone would let me. So there!” (19) Sixteen year old Cimorene, Princess of Linderwall, was not your typical princess. She would sneak around the castle learning fencing, magic, cooking and Latin. Her father the King thwarted her every attempt at not being bori More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 19, 2011

Alana rated it:

I discovered Patricia C. Wrede when I was ten or eleven years old after stumbling upon Dealing with Dragons on the bookstore shelf. Having recently started reading YA fantasy novels (aka having only read Tamora Pierce), Wrede represented a lighter, wittier strand of fantasy that made her books a quickly-devoured delight and I was only sorry not to have more of them. This particular series features a strong female lead named Princess Cimorene (well, leads if one counts Kazul, the female dragon) More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 17, 2008

Kate rated it:

Cimorene isn't your regular princess. She doesn't want to dance, curtsy, sing or sew. She wants to sword fight, cook, cast spells and do what she wants, not what someone tells her to do! Unfortunately, this makes Cimorene a misfit in the princess community and her parents are worried about her. The King and Queen set up a marriage for Cimorene, hoping to make her more princessly. To get out of it Cimorene decides to run away and volunteer to become a dragon's princess (also not something pr More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 30, 2011

Emma rated it:

I think all readers have books from their childhood that they can point to and say "that's who I am" or "that made me". For me, this is that book. It's the story of a princess who doesn't much like being a princess. She doesn't like being proper or doing what she'd meant to do. So, instead of marrying the prince and liveing happily ever after she runs of into the mountains to become a dragon's princess and ends up saveing the dragons from the wizards evil plot.

The f More...

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Sep 14, 2011

Taylor rated it:

Anything by Patricia Wrede is worth the read. It'll make you laugh:) I love all her books, and as a child they were my favorite series of all time. They have great humor, sarcastic, dry, and otherwise. Their plots are witty and adorable, and the main character is amazing. Her name is
Cimorene and she is a princess who doesn't want to be proper or marry her fiance, a stiff and boring prince so she runs away from her palace after following the advice of a talking frog when she tells it frank More...

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May 01, 2011

Ubalstecha rated it:

Cimorene is not your typical princess. She takes swordfighting lessons until her father finds out and decides it is not a ladylike activity. Then Cimorene studies with the castle wizard. Again, her father finds out and puts a stop to the lessons. So she moves onto cooking lessons with the palace cook. Again, not something a princess is supposed to do. Cimorene grins and bears it, until her father decides that it is high time she be married. Unfortunately no one tells Cimorene until the in More...

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Jan 14, 2011

Jessica rated it:

This is the first book in a delightful series that I haven't read for over 8 years, but that I read several times when I first discovered them. Princess Cimorene, the main character, is feisty, independent, clever, unique, and strong. She takes her life and future into her own hands, determined not to live the life of a typical, empty-headed, silly princess. She leaves home and intentionally becomes servant/princess of the dragon Kazul (no capture and no rescue necessary.) Between making drag More...

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Mar 15, 2010

Loralee rated it:

Cimorene is not your typical princess. "Princess lessons" in etiquette, protocol, and the fine art of embroidery bore her silly. She would much rather be engaged in fencing or magic lessons. When her parents announce that she will be marrying a prince in a neighboring kingdom, she decides to run away. A talking frog (though not a frog disguised as a prince) advises her on her journey. She follows his directions carefully and finds herself in a large cave filled with dragons--real More...

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May 12, 2009

Jenny rated it:

Cimorene is not a proper princess. She would rather practice fencing, study Latin, and learn how to make cherries jubilee than embroider or dance. And upon finding out that she's supposed to be, horror or horrors, married, Cimorene decides to run away and becoems a dragon's princess instead.

In the ensuing weeks and months, Cimorene finds herself beset by princes who can't understand that she doens't want to be rescued, dragons who insist that princesses should be captured rather tha More...

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Feb 11, 2012

Tanja rated it:

I loved this book! I'm a little suprised because it sat in my to-read pile for quite a while and did not seem the least bit enticing. The cover with the surly dragon and arrogantly chatting princess probably had something to do with it. I picked it up reluctantly, read the first page as a test and immediately realized that I would like it.

"Dealing with Dragons" is a refreshing fairytale with a somewhat unlady-like princess. I say "somewhat" because princess Cimor More...

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Dec 10, 2011

Kristen rated it:

Princess Cimorene is told by her father and mother that eveything that she loves doing is not proper. She loves fencing and studying latin and many other things that are just not seen as being what a princess should do. Her father and mother decide to say that she will marry Pince Therandil. Cimorene is not happy about this at all. While speaking with a frog she says that she would rather be eaten by dragons. The frog says that it can be arranged where she would not have to marry him. He then gi More...

