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40th out of 591 books
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The Ordinary Princess
by
M.M. Kaye
Along with Wit, Charm, Health, and Courage, Princess Amy of Phantasmorania receives a special fairy christening gift: Ordinariness. Unlike her six beautiful sisters, she has brown hair and freckles, and would rather have adventures than play the harp, embroider tapestries . . . or become a Queen. When her royal parents try to marry her off, Amy runs away and, because she's...more
Paperback, 128 pages
Published
March 18th 2002
by Puffin
(first published 1980)
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"Violets are blue,
Rosemary's green,
When I am King,
You shall be Queen"
This was my absolute favorite book when I was a young girl. Amy, a smart, plucky, decidedly NOT classically beautiful princess, is given at birth the magical gift of being "ordinary". Years later, Amy reaches marriageable age. Since she isn't beautiful and vapid, her parents are quite worried whether any prince will have her, and there's some rash talk of giving her as the prize...more
Rosemary's green,
When I am King,
You shall be Queen"
This was my absolute favorite book when I was a young girl. Amy, a smart, plucky, decidedly NOT classically beautiful princess, is given at birth the magical gift of being "ordinary". Years later, Amy reaches marriageable age. Since she isn't beautiful and vapid, her parents are quite worried whether any prince will have her, and there's some rash talk of giving her as the prize...more
Oh my goodness, this was such a delightful book! I'm glad that I picked it up - sometimes it's easy to discount these kinds of books, but this one is a perfect example of why it's silly to do so.
Princess Amy is the seventh daughter of King Hulderbrand and Queen Rhodesia. All throughout history, the seventh daughter has been the most beautiful, the most extraordinary princess of them all - but not this time. This time, the most powerful Fairy, Crustacea, is out of patience when she a...more
Princess Amy is the seventh daughter of King Hulderbrand and Queen Rhodesia. All throughout history, the seventh daughter has been the most beautiful, the most extraordinary princess of them all - but not this time. This time, the most powerful Fairy, Crustacea, is out of patience when she a...more
Dani
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who is tired of Shrek, Ella Enchanted, The Princess Diaries, etc.
Shelves:
childrens-books
This was one of my favorite books as a child. I recently reread it in a fit of nostalgia.
I was disappointed that the fantastic 1986 cover has been replaced by some hot mess picture of an elven girl in a green dress. What happened to the 80's princess with freckles, frizzy brown hair, and a ridiculously ornate purple dress?
Reading the book as an adult, I was so relieved to read an earnest fairy tale for once. So many "fairy tale princess books" on the market ar...more
I was disappointed that the fantastic 1986 cover has been replaced by some hot mess picture of an elven girl in a green dress. What happened to the 80's princess with freckles, frizzy brown hair, and a ridiculously ornate purple dress?
Reading the book as an adult, I was so relieved to read an earnest fairy tale for once. So many "fairy tale princess books" on the market ar...more
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Lisa Vegan
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents and young kids (especially girls) & everyone
Recommended to Lisa by:
Chelsea
Charming book. This would have been one of my favorite books had I read it as a kid. I found it both enchanting and fun to read, reading it for the first time as an adult. A must read for kids & adults, especially young girls & their parents. Love the twist on the standard fairy tale. The illustrations by the author are lovely.
I’ll be giving this as a gift to several little girls.
I’ll be giving this as a gift to several little girls.
Chelsea
rated it
Shelves:
childrens,
doubleplusgood,
fantasy,
own,
royalty,
historicalfiction,
reread,
2000andbefore,
comfortbooks,
middlereader
One of my all-time favorite books, and one I reread regularly. When Princess Amethyst is born, her (slightly creepy) agreeableness prompts the oldest and crankiest of the fairies to give her the gift of ordinariness. And what a gift! Amy's fate suddenly takes a sharp turn, which results in mistaken identities, dragons, fake portraits, jewelry made from trees, and grandly named woodland animals.
Charming, quirky, and one of those rare books that presents a fully-formed world quite r...more
Charming, quirky, and one of those rare books that presents a fully-formed world quite r...more
Really cute and good. I recommend this one!
