Tween Tuesday: The Birthday Ball

I love Lois Lowry. There is just nothing she can't write. And because she is a master in her own right, I just hate to compare her to anyone, but I have to. Actually, I have to compare this book to another author's work...Roald Dahl. This book is very Dahlian and so much fun that I can't wait to share it with my students.

From Good Reads:
"Princess Patricia Priscilla is bored with her royal life and the excitement surrounding her sixteenth birthday ball. Doomed to endure courtship by three grotesquely unappealing noblemen, she escapes her fate—for a week. Disguised as a peasant, she attends the village school as the smart new girl, “Pat,” and attracts friends and the attention of the handsome school master. Disgusting suitors, loveable peasants, and the clueless King and Queen collide at the ball, where Princess Patricia Pricilla calls the shots. What began as a cure for boredom, becomes a chance for Princess Patricia Priscilla to break the rules and marry the man she loves."

I loved the "villians" in this book (the three suitors competing for her hand in marriage). They were gross--and you have to wonder if any of them will be redeemed. I also loved the illustrations by Jules Feiffer. They fit the tone of the book really well. This is that would be a good read for higher third grade and fourth grade readers, probably girls, but most readers would find this book enjoyable (along with being a great read-aloud for younger grades).

Like all Lois Lowry books there is just something to love and I found myself grinning through most of the book. This will be an easy sell to the readers in my school!

On a side note: I use paint swatches from Home Depot for bookmarks when I read. I use the Disney brand because I LOVE the names they use for their colors. I have a stack in my bedside table drawer and I pick one that either fits the mood of what I think the book will be, or my mood when I start the book. As soon as I saw the cover (which is more purple than this picture shows) I picked out the perfect swatch to use:
(the names of these colors are--Dreams Come True and Robes for a Queen).

Tween Tuesday was started by the GreenBeanTeenQueen. Check her out here.