Princess Ben

Brought back!

This book brought my back to all the good old fairytales that people used to write. It was simple and yet interesting . A twist on the regular sleeping beauty it surprised me in the end. Some parts in the book are - I will admit - weird but this book reminded me of Ella Enchanted and some of my other favorites. With all of the mixed reviews on this book I would suggest reading it at the library before buying it. I really enjoyed it though !

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Sweet-ness

When I first saw the book I thought "This looks stupid" But when I bought it and actually read it I LOVED it!! It is full of MAGIC and ROMANCE.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Love

In this book you will find true love. I hope that everyone in this world can find what Ben did and have it continue. This boook brought tears to my eyes. See I'm crying so hard I cant spell! I<3 this book :D

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome!

This was an insanely good book! First of all, the writing style is great (and very refreshing!), Ben is a very real princess, and the plot was very unique. It's great to read about a princess who's not the winner of every single beauty contest in the world, but is actually a lot prettier than everyone thinks. In fact, I adored that aspect of this book so much that it inspired me to write something similar! (But not too similar)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It was okay.

I thought the first part of it was excellent. I really loved the book up until the part where SPOILER: she gets captured by their army. From that point on, i really didn't care for it. The whole romance between her and the prince was unnecessary. It was pretty random how he fell in love with her and he was such an obnoxious character. There was barely anything to love about him. Also, the whole magic room plot just vanished after she escaped the castle. I was hoping when she came back she'd learn more spells, but she didn't. Again, great beginning but a not-so-great ending.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

excellent read

loved it, can not wait for the next one

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

AWESOME

I borrowed this at my library and tried to read it during my feee time at school.Somehow you can relate this to Princess Academy because of her aunt's cruelness comparef to the tutor. One word-AWESOME

Great book

This book is a fantastic easy read, I would highly recomend it to any one who wants to actually be able to relate to a princess in one of these stories

Meh.

Tried to read it. Too slow. You can try it, though.

Very Entertaining!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Go Princess Ben

oh my gosh i absolutley loved this book it is awsome
i found it in my public library and i just grabbed it randomly
i didn't know if i would like it but..... i loved it
i couldn't put it down, i finished it in less than a day
i totally recommend this book for anyone between the ages 10 and 15 it is
awsome.

I loved it! Enchanting!

It's a really fabulous story and I want more like this from Murdock! It was very uplifting and had a wonderful moral to it, which her character inevitably and obviously learns from, and becomes a stronger person with a kinder disposition and courage. Enchanting! I loved it!

BORING

this book was so boring and hard to get through. its like the author thinks using 20 words when you only have to use 10 makes her writing more impressive. BORING. I wish i hadn't wasted almost $20 on this. Waste of time and money.

0 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

boring

princess ben was a difficult to like until the end of the novel. She was very selfish in the beginning and her gluttony is nauseating. Reading about her binge eating was pretty disgusting.

Great!

This book was really exceptional. One can easily relate to Ben and her struggle for acceptance. I would reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in historical fiction, magic, and adventure. :D

Ewwww

too slow and boring

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

HORRIBLE

I can't believe how bad this book was. It was the most boring book i've ever read. It's slow paced, the narrator Ben is annoying and only cares about her weight, and Murdock writes as if she's trying to make every word fancy. Just blah. I hated this book and sorry I spent $17 on it.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

Fans of Catherine Gilbert Murdock's previous books, DAIRY QUEEN and its sequel, THE OFF SEASON, will be surprised and excited to discover that PRINCESS BEN is a tale in a completely different vein, yet equally enjoyable. This fantasy novel with fairy tale leanings is told by Princess Benevolence, who finds herself forced into becoming a "proper" princess after years of escaping the Queen's notice when the King is killed and his brother -- her father -- disappears.

At first Ben wants nothing more than to thwart Queen Sophia's every attempt to turn her into a lady, with the right manners and figure. She stumbles through dance classes, sneaks extra food whenever she can, and avoids all thought of her new position as heir to the throne. Locked during the night in a tower room, she finds a much more interesting way of passing the time when a secret passage leads her to a room of sorcery. Soon Ben is spending all her time learning spells, and half-sleeping through her days of lessons.

Ben's newfound contentment is disrupted when the threat of war looms. Thrown out into the world by the magical forces she still cannot completely control, she learns that there is some use for the skills the Queen tried to teach her after all. It will take all of her courage and determination to survive this challenge and become a true ruler.

Ben is a spirited narrator, and readers will love every minute they spend with her, from her somewhat spoiled beginnings to her later maturity. The story has enough twists to keep readers on their toes, and nothing and no one is quite what they first seem. The romance feels a little rushed, but it isn't the focus of the novel. This is really a story about a girl growing up and coming into her own in a strange and difficult world, and it will touch readers of all ages and situations.

Bewitching and Magical!

I absolutely adored Princess Ben! Once I really got into it, everything else was put on hold. I could not put it down, and was sad when it ended. It was whimsical, funny, slightly romantic, and postively enchanting. Ben is not your average princess, and therefore much easier to relate to. The author deftly weaves a new fairy tale with references to familiar ones.

Read in One Day

I bought this book after reading other reviews of it and thought it would be a good read while at work. I don't want to say much in case I let something slip. (I hate when reviewers tell the entire story!) Well I did read this in one day and really enjoyed it. Princess Ben did not, in my opinion, have a real slow point- I was able to keep reading with out getting bored. The characters emotions became my own and I was routing for her the whole way. She is forced to grow up and learn what a princess is supposed to do in the palace and she has no say in anything. Luckily she finds magic that saves her from her loneliness. So read this book if you like slight adventure, humor, and romance that isn't cheesy and in your face.