Holly
rated it
Recommends it for:
anyone who enjoys fairy tales, fairy tale retellings, and fairy tale-like fantasy
Shelves:
fantasy
A charming, quirky little quasi-fairy tale about a princess who was given the gift of ordinariness at her birth. I love the plot...everything that happens, and especially the ending, is just right. It made me sigh happily at the end. The characters aren't terribly complex, but Princess Amy is a likeable protagonist if ever I met one, and the courtiers and family members surrounding her are woefully funny in their ridiculousness. To quote Erin, "You know how the movie Enchanted poked fun at ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Monica!
rated it
As sometimes happens, I was completely and utterly convinced I had read this book before, and picked it up for a quick little re-read to remind myself of the plot.
Wow, Monica. Fail. Because I not only have apparently never read a page of Ordinary Princess, it also is such a brilliant novel that I’m sort of depressed I didn’t grow up with it. It deserved to be one of my favorite childhood stories, dammit, and now it never will get the chance! Sad face.
Anyway, getting o...more
Wow, Monica. Fail. Because I not only have apparently never read a page of Ordinary Princess, it also is such a brilliant novel that I’m sort of depressed I didn’t grow up with it. It deserved to be one of my favorite childhood stories, dammit, and now it never will get the chance! Sad face.
Anyway, getting o...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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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 Majestry Queen Rodehesia. When the christening day arrives, Her Serene and Royal Highness Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne is showered with the extravagant, marvelous presents imaginable--until her last, most powerful fairy godmother proclaims, "You shall be Ordinary!"
And s...more
And s...more
WANTED: One little princess, preferably the youngest of seven. Should have no blue eyes and no golden hair. Should love the woods more than her clothes. In other words, should be 'ordinary'.
In her foreword to The Ordinary Princess M M Kaye says she was inspired to write this story after re-reading a few of Andrew Lang's fairy tales. Realising that the princesses mentioned were, for the most part, blue-eyed and gloden-haired and quite perfect, Kaye decided that a story about an imper...more
In her foreword to The Ordinary Princess M M Kaye says she was inspired to write this story after re-reading a few of Andrew Lang's fairy tales. Realising that the princesses mentioned were, for the most part, blue-eyed and gloden-haired and quite perfect, Kaye decided that a story about an imper...more
As my boyfriend put it, "this is the most stereotypically girly childhood favorite book you could possibly have picked." He's right. I still love it.
The Ordinary Princess is a book that's written for kids who are just beginning to read chapter books, and it preserves fairy-tale logic. It's the story of a princess whose six sisters are all beautiful, charming, and absolutely boring; she's "cursed" with being ordinary, a hoyden. Nobody wants to marry her, so her fat...more
The Ordinary Princess is a book that's written for kids who are just beginning to read chapter books, and it preserves fairy-tale logic. It's the story of a princess whose six sisters are all beautiful, charming, and absolutely boring; she's "cursed" with being ordinary, a hoyden. Nobody wants to marry her, so her fat...more
This story of "The Ordinary Princess" is based somewhat loosely on Sleeping Beauty (she was princess Amy's great grandmother after all). Princess Amy is the 7th daughter of King Huldebrand and Queen Rhodemsia. And in typical fairy tale fashion the fairies are invited to the princesses christening. The Sea Fairy Crustacea who was late, feeling grumpy tired and rather dried out from getting stuck in a traffic jam, bestowed upon the princess the gift of being "ordinary". And...more
Barky
rated it
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I liked how the princess in this story is independent and able to look after herself - she's not sitting around waiting for a prince to come rescue her or for the dragon to come and lay waste to the countryside.
She also goes out and gets her guy instead of waiting around to be matched up with someone who she may have absolutely nothing in common with apart from the fact they're both royalty which speaks of girl power!
I didn't so much like the description of the way a "typi...more
She also goes out and gets her guy instead of waiting around to be matched up with someone who she may have absolutely nothing in common with apart from the fact they're both royalty which speaks of girl power!
