August 15, 2019
Princess Sofia flies off on her own adventures. Six months after the close of The Girl With the Dragon Heart (2018), Princess Sofia of Drachenheim (a secondary character in Burgis' previous books set in Drachenheim) is forced to attend the Diamond Exhibition in far off Villenne. The bad: leaving the safety and comfort of home, a two-day flight in a dragon-lofted carriage, and playing the polite princess upon arrival. The good: Sofia immediately offends the king and queen of Villene, leading to unexpected freedom to disguise herself as a university student, attend a lecture by her favorite philosopher, and explore the city. First-person narration makes Sofia's privilege obvious, just as it does her journey of growth through self-reflection and friendship with goblin and kobold immigrants. When the ice giants of the north feel threatened by the weapons and intentions on display at the exhibition, it's up to hot-tempered Sofia and friends to save the day, and Sofia finds her un-princess-y characteristics can be an asset. As in the other books in the series, Burgis deals with issues as serious as privilege, immigration, and identity in a manner that is both honest and free of didacticism. Characters are a range of skin tones, from pale to brown to green to white; Sofia herself has brown skin. Anti-princess Sofia, her friends, and their adventures will amuse and delight readers. (Fantasy. 10-14)
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November 1, 2019
Gr 4 Up-Picking up where The Girl with a Dragon Heart left off, we meet Princess Sofia, the erstwhile younger sister of Queen Katrin who was rescued from a disastrous betrothal to an evil fairy by Silke and Aventurine. Sofi would love nothing more than to be left alone with her philosophy books and letters with her best friend and pen pal, Jasper, who happens to be the younger brother of Aventurine. Katrin, always devising ways to get Sofi to do her bidding for the "greater good," has concocted a plan to get Sofia out of her shell. Villene, the largest and most famous city in all of the kingdoms, is hosting its renowned Diamond Exhibition and Katrin wants Sofi to attend in her place. Luckily, Villene is home to the University and her favorite philosopher, so Sofi agrees with her sister's scheme. A reluctant princess at the best of times, Sofi manages to offend the local royals and have herself exiled for the duration of her trip. Tired of being cooped up under house arrest, Sofi ventures out disguised as a student of the University and triggers a series of events that will change her perspective on life. To fully appreciate how the different characters intertwine it is best to have read the other books, but new readers can still enjoy and follow the story at hand. As in the other novels of the series, the characters are diverse in appearance. Readers will also get to explore other races of humanoids. There are more dragons, of course, as well as goblins and kobolds who are immigrants from a distant, northern land. VERDICT Compelling female characters and an emphasis on self-reliance make this, and the other books in the series, a good choice for those seeking middle grade fantasy with a feminist message.-Sara Brunkhorst, Glenview Public Library, IL
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 1, 2019
Grades 4-6 At her widowed father's request, Crown Princess Katrin rules the kingdom of Drachenheim, and that includes her sister, feisty Princess Sofia. Sofia admires her older sister's mastery of diplomacy, information gathering, and task setting as it applies to matters of state. On a personal level though, it can definitely be both inconvenient and annoying. Katrin sends Sofia on a formal visit to a neighboring kingdom. Rebelliously, Sofia soon disguises herself as a commoner, slips away from her guards, and befriends several university students. Friendly dragons and terrifying ice giants have their roles to play in the story, but Sofia takes the spotlight and does herself proud in unexpected ways. A companion book to The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart (2017) and The Girl with the Dragon Heart (2018), this well-paced fantasy features different characters within the same world. Sofia's lively first-person narrative is full of dramatic twists as this dragon-loving heroine undertakes a dangerous rescue mission, experiences a terrifying setback, and discovers an unexpected ally. Here's a rousing adventure story with convincing characters and a colorful setting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)