“The Very Little Princess” by Marion Dane Bauer, c2010, is about a girl named Zoe who is dropped off by her mother to live with her grandmother because either her mother needs time alone or can’t handle taking care of her. When Zoe’s mother drops her off at her grandmother’s, it is evident that her mother is not close to her grandmother. The communication between her mother and grandmother is tense. Zoe overhears them arguing and suspects it is about her. Only until recently, when she was told she would be going to live with her grandmother, Zoe had never heard of this grandmother or known she had any relatives. It has always been just her and her mom, living in various apartments in Minneapolis. As she is being driven to her grandmother’s, a house in the Minnesota countryside with a green lawn and lilac bushes, she suspects that her current life will possibly come to an end. She doesn’t know for sure though. You don’t know when, if ever, Zoe will go back to live with her mother. While at her grandmother’s, she plays with a dollhouse and a doll named Regina. One day, the doll, a not so very nice princess, comes to life, ordering Zoe around and claiming her as her mother. This takes up most of the story. I didn’t care for this story at all. I didn’t like the tone of voice it was written in. I definitely didn’t like the doll. This doesn’t mean that everyone is going to dislike the story. It is about a topic that perhaps some children have experienced or are experiencing with a parent and may be something they can identify with. It got excellent reviews on Amazon. I have enjoyed other stories by Marion Dane Bauer, such as “The Blue Ghost”.
Submitted by Karin
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