The Ordinary Princess

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View books by Mary Margaret Kaye.

Some things are worth repeating - Rated
When I was a child, this was one of my favourite books and having reread it recently with my young nephew, I can remember why. It's almost PC the way Princess Amy can't abide by her parents wishes to be locked up in some tower while Dad hires out for a dragon and perhaps a Prince to come and slay the beast. Why any girl in her position seems to have no choice except to run away. And so the Princess does. She escapes into the forest and is quite happy there with her various woodland friends. That is until the practicalities of her wardrobe and some very sensible advice from her fairy godmother mean that she needs to seek out some form of gainful employment. So she ends up working as a kitchenmaid and she does meet a Prince, eventually. I fell in love with this book all over again! There is a lesson in this book somewhere, possibly more than one but it escapes me at the moment. I just find it a very enjoyable read, even now. Princess Amy is most certainly a patch above the rest and as you'll soon discover, there is nothing ordinary about her perserverence in the face of a typical fairytale ending.

My favourite book as a child - Rated
No matter what she does, Princess Amy (christened Amethyst) cannot be as perfect as her six older sisters, each one more perfect than then next. This is because at her christening, a disgruntled fairy cursed her with being Ordinary.

So when her parents resort to dragons and rewards in their attempt to get this very ordinary girl married off, she runs away to the forest to be friends with the woodland creatures who accept her for who she is.

And she finds that being ordinary is not such a curse after all - I don't want to give away how!

What I loved about this book was all the descriptions - all the jewels and velvets of court life, the banquets, the woodland creatures and comforts. And they are a delightful foil for the ordinariness (yes I know it's not a word) of Amy - she comes across as even more real and down-to-earth because of her fairytale surroundings.

There are plenty of ridiculous characters for humour too, in case you think this is a bit worthy.

This book is a beautiful fairy story for those who've outgrown the traditional ones - and I still enjoy reading it!

Definitely five stars!

All I want for Christmas... - Rated
After reading an article in the TES, I have just come online to see if it's really true...that after too many long years of waiting, The Ordinary Princess has finally been reprinted. Whooo hoooo!

Every page in this book is filled with memories of my childhood - how many other little girls make believe they're an ordinary princess too, especially when they have a wood to run through behind their house, just like Amy.

My well-read and battered copy can now have a well deserved rest as I place an order for my new copy. I'll also be ordering a copy for my children. If there are any females in your family, young or old, make this a magical Christmas and get them a copy - much better than fluffy slippers :- )

Unusually magical! - Rated
I was given this book when I was about 9 and was immediately captivated by its charm and humour. It tells the story of Princess Amethyst whose christening is marred by the arrival of a bad tempered fairy (late because she was held up in traffic) who gives the gift of ordinariness. I bought it for my god daughter this Christmas and had to re-read it (I don't know how but my copy was mislaid) and was taken back to how marvellous this charming tale is.

I would heartily recommend this to anyone who wants to get a book full of true humour and, sounds daft, but sunshine. This is a wonderful fairy story and I must say that reading it as an adult has reconfirmed my love of it.

Wonderful - Rated
I remember being captivated by this book as a child - the down to earth Princess Amy seemed so much more like me than any other fairytale princess I'd ever read about. With her no nonsense manner and her tomboyish hobbies, she quickly became my heroine.

A funny, wry book which still has the magic of a fairytale.