I didn't so much like the description of the way a "typi...more
Even though a decade has passed since the first time I read this book, The Ordinary Princess remains one of my favorite books of all time. This is an absolute must-read for any young girl - it's essentially the anti-Twilight.
The Ordinary Princess takes the concept of your average fairy tale, and turns it on its head. Princess Amy possesses all the qualities a good princess SHOULD have - minus one very important ingredient - great beauty. In spite of - or maybe because of - her less-t...more
The Ordinary Princess takes the concept of your average fairy tale, and turns it on its head. Princess Amy possesses all the qualities a good princess SHOULD have - minus one very important ingredient - great beauty. In spite of - or maybe because of - her less-t...more
The seventh daughter born to the king and queen of Phantasmorania, Princess Amethyst was just as lovely and perfect as her six older sisters had been as babies. All that changed at her christening when one of her fairy godmothers gives her the gift of ordinariness. Although her parents and everyone else are bothered by her ordinariness, Amy doesn’t care that she has freckles or mousy hair or an upturned nose or that none of the princes who meet her want to marry her. When she learns of her fa...more
I loved this book--a wonderful young adult story about a princess whose fairy godmother (a cranky old lady) gifts her with a wish that she be "ordinary." A nice departure from the traditional princess story where the princess is flawlessly beautiful and has to be rescued by a handsome prince--Amy rescues herself and finds a wonderful adventure in the bargain. And the illustrations are quite nice too, all done by the author.
Why I picked it up: It was recommended to me by an old high school friend when I was looking for a book with a magic wand. I decided to use another book for the scavenger hunt but had enough interest, combined with the fact that it’s short, to go ahead and read it.
Seventh princesses are usually the most perfect and beautiful. When the King & Queen of Phantasmorania have their seventh daughter, they invite all the fairies in the land to bestow special gifts upon their pride & joy. ...more
Seventh princesses are usually the most perfect and beautiful. When the King & Queen of Phantasmorania have their seventh daughter, they invite all the fairies in the land to bestow special gifts upon their pride & joy. ...more
I read this book oh-so-many years ago, several times! I loved this book, mainly because it steered away from the idea that in order to be special, you have to be extra beautiful, talented, well versed etc. The character in this story is as plain, and as ordinary as can be, and struggles in a world that expects her to be perfect. I loved it and I can't wait to read it again as an adult.
This is the single children's novel of one of my favorite authors growing up. Out of print and unfindable, I figured I'd never read it. Shocked when a friend had it sitting on her shelf.
It's a great story about the 7th princess in a family of beautiful, perfect princesses. At the celebration of her birth, fairies are invited to give gifts. The oldest (and probably wisest) fairy gives the princess the gift of being ordinary. Amythest (Amy--a perfectly ordinary name) isn't like her ...more
It's a great story about the 7th princess in a family of beautiful, perfect princesses. At the celebration of her birth, fairies are invited to give gifts. The oldest (and probably wisest) fairy gives the princess the gift of being ordinary. Amythest (Amy--a perfectly ordinary name) isn't like her ...more
A very sweet and short story. I look forward to reading it with my daughter when she is a bit older.
I like Princess Amy's attitude about life and herself. There is a lot of focus on looks and how important some people make them in this book, giving them much more attention then they need, which is often true in real life as well. I like that Amy overcomes that and doesn't let it get her down and that she is a very happy girl with a very ordinary gift.
While marrying ...more
I like Princess Amy's attitude about life and herself. There is a lot of focus on looks and how important some people make them in this book, giving them much more attention then they need, which is often true in real life as well. I like that Amy overcomes that and doesn't let it get her down and that she is a very happy girl with a very ordinary gift.
