Book Posts - Princess Princess Ever After

Cathy G.'s Book Posts

Comic recommendations for young readers, educators and librarians.

Hello all! Welcome to my first blog post of book recommendations for young readers! I'm beginning this project as part of my Adolescent Literature course at Brown University this Spring 2017. In this series I will be focusing on graphic novels that star LGBTQQIA (I usually use just "queer" for short) and/or people of color as the protagonist. I hope it will be a useful source, if you are either a young reader looking for books, or an educator looking to fill out your curriculum! Thank you, and enjoy! -Cathy G.

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Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O'Neill, 53 pages, Oni Press, September 2016

Age Recommendation: All-Ages, Elementary

Intro: Katie O'Neill's Princess Princess Ever After is a coming-of-age story for two princesses trying to find their own paths in life. It's an all-ages fantasy comic, complete with unicorns, princes, castles and magic. The relationship between the titular princesses is warm, easy and romantic, making it a fun read with queer themes for any age.

Story Summary: Princess Amira is traveling in search of someone to rescue, and Princess Sadie fits that bill. Sadie isn't so sure she wants to be rescued, and has sabotaged previous princes who have tried to save her. But there's something different about being saved... by a princess. A wonderful fairy tale full of action that resolves quickly and keeps the pace moving, romance comes second to personal growth and taking the path you want to take.

Theme 1: Finding your own way in life, no matter what your assigned gender and class status says your role is. Princess Amira is frustrated in her role as princess, which is far too leisurely for her adventurous spirit. She leaves home when it's clear her mother expects her to marry a prince (and, as we can surmise, not a princess). The other characters are also unsure of their given paths, the two princesses running across Prince Vladric who does not want to fulfill his princely duties of fighting monsters. Every character in this story makes decisions for themselves that break their mold and defy expectations!

Theme 2: Feminine. Central to the story is the adventure-romance of Princess Amira and Princess Sadie. It's light and tender, a fantasy romance that goes easy on passion but heavy on cuteness and warmth. Their relationship is also never doubted, which is refreshing in a queer romance for an all-ages audience.

Theme 3: Fantasy. This story is great for anyone who enjoys fairy tales or Arthurian quests. Dragons and castles, towers and unicorns, knights and peasants, this story has it all!

Should I Read It?: If you are into fantasy tropes, short delightful stories and easy reads! It's a lovely book with little dialogue and story arcs that are emotionally complex with action that's quick to resolve. A fun read for a wide age group!