Review by Booklist Review
Harriet Hamsterbone is back in action. Our warrior princess is no longer invincible, but she's hungrier than ever for adventure, and the more dangerous, the better, much to the dismay of her royal parents. When she hears about a micromanaging mouse king with 12 dancing daughters and a mystery he can't solve, well, what's a hamster like Harriet to do? She packs up her faithful riding quail and sets out to break those princesses' curse. Or not break it, if that's what they want (I liked my curse. It made me invincible, she shrugs). Either way, she's happy to be on a mission again. Spunky Harriet is just as wonderful as she was in her debut, and this sequel certainly lives up to the success of its predecessor (Harriet the Invincible, 2015). Fans of twisted feminist fairy tales will be delighted, and Harriet's existing followers won't be disappointed with this second installment. Bring on book three!--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Fierce warrior hamster princess Harriet Hamsterbone and her faithful battle-quail, Mumfrey, are itching for adventure mere weeks after obliterating the fairy curse in the first book of the series, Harriet the Invincible (Dial, 2015). Now that she is no longer invincible, she cannot participate in her favorite pastime, cliff diving, and she yearns for a new mighty quest. When a fairy shrew appears, needing her assistance at the Mouse Kingdom, Harriet quickly obliges. She learns of the plight of the 12 dancing princess mice, who are cursed to dance all night, every night. Arriving at the castle armed with a poncho of invisibility, Harriet must find out what is forcing the princesses to dance and break the curse before it's too late. What she unearths is a rodent-tweaked version of the "Twelve Dancing Princesses," in which the 12 princesses, who are named after the months of the year (January, February, March, etc.), seem destined to marry the 12 mole brothers (named after the zodiac signs: Gemini, Pisces, etc.). The generous comic book-like, two-toned illustrations are reminiscent of Vernon's "Dragonbreath" series (Dial) and suit the text perfectly. VERDICT A quick and satisfying read that is as hilarious as it is fun. Make room on the shelves for this not so frilly princess.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Princess Harriet's second outing takes on the "Twelve Dancing Princesses." Although hamster Harriet is, sadly, no longer invincible, having broken her curse in Harriet the Invincible (2015), she's got a hero's skills after her previous adventures. Seeking new excitement, she encounters a lonely old lady by the side of the road asking for food; genre-savvy Harriet quickly deduces that it's a disguised fairy and complies. She's rewarded with a quest to save 12 mouse princesses, cursed to slip away every night to a mysterious location where they dance right through their slippers. When Harriet suggests that they might like dancing (as she liked her curse) and that it would be rude to just go breaking it without asking them, the fairy tells her that Harriet's kingdom too will face doomat some unspecified point in the futureunless the curse is broken. Harriet arrives to find the mouse king a despot who inflicts his peculiar organizational whims on his subjects, such as militant matching and forced color coordination of clothing to each room. The princesseswho range in their enjoyment of femininity to stand as foils to tomboyish Harrietdon't like dancing (anymore) or being trapped, clearing Harriet to save the day. While Harriet prizes her physical prowess, Vernon here allows her to show off her smarts as equally impressive. Maintaining a keen balance between silly and sly, this sequel will have readers snickering. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 7-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
