A Royal Christmas to Remember

October 1, 2016

K-Gr 2-In this 13th book in the series, royal sisters Joy, Grace, Faith, Charity, and Hope enjoy the blessings of living in a castle that is beautifully decorated and full of presents. While their father tries to steer the girls back to the meaning of the holiday during their evening prayer, their thoughts are mainly on the gifts that they may get the next morning. Their idyllic Christmas Eve is interrupted just a few hours later when marauders attack a nearby village and three robbers break into the castle. The sisters are quickly rescued only to learn that parts of the village have been raided and burned. Conveying the lesson that "giving and sharing is necessary to being a true princess," they sacrifice their presents and use the castle's decorations for the village instead. VERDICT This is a Christian-based tale with accessible cartoon illustrations. The additional connection between the princesses' experience and the parable of the Rich Young Ruler at the end ensures that fans of the series will enjoy this one.-Joanna Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library

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