Harriet Hamsterbone is not your typical princess. She may be quite stunning in the rodent realm (you'll have to trust her on this one), but she is not so great at trailing around the palace looking ethereal or sighing a lot. She finds the royal life rather...dull. One day, though, Harriet's parents tell her of the curse that a rat placed on her at birth, dooming her to prick her finger on a hamster wheel when she's twelve and fall into a deep sleep. For Harriet, this is most wonderful news: It means she's invincible until she's twelve! After all, no good curse goes to waste. And so begins a grand life of adventure with her trusty riding quail, Mumfrey...until her twelfth birthday arrives and the curse manifests in a most unexpected way.
Every once in a while a book comes along that is perfect for you. This was my lucky weekend.
Ostensibly aimed at young readers, I, (emphatically not a young reader) absolutely devoured it. The art supports and advances the narrative perfectly. The story is a mix-up of the sleeping beauty trope and Harriet (the princess) is sassy and capable and just a little bit scary.
I adored this book! This is the first in a series and I intend to go devour the rest as soon as I possibly can.
Wonderful art. Slightly sarcastic but good-natured humor. Perfect characters.
There were so many laugh out loud moments. Here's one:
