Hamster Princess: Harriet the invincible by Ursula Vernon

[Originally published in 2015]

I was incandescent when I got a galley of Ursula Vernon's newest series, Hamster Princess, and it fully lived up to all my hopes, of course. Ursula Vernon never disappoints.

"Once upon a time, in a distant land, there was a beautiful princess named Harriet Hamsterbone, who, as her name indicated, was a hamster." Thus begins the most riotous, hilarious, flip-all-your-preconceptions-on-their-head retellings of Sleeping Beauty I have ever read. When Harriet finds out about the curse the evil Ratshade has placed on her, that on her twelfth birthday she's doomed to fall into a long sleep until a prince kisses her, she realizes that means....she's invincible until her birthday arrives! She promptly sets out to do something with all that invincibility and even manages to break the curse! But there are unexpected after effects and now she really, really does need a prince. But will any prince be willing to help out Crazy Harriet Hamsterbone?

Like the long-running Dragonbreath series, this new series starter combines graphics with text. The illustrations are in dark blue and purples and include some pages of panels and a plethora of spot illustrations, mostly of Harriet.

This series is just so much FUN. Kids and adults alike will giggle their way through and maybe even pause and think a little bit about preconceived ideas, although that's definitely not the point of the series, more of a byproduct.

Verdict: An absolute must-buy. These graphic blends are perfect for kids who desperately want to read comics and parents who desperately don't. Hand this one to fans of fractured fairy tales, previous fans of Dragonbreath, kids who like funny stories and adventure.

Revisited: Harriet went on to star in a series of fractured fairy tales and these continue to fly off the shelves, although they can, ironically, sometimes be a hard sell to boys because of the pink and glittery covers. Still a must-have for most, possibly all, libraries.

ISBN: 9780803739833; Published August 2015 by Dial/Penguin; ARC provided by publisher at ALA Midwinter 2015; Preordered for the library