While marrying ...more
One of my favorite books growing up and still one I reach for when I'm feeling nostalgic. It's a wonderful story about the merits of "being yourself" and how being beautiful is not always the blessing it appears to be. Another reviewer mentioned the idea of the blonde princess being called beautiful and the brunette princess being ordinary and how that might affect her brunette daughter but it goes far beyond hair color. Even as a blonde little girl, I always identified more with Am...more
3.5 stars
So I'm new to this whole goodreads recommendations thing - where after 20 rated books they start using their computer voodoo to start suggesting things they think you will like. Hmmmmmmm.
I'm a little concerned - because goodreads obviously thinks - from my reading list - that I'm an 8 year old girl.
Not bad -sort of Robin Mckinley light. I liked all the themes - good lessons for young women: inner beauty is just as powerful as outer beauty, everyon...more
So I'm new to this whole goodreads recommendations thing - where after 20 rated books they start using their computer voodoo to start suggesting things they think you will like. Hmmmmmmm.
I'm a little concerned - because goodreads obviously thinks - from my reading list - that I'm an 8 year old girl.
Not bad -sort of Robin Mckinley light. I liked all the themes - good lessons for young women: inner beauty is just as powerful as outer beauty, everyon...more
This book changed my ideals about what a princess could be. Memory says, I was still a little girl (right after 6th grade?) and it was summer time hot, climbing the stairs up to the best children's section in the West Chester library in Pennsylvania. By chance I grabbed what seemed a ginormous book with a navy blue cover and gold letters spelling out the rather unimpressive name The Ordinary Princess.
The illustrations inside were what caught me first, then the slyly clever writin...more
The illustrations inside were what caught me first, then the slyly clever writin...more
My aunt read this book to me when I was very little (maybe 4 or 5?) and it's been one of my favorites ever since. Unlike the princesses in a lot of traditional fairy tales, when Princess Amy found herself in a disagreeable situation (her father wants to lock her in a dragon-guarded tower in order to trick a prince into marrying her), she up and leaves instead of sitting around letting fate toss her about (it always annoyed me that Cinderella didn't have the gall to do the same thing). She thinks...more
There has never been a time, regardless of how old I get or what is going on in my life, when reading M. M. Kaye’s The Ordinary Princess has not made me smile. It is, quite simply, one of the sweetest and most charming books I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
I LOVED this book when I was little. I read it in about fourth grade. Alongside the Prydain Chronicles, Harry Potter, and The Phantom Tollbooth, this book made me interested in (read: ADORE) the fantasy genre. Though I haven't read it since then, I remember I was so impressed with the main character that I named myself or my Barbie dolls "Princess Amy" whenever I played make-believe. After I read this book, 4th-grade-me decided my favorite color was purple and my favorite gem was ameth...more
I read this book when I was a young teen and loved it. I read it again recently to see if it was appropriate for Lydia. I'd forgotten what a sweet story it is! Lydia loved it, too! A well spun fairy tale.
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M. M. Kaye was born in India and spent her early childhood and much of her early-married life there. Her family ties with the country are strong: her grandfather, father, brother and husband all served the British Raj. After India's independence, her husband, Major-General Goff Hamilton of Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (the famous Indian Army regiment featured in The Far Pavilions), joined ...more
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“This story was written many moons ago under an apple tree in an orchard in Kent, which is one of England's prettiest counties . . . I had read at least twenty of the [fairy tales] when I noticed something that had never struck me before--I suppose because I had always taken it for granted. All the princesses, apart from such rare exceptions as Snow White, were blond, blue-eyed, and beautiful, with lovely figures and complexions and extravagantly long hair. This struck me as most unfair, and suddenly I began to wonder just how many handsome young princes would have asked a king for the hand of his daughter if that daughter had happened to be gawky, snub-nosed, and freckled, with shortish mouse-colored hair? None, I suspected. They would all have been of chasing after some lissome Royal Highness with large blue eyes and yards of golden hair and probably nothing whatever between her ears! It was in that moment that a story about a princess who turned out to be ordinary jumped into my mind, and the very next morning I took my pencil box and a large rough-notebook down to the orchard and, having settled myself under an apple tree in full bloom, began to write . . . the day was warm and windless and without a cloud in the sky. A perfect day and a perfect place to write a fairy story.”
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