by Laura Rennert ▪ illustrated by Melanie Florian
Available September 13, 2012 ▪ Dial ▪ Ages 6 and up
She's sporty, funny, and brave -- meet the one-of-a-kind Princess Emma!
Story: Emma is not your typical princess. She dislikes pink, would rather play soccer than go dancing, and secretly dreams of being a dragon rider. And so, when she hears the news that dragons in the kingdom are becoming ill, does Emma quietly wait around for her fairy godmother to save the day? Of course not! She makes a plan to solve the dragon mystery herself. With a helping hand from her best friend, Rapunzel, and a surprising new pal, Emma might actually manage to save her favorite mythic creatures...and possibly even the whole kingdom.
Story behind the story: ROYAL PRINCESS ACADEMY is Laura Rennert's second book (her first, a picture book, BUYING, TRAINING AND CARING FOR YOUR DINOSAUR, was illustrated by Marc Brown -- yes of Arthur fame!) and I spoke with her about the "why" behind this one: "Lots of girls go through a princess stage. My daughter Emma was no exception. First, Em adored everything princess-y, and then she wanted to be the least princess-y girl ever. This funny, relatable switch inspired ROYAL PRINCESS ACADEMY, DRAGON DREAMS.
Princess Emma comes from a long line of princesses (some of whom you'll know). She’s in her first year at the Academy, and, with the All-School Princess Contest looming, she doesn’t have a lot of faith in herself, because she is not your typical princess. For starters, Emma has a secret: she really wants to be a Dragon Rider!
Girls will root for and relate to Emma. She’s sporty and funny and still finds a way to be royally and truly herself.
I love talking to kids, librarians, and booksellers, and am available to do events in person or via Skype."
When she's not working on her own books, Laura Rennert puts on her agent hat -- she thinks of herself as a "literary omnivore" and specializes in all categories of children's books, from picture books to young adult, and in up-market women's fiction and narrative nonfiction. She represents award-winning and best-selling authors, including #1 NYT bestsellers Ellen Hopkins, Jay Asher, #1 NYT bestseller and Printz Honor Finalist Maggie Stiefvater, and National Book Award Finalist Kathleen Duey, as well as brand new, first-time authors. You can connect with Laura via Facebook -- and to read a bit about what she has to say about agenting and writing, take a peek at mediabistro.com, A View from the Top, and Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog Cynsations.
2 Comments on ROYAL PRINCESS ACADEMY: Dragon Dreams Chapter book (illustrated), last added: 9/23/2012
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Royal Princess Academy: Dragon Dreams, what a wonderful book! I have two "princesses" that would have loved this book; they both were afraid of making mistakes, played soccer, loved to read, and still are clumsy. What a wonderful way to show it is okay to be yourself.
5 out of 5! Please write more!!
This book was an adorable book and worth having in the elementary school classroom. The illustrations were cute and I think it would draw kids to the book. For the classroom, this book opens up many topics for discussion. They would include: Being different, peer acceptance, being yourself, never giving up, be willing to try, and problem solving. It was a fun story to read just for enjoyment also. I enjoyed this book and would definitely give it a 5 out of 5!