“The Paper Bag Princess” by Robert Munsch is a classic children’s picture book that flips the traditional fairy tale story on its head. It is beautifully illustrated and written in an engaging and clear way. It also brings the story to life in a witty and fun way. It is a great story for GEMs of all ages.
The Paper Bag Princess is the story of Princess Elizabeth. She lives in a castle and is engaged to marry Prince Ronald. One day, a dragon attacks the kingdom and destroys Elizabeth’s castle and all of her princess clothes and dresses. Rather than kidnapping the princess, the dragon kidnaps the prince and Elizabeth has to go rescue him. Since all of her dresses were burned by the dragon, she gets dressed in a large paper bag and goes on the adventure of a lifetime. The twist at the end will take every reader by surprise, but yet it is a modern story that actually should not be a surprise!
GEMS BOOK CLUB greatly recommends this book for a number of reasons. First, Elizabeth is a true role model of a princess. She is resourceful, intelligent, and makes the best of a crummy situation. Second, she is a strong female character (something we look for in all Gem book club books) that we can look up to in this book. Finally, GEMs of all ages, including young and old, can relate to and be inspired by this new classic read.
