loverofeels's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
4.0
this book is so damn funny! lowry is a very clever writer and i love all the snarky worldbuilding elements. princess pat is pretty wretchedly selfish and snooty, even more so than i fully realized as a child; i actually had to put down this book for a second at several points. not sure if i'd read this to my kids, because i don't like royalty or stories that use ugliness as a shorthand for wickedness, but definitely enjoyable to reread a childhood fave.
Spoiler
still, i was rooting for her and rafe. i appreciated that pat's happy ending was <i>doing</i> something she loves, not merely being with someone she loves, done in such a way that it didn't feel heavy-handed with its messaging.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism and Animal death
Minor: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
greenbeanteenqueen's review against another edition
5.0
About the Book: It's almost the day of Princess Patricia Priscilla's sixteenth birthday ball-the day the Princess will be asked to choose a suitor. But the princess is bored. So she decides to disguise herself as a peasant and go to school for the week. Princess Patricia Priscilla loves school and she's not looking forward to her birthday ball-especially when she finds out who the suitors will be! Will Princess Patricia Priscilla find a way to end her boredom and marry a man she loves?
GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I grew up reading the Anastasia books and The Giver. The Birthday Ball reminded my why Lois Lowry is one of my favorite authors.
Ms. Lowry takes on the fairy tale genre and there's such a wonderful blend of humor, heart, and romance. Princess Patricia Priscilla could have been a snobby rich princess, but instead she's a girl who is trapped and you can't help but feel sorry for her and understand her need to escape and try something new. She really is a endearing character and I was cheering her on the whole time.
The book starts out with chapters introducing multiple characters, but the characters come together and it's a very fun romp told with Ms. Lowry's wit and tongue in cheek humor. The three suitors for the princess are hilarious-there's a prince who is horribly ugly, but mirrors have been banned in his kingdom, so he doesn't know his fate, there's a prince who thinks he is the most handsome prince and must look in a mirror at all times, and there's the conjoined twins who fight all the time but share a love of bathroom humor. At first I wasn't a fan of the chapters introducing the various princes, but I think the prince's stories save this from being a very princessy book that will appeal to only fairy tale readers. With the princes stories woven in, I think there's a wider appeal (although it might be hard to sell a book with a princess on the cover to boys). All the characters come together in the end for one of the most delightful balls I've read about.
I think The Birthday Ball would make a great read-aloud for parents and children as well as classrooms. The book may be marketed for tweens, but I would recommend this one for any age reader who loves a good fairy tale. Ms. Lowry shows us why she is one of the best children's authors around.
GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I grew up reading the Anastasia books and The Giver. The Birthday Ball reminded my why Lois Lowry is one of my favorite authors.
Ms. Lowry takes on the fairy tale genre and there's such a wonderful blend of humor, heart, and romance. Princess Patricia Priscilla could have been a snobby rich princess, but instead she's a girl who is trapped and you can't help but feel sorry for her and understand her need to escape and try something new. She really is a endearing character and I was cheering her on the whole time.
The book starts out with chapters introducing multiple characters, but the characters come together and it's a very fun romp told with Ms. Lowry's wit and tongue in cheek humor. The three suitors for the princess are hilarious-there's a prince who is horribly ugly, but mirrors have been banned in his kingdom, so he doesn't know his fate, there's a prince who thinks he is the most handsome prince and must look in a mirror at all times, and there's the conjoined twins who fight all the time but share a love of bathroom humor. At first I wasn't a fan of the chapters introducing the various princes, but I think the prince's stories save this from being a very princessy book that will appeal to only fairy tale readers. With the princes stories woven in, I think there's a wider appeal (although it might be hard to sell a book with a princess on the cover to boys). All the characters come together in the end for one of the most delightful balls I've read about.
I think The Birthday Ball would make a great read-aloud for parents and children as well as classrooms. The book may be marketed for tweens, but I would recommend this one for any age reader who loves a good fairy tale. Ms. Lowry shows us why she is one of the best children's authors around.
anniegroover's review against another edition
3.0
Listened to the audio.... the reader was not to my liking.
yapha's review against another edition
3.0
Liked it, but didn't love it. It ended nicely, though it was fairly predictable. Would recommend it to girls who love princesses, especially ones who take matters into their own hands.
susanbarto's review against another edition
4.0
The Birthday Ball is a simple tale about a princess who has to find a husband on her 16th birthday. The story has some very interesting characters that keep the story moving. Tess will end up being one of your favorites too! The reading is easy and the story line one that a low reader can follow and a higher reader can enjoy without becoming bored.
One for the classroom bookshelf!
One for the classroom bookshelf!
abigailbat's review against another edition
3.0
Princess Patricia Priscilla is getting close to her sixteenth birthday, at which time she'll have a Birthday Ball and choose a suitor to marry. The problem? The princess is bored! She longs for a life outside the palace, and so she ventures out to the village school, pretending to be a peasant student.
This is a funny little ditty of a book and the humor will please its target audience. I'd recommend it for grades 2-5.
This is a funny little ditty of a book and the humor will please its target audience. I'd recommend it for grades 2-5.
lemon_drop's review
4.0
Very fun! Another great read-aloud choice. Some of the characters remind me of something from Dahl.
the_naptime_reader's review
4.0
Quick, silly, sweet little book. So different from the tone and voice of other Lois Lowry books I've read. It reminded me a little of Roald Dahl's writing. Some very clever word play, and great language in the book, and then rhere was some potty humor that wasn't my cup of tea, but middle schoolers would probably think is funny.