Emma (short for Emeralda) is a big, clumsy princess who likes to visit the swamp just outside the castle crounds and to hang around with her aunt, a witch named Grassina. She has the makings of a witch herself, though she canÂ’t seem to make magic come out right. And one day, while avoiding an obnoxious prince come to call, magic takes a really wrong turn for Emma. For she meets a talking frog who says that if she kisses him, he will become a prince. She does kiss him...but for some reason, she becomes a frog.

And so Emma and Eadric set out on a perilous journey, eating bugs and eluding predators, seeking the witch who made Eadric the way he is so that, perhaps, they can be turned into humans again. But alas, it is not so easy. A different witch—a “Vannabe” witch actually—nabs them and plans to use their tongues and toes in a potion. But with the help of a bat named Li’l Stinker and the unlikely friendship of a snake named Fang, the royal frogs make their escape and set out for Plan B.

ItÂ’s a lovely way to imagine being a frog, following the adventures of this charming couple and their friends. This story is full of good humor, romance, narrow escapes, and good, old fashioned, fairy tale magic. The characters talk in an amusing American-accented style, and their relationships are warmed by an agreeable amount of friction. So I think you will enjoy this very pink book, as well as its sequels: DragonÂ’s Breath and Once Upon a Curse.

Robbie Fischer
USA

Recommended Age: 11+

6/22/2005

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