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Aug 12, 2011

Jen rated it:

I loved this book much more than I thought I would! It's sort of like a fairy-tale parody, with mentions, lampshading, and parodies of many existing fairy tales, fables, and stories that mesh easily in with the setting and give you a fresh (and often amusing) perspective on these tales we've all heard before.

Cimorene is not a "proper" princess, and she is tired of people telling her that her interests in fencing, magic, latin, and cooking just "aren't done" for a p More...

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Apr 11, 2011

Misty rated it:

This was the first book that I ever read that I absolutely loved and it is responsible for how much I read today! I remember finding this book in McConnell Middle's library and actually skipping lunch to go into the library and read!

It's the perfect fairy tale for me. A stubborn, sarcastic princess that only wants adventure so she gets a dragon to let her stay and work and she doesn't want to be rescued by a stuffy prince! Haha!
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Aug 17, 2010

Mark rated it:

There's 4 of these books but this review basically applies to all of them.

These books are really quick and cleverly written. The interplay between the two leads is great, as is the skewing of traditional fairy tale tropes. The basic premise is that Cimerone is a princess who is deeply unsatisfied with the boring court life, and runs off to be a dragon's helper. She and the dragon Kazul (another strong-willed female character) become fast friends and have all sorts of magical adv More...

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Nov 10, 2010

David rated it:

thus far, I've enjoyed this one. It appears to be written for younger readers, but I am finding it to have a good deal of humor thus far. We're introduced to Princess Cinemere, who finds the life of a princess to be boring. Growing up, her parents discover and stop her from taking fencing lessons, magic lessons,cooking lessons, Latin lessons, etc. all to force her into the proper mold so that she will be a princess. When an arranged marriage is on the horizon she has had enough and runs awa More...

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May 30, 2011

Kathryn rated it:

Although this is a children's book, I still love it deeply. It's an unusual take on the princess/dragons thing. The main character of this story, Cimorene, is the youngest princess who is completely unlike her five sisters. She spent most of her childhood sneaking around to learn interesting things (magic, fencing, cooking, Latin, etc.) and each time she was foiled by her traditionalist parents. At the age of sixteen, she was engaged to the prince of a neighboring kingdom, and subsequently ran a More...

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Nov 20, 2011

Emma rated it:

In the book Dealing with Dragons, I realize that in the beginning of the book like most stories the author introduces all the characters, lets you get to know their life style. If you have ever seen the movie Caroline, then you would understand about how the evil thing/lady made a doll to spy on Caroline to find out what is wrong with her life. That is exactly what the author did,she told us what wrong with Cimorene's life, then she made her situation better better by discovering a talking fro More...

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Jan 20, 2010

Debs rated it:

This was the perfect book for me to read right now. I first read it when I was ten or eleven years old, and I remember falling in love with the world the Wrede had created. As an adult, I was struck by how different this novel is from the sort of young adult fiction that's popular nowadays. Cimorene is a strong woman, a pragmatic princess who gets things done. She's curious and capable and does not suffer fools lightly. Here is a YA heroine that girls can actually look up to, a woman who th More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 06, 2011

Danielle rated it:

I read this book when I was pretty young, maybe around 8 years old. This was long before Harry Potter existed, and there wasn't really that staple fantasy series for kids.

This is an excellent book however, especially young girls. You have your typical princess and dragon fantasy world and a non typical princess and dragon story. The heroine is an independent strong willed princess. She goes off on her own and lives with a dragon. When her knight comes to rescue her, she tells him to More...

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Jun 23, 2011

Angela rated it:

Cimorene makes an excellent protagonist. She has a good solid dose of common sense in her character and doesn't allow minor setbacks to discourage her; instead, she makes the best possible use of the resources she has available to continue moving forward.

Her skills and her bravado convince Kazul, a large green dragon, to take her on as a 'dragon's princess.' The role, for Cimorene at least, involves translating Latin, cataloguing the contents of the treasure room, and making large More...

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Jan 23, 2012

Lika rated it:

This books has all the elements of a traditional fantasy book: dragons, wizards, princes, princesses, magic kingdoms, etc. There is just one minor hitch . . . Cimorene in NOT your typical princess, nor does she want to become one.

Cimorene’s rebellious nature adds to much of the humor in this book. She feigns an injury so princes would stop trying to rescue her. Damsel in distress, I think not! Her refusal to conform to traditional fairy tale etiquette combined with her inquisitive dis More...

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