Obviously, I'm going to like this. It's a fun, funny, totally enjoyable, quick-read about a princess who sneaks out of her castle to go to school, invites all the peasants to her birthday ball, and finds a way to get out of marrying one of three (or four, technically) nasty (really gross-nasty) suitors.

My favorite parts:

1. So many things rhyme with delicious!
2. The norphan
3. The disgusting Duke of Dyspepsia, Prince of Pustula, and Conjoint Counts
4. An overall satisfying mixture of cute and gross
5. Just a smidge of feminism tucked in
6. Jules Feiffer's illustrations enhance it's Roald Dahl-ian smelly charm.

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This review was originally posted on Goodreads

I enjoyed this little book from my children’s bookshelf. My daughter mentioned it had some potty humor and since I don’t usually keep potty humor on my bookshelf (more out of a disdain for books that stoop to potty humor for easy laughs than my dislike of potty humor in general) I decided to give this one a read.

The potty humor is not pervasive nor is it the used for cheep lights but in the development of one of the characters (plural, sort of 😆). You’ll have to read to see what I mean. In this case the potty humor was a non issue for me.

I don’t agree with the reviewers who said the story plot was undeveloped. This reads like traditional fairy tales. Think of how simple the Cinderella story is. Even with all the variations from around the world the simple plot remains. I would say this fairy tale is slightly more plot heavy than most traditional fairy tales; more characters, more side stories, more happening in general. But again, still reads like a fairy tale not in spite of its lake of plot development but because of it.

I agree that this reads like a Roald Dahl book and the humor is more in the British style. For those worried about making fun of ugly or a kingdom named Bulimia, or being insensitive to those with hearing loss, I guess you will want to skip this one. But these things are funny… what humor in the world is left if you leave out making fun of the human condition? It isn’t personal. Besides in the end, the ugly duke got the child he had always wanted through adoption and she gave a good message, “it doesn’t matter if you are ugly, what counts is inside.” So, if you like British humor and fairy tales you will enjoy this.

This book gets to remain on our shelf. ( )

I bought this because I’m always looking for a nice, niche book.

This is a YMMV, I would not give it to a child under 15. Why would there be a fiefdom of Bulimia? That’s not appropriate. The people are quite nasty but of course lots of people are nasty. This is not suited for preteens. Did I like it? Yes. ( )

Last night, I had a good laugh while reading this amusing children's book. This is different from the world of The Giver and Number the Stars. The theme is lighthearted and humorous. What I love about the book is the vivid and unique description of the supporting characters, especially the 3 (and a half?) suitors of Princess Patricia Priscilla. I highly recommend it to those who love to read princess stories where the princess got bored and explored the outside world. ( )

It’s amazing to me that the same author that wrote The Giver wrote the book I'm reviewing today because they couldn’t be more different. The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry is a nontraditional fairytale about a princess who’d rather live among the people than follow any ridiculous royal decrees. (Roman Holiday, anyone?) Now that she’s turning 16 years old, Princess Patricia Priscilla's expected to marry one of the three suitors who are courting for her hand. Each man is more ghastly than the last. A lot of time is spent describing these hateful men (and the illustrations by Jules Feiffer really drive it home how disgusting and despicable her choices truly are. As in much of middle grade fiction, her parents are blind to her discomfort and unhappiness as they are caught up in their own lives and interests. (Dad is obsessed with butterflies and Mom is preoccupied with her wardrobe and appearance.) So neither takes any notice of her switching places with her maid and escaping out into the village to go to the local school. Dark humor coupled with the somewhat realistic portrayal of what it's like to be a village peasant plus the fantastic illustrations make this a quick, fun read. 7/10 ( )