Premium Members Get 10% Off and Earn Rewards Find Out More

Bad Princess: True Tales from Behind the Tiara

Add to Wishlist

Bad Princess: True Tales from Behind the Tiara

Hardcover

$12.99

View All Available Formats & Editions

Hardcover
$12.99

View All Available Formats & Editions

SHIP THIS ITEM

Temporarily Out of Stock Online
PICK UP IN STORE
Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Available within 2 business hours

Want it Today?
Check Store Availability

Related collections and offers

Overview

Being a princess isn't all it's cracked up to be. Discover the truth behind the tiara with more than 30 real-life, not-so-fairy tales from history to today.

Forget everything you thought you knew about princesses... Welcome to Bad Princess by Kris Waldherr (author of Doomed Queens), where you'll discover what really happens after "Happily Ever After." From the war-torn Dark Ages of Medieval Europe to America's Gilded Age, and all the way up to Kate Middleton, Bad Princess explores more than 30 true princess stories, going beyond the glitz and glamour to find out what life was really like for young royals throughout history. A mix of royal biography, pop culture, art, style, and pure fun, Bad Princess is a whip-smart, tongue-in-cheek spin on the traditional princess narrative, proving that it takes more than a pretty crown to be a great leader.

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338047981
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/30/2018
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kris Waldherr is the award-winning author and illustrator of Doomed Queens: Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends (Broadway/Doubleday), The Book of Goddesses (Abrams Books), and several other books for adults and children. The New Yorker called Doomed Queens "utterly satisfying," while the New York Times Book Review praised her picture book Persephone and the Pomegranate for its "quality of myth and magic." She lives in a ghost-ridden Victorian house in Brooklyn with her husband and tween-age daughter, who no longer likes princesses. Learn more at KrisWaldherr.com.

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

10/16/2017
Having recounted the ill-fated lives of royal women for adult readers in Doomed Queens, Waldherr aims younger, spotlighting young women throughout history who were born or married into royal families. Illustrated with archival images and the author’s pink-washed portraits, the book presents a colorful roster of rebels, schemers, and victims of marriages that were arranged to “expand territories, forge empires, and strengthen political ties.” Waldherr compiles historical facts and legends in a conversational and often irreverent voice (“When Lucrezia turned thirteen she tied the knot at last! Husband #1 was Giovanni Sforza, a dude double her age”). Numerous pop culture allusions help put some of the stories in modern context but can be forced: the War of the Roses “at times resembled toddlers squabbling over a Happy Meal toy,” and Napoleon’s sister, Pauline, “might have been the Kendall Jenner of her day.” Sidebars offer insight into the evolution of fairy tales, the tradition of dowries, and the pressure to conform to changing beauty standards (“It seems we’ll still do anything to remain fairest in the land”). A cheeky roundup of royal tangles and scandals. Ages 9–12. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

11/01/2017
Gr 4–7—A work of nonfiction covering, you guessed it, real princesses. The book is full of facts, pictures, illustrated charts, and more. Readers will learn about Salic law, "princess wars," how to wed a prince circa the 1800s, and more. For instance, Salic law was not practiced everywhere. It held that only males could inherit the throne. This is a peppy, interesting read; it's perfect for tweens. Waldherr makes the information relatable by using current pop culture references, while splashes of color add much to the overall design. The title also will prompt reluctant studernts to learn more about history and what living like a royal was like in the past and present. VERDICT This is a great book to recommend to readers who want a taste of history with a side of fairy tale princesses.—Maeve Dodds, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC

School Library Journal

2017-09-18
The author of Doomed Queens (2008) examines "princess backlash" and asks: what makes a princess?Vignettes about royals (primarily European) collected under wry chapter headings such as "Princess Wars," "Those Revolting Royals," and "When the Tiara Doesn't Fit" will leave youngsters reeling. Love is not certain, nor are riches. Waldherr's storytelling voice strikes a fine balance between snarky and sympathetic. Many princesses were political pawns, such as Lucrezia Borgia. Elizabeth Báthory of Slovakia, an accused serial killer, was "bad to the bone." Some, most notably Princess Diana, got bad deals. Even European fairy-tale princesses such as Snow White and the Little Mermaid endured hardships, even horrors. Readers will marvel that anyone's able to sell the myth of the happily-ever-after princess. Quotes, factoids, illustrations, and photographs complete the compendium and bring youngsters up to the current day, showing them that princesses willing to take the rei[g]ns can, in fact, achieve success. Modern-day examples of royalty include Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini of Swaziland and Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum of Dubai, reflecting a more diverse mix of women who embody a new stricture all readers can embrace: "A princess can change the world." Power to the princesses, right on! (further reading) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews

Related collections and offers

Overview

Product Details

About the Author

Related Subjects

Customer Reviews