The Princess in Black; Dean & Shannon Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

The Princess in Black is the first in a new chapter book series that proves that not all princesses are alike. Husband and wife team, Shannon and Dale Hale, were inspired to write this book after watching their own daughters play. Their daughters enjoyed dressing up as princesses and found as much enjoyment in sipping royal tea as they did in fighting monsters. The result is this book, a book that shows a princess can do more than just sit on her royal throne.

Duchess Wigtower is sure that Princess Magnolia is hiding something. After all, everyone has their secrets and Princess Magnolia has one that she desperately wants to keep hidden. You see, when  Princess Magnolia is not busy being a princess she dons her monster defeating attire - cape, boots, mask - jumps on her pony Blacky - who also doubles up as her unicorn, Frimplepants - and heads off outside of the castle walls to Monster Land to fight monsters. So when her glitter-stone ring alerts her to a monster situation whilst she is enjoying hot chocolate and scones with the duchess, it is time for the princess to spring into action. But can she disappear and return before the duchess discovers something that will reveal her secret…

Princess meets superhero in this action-packed, kick-ass read. I love this book as it challenges gender stereotypes. Yes we see the princess in all her finery and living in her castle but the real fun starts when she ditches her flowing dress and crown and instead dons black mask and cape and becomes The Princess in Black. Dressed in black, Princess Magnolia is fearless, brave and courageous and is ready to take on whatever challenges may come her way. Not even the goat-eating blue monster is a match for her and her ninja skills as she princess pounces, hornswaggle hops and sparkle slams her way to victory (FYI - no goats actually get eaten).

Books with strong female characters who go against what is considered the norm are great for young readers as they help to break down social stigmas and will hopefully empower children to become whoever they want to be.

This read is great for newly independent readers with plenty of short chapters, a simple story line and colourful illustrations on almost every page. And if this one is a hit, there are plenty more adventures with The Princess in Black available to satisfy wanna-be superhero princesses.

Recommended for 5+.