Frogged
Written by Vivian Vande Velde
Another unique and fun fairy tale from the princess of fractured tales, Vivian Vande Velde. Princess Imogene is almost thirteen, a time when she should embrace her princess-ness and her princess duties. But she is gangly where most princesses are beautiful, prone to clumsiness and loud outbursts. As she studies the book, The Art of Being a Princess, she finds that she doesn’t seem to be the kind of princess who is ‘as good as she is beautiful.’ She tries very hard to be good, but she seems to be missing part of the formula. Trying to escape reading the irritating book, Imogene walks to mill pond. To her surprise, a frog talks to her. He convinces her that he is a prince under a magic spell. Trying to be kind and good, Imogene kisses him to remove the spell. Too late, Imogene discovers that he has tricked her. The spell jumps on her, the “prince” is really the wainwright’s son and the only way she can turn back into her human form is to get someone to kiss her. She has a problem with this solution. She simply can’t bring herself to trick someone else. It is so un-princess-like. So Imogene begins quite an adventure trying to find a way to remove the spell and hoping to get home in time for her birthday. She becomes part of a traveling band of actors, some she wouldn’t mind turning into a frog, but she stays true to her good heart. Still the road back to the castle is twisted and long (especially for a frog), but she finds her way home where family helps her find the perfect solution.
Imogene may not be a perfect princess, but she is one that young readers can understand. She encounters quirky characters from farmers to actors to royalty, but she is always herself. She talks a lot about not being perfect, but her moral compass is firm. Lots of humor, interesting plot twists and surprises, this would make a great class read aloud. Have the students make a chart of all the lies that are told to Imogene and her reaction to them as a literacy activity.
TITLE: Frogged- AUTHOR: Vivian Vande Velde
- PUBLISHER: Harcourt
- REVIEWER: Risa Brown
- EDITION: Hardcover, 198 p.
- ISBN: 978-0-547-94215-5
- GENRE: Fantasy, adventure
