Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon (review)

In this humorous twist on “Sleeping Beauty,” a sword-slinging, monster-fighting, fraction-calculating hamster princess, Harriet Hamsterbone, manages to outmaneuver the evil fairy Ratshade, tossing her into the splintery hamster wheel intended for Harriet and turning the sleeping curse back on the fairy; unfortunately, the curse still befalls everyone else in Harriet’s family’s castle. Harriet and her faithful quail-steed, Mumfrey, manage to escape unharmed but are then saddled with the task of finding a prince to kiss everyone to break the curse. Middle-graders with a taste for absurdity and snark will find plenty of both here, and sassy Harriet is an entertaining heroine. The snappy, funny writing coupled with the plethora of comics-style illustrations and quick pace make this an easy sell to the reluctant reader crowd (who will find themselves happily devouring the occasional higher-level vocabulary word). The frequent art in tones of blue and gray often furthers the narrative via word-bubble interchanges of dialogue, and the carefully cocked angle of an ear or an eye renders the white hamster figures surprisingly expressive. Fans of Holm’s Babymouse (Babymouse: Queen of the World, BCCB 12/05) series or Vernon’s Dragonbreath (BCCB 9/09) series will definitely want to tag along on Harriet’s future